Georges Duboeuf is a modest man. He is modest in stature and rather reserved, in an elegant, French way. He is extremely modest about his contributions to the international wine world, of which championing Beaujolais — the region and the wines — will be his legacy. He is also modest about his success with promoting Beaujolais Nouveau, even though it has become a an overhyped caricature of itself.
As the world gets ready to celebrate the arrival of the 2014 Beaujolais Nouveau, it’s a good time to turn the spotlight on this region’s wines, especially the complex, aromatic and fascinating wines of the Cru Beaujolais. These Cru wines are a revelation for anyone who is accustomed to drinking the super fresh, super fruity and super young Beaujolais Nouveau. After all Nouveau is a style unto itself, bottled only weeks after the grapes are harvested. While Nouveau’s roots are in a wine to celebrate the harvest, the Cru wines are what Beaujolais is all about. Moulin-à-Vent’s landmark windmill In June I joined a group of fellow journalists on a taste journey through five of the 10 Cru Beaujolais appellations. The producers we visited all make wine with the legendary Georges Duboeuf, who has done more to spread the world about high quality Beaujolais wine than any other producer from…
November in the wine world means time for Beaujolais Nouveau, with all the pomp and circumstance and celebration surrounding the release of this wine around the world. Legally it cannot be released until 12:01 am the third Thursday of November. That’s when you hear proclamations of “le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!”— and millions of corks popping. This year the festivities take place on November 20, 2014. As a wine Beaujolais Nouveau is soft and fruity, very easy to drink. Yet critics deride the wine as being cheap and uninteresting. Well it is cheap inexpensive, usually selling for $10-$12 a bottle. It’s certainly not as complex as a red wine aged for one to two years in oak. Beaujolais Nouveau is a baby, made and released as a finished wine in only four to six weeks after harvest. That’s why in 2014 you’ll be drinking the 2014 vintage later this month. …