Beaujolais Nouveau Day is the third Thursday in November, when this classic French region releases wines from its latest vintage. Bottled just weeks after harvest, these wines are intended to be consumed young, within months of purchase. They offer a preview of what each vintage will express in the coming years.
Franck Duboeuf, CEO of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf and son of the late, legendary Georges Duboeuf, who popularized the Nouveau tradition, celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau Day in the United States last week. Duboeuf led a tasting at Quality Bistro in New York City (after his son recently visited for a 2020 Georges Duboeuf Domaine and Chateaux Vintages showing).
Duboeuf first launched Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé in 2018, amidst the category’s craze.
“It’s still part of the tradition now with Nouveau,” says Duboeuf. “Although a small portion of the rosé was always made and drunk locally in Beaujolais.”
The region’s traditional gamay grape is a “no-brainer” for rosé, he explains, as the dark-skinned variety produces lighter juice. Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé sees no maceration, “steel stem”, and is immediately pressed.
Commercial
The result is a deliberately subtle product, light in color and freshly scented. “We try to avoid too many exuberant scents,” explains Duboeuf. “We prefer the more traditional aromas, like raspberries. We want our light and pleasant rosé, with a lot of freshness and a little tension. It is easy to drink and well balanced”.
The Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Rosé Nouveau 2022 retails for $15.99 for 750ml. bottle. It paired nicely with our appetizers of crab cake, Foie gras steak tartare Rossini, escargot with green garlic, and bibb lettuce with avocado.
A pair of contrasts followed: the 2022 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau ($14.99) and the 2022 Beaujolais Nouveau Chateau Chateau d’Ouilly ($17.99). The former is the company’s standard release, while the latter is a unique status. The difference? The standard bottle was well rounded with plenty of cherry flavors, while the single serve offered a bit more tartness and freshness. Both were subtle, pleasant, easy to drink, and food-friendly.
Overall, the 2022 Beaujolais Nouveau represented “a vintage of extremes,” says Duboeuf. A cool dry winter saw little to no frost damage, unlike last year’s punishing cold. Then summer came with record heat, reaching temperatures last recorded in Beaujolais in 1947.
“It was so hot that photosynthesis stopped,” recalls Duboeuf. This slowed down ripening, resulting in smaller grapes. Around 30 to 40% of the crop was lost this way, about the same percentage of fruit ruined by the terrible frosts of winter 2021.
Despite the problems of the summer, “we are very happy and satisfied with this crop,” says Duboeuf. “It has incredible acidity. We think it could be like the 2003 vintage, where the acidity went overboard, but this one is more balanced.”
“We like the style of this vintage,” he adds. “It has a deep red color. The aromas are fresh and pleasant. The flavors are not just blackberry, but fresher due to good acidity levels. We are tempted to compare 2022 with 2020, 2015 and 2009, the most prestigious vintages. Time will tell.”
The tasting concluded with another pairing: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2022 ($15.99) and Georges Duboeuf Domaine des Trois Vallons Beaujolais Nouveau 2022 ($18.99).
The Villages release, representing the northern Beaujolais appellation, was well balanced with black fruit (especially black cherry) before a pleasant tannin finish. “The Villages always produces very balanced wines,” says Duboeuf.
As for the Domaine des Trois Vallons, “I would describe it as a basket of black and red fruits,” adds Duboeuf. With excellent body and rich mouthfeel, the best of both of the bunch, he held up wonderfully well with filet mignon au poivre, served perfectly in the middle.
Altogether, Nouveau Day 2022 was another showcase for the region’s excellent and diverse gamay wines, poised for good aging for years to come.
“We have a mosaic of soils in Beaujolais,” says Duboeuf. “This allows us to produce wines with a very strong character.”
Kyle Swartz is an editor at Beverage Dynamics magazine and our sister site, Cannabis Regulator. Contact him at [email protected] Read his recent article, The Alcohol Brands Driving Meaningful Change at DEI.