Beaujolais AOCs Flashcards
Beaujolais AOC
Wine Styles: Dry White, Rose, Red
Grape Varieties:
White: [P] Chardonnay [S] Aligote, Melon
Rose/Gris: [S] Pinot Gris
Red: [P]Gamay [S] Pinot Noir
99% of Beaujolais’ production is red. By law red and rose Beaujolais can include up to 15% Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Aligote, Pinot Gris and Melon when these secondary grapes exist within a field blend. In reality, however, the wines are almost always 100% Gamay.
Red Beaujolais can be labeled as superieur if it contains slightly higher alcohol and lower yields. 30 of the 96 vilages are cognized for producing wines of distinction and can append their names to the word “Beaujolais” on the label. However, this is rarely done.
Red Beaujolais displays a fresh overt grapiness and is characterized by light pigment, light tannins and bright acidity. White Beaujolais is made from Chardonnay and most is unoaked.
Beaujolais Villages AOC
Wine Styles: Dry White, Rose, Red
Grape Varieties:
White: [P] Chardonnay [S] Aligote, Melon
Rose/Gris: [S] Pinot Gris
Red: [P] Gamay [S] Pinot Noir
38 of th 96 villages qualify for the Beaujolais Villages designation and can be labeled as such.
Red and rose Beaujolais Villages dollow the same field blend rules as for Beaujolais. Red Beaujolais Villages distinguides itself from the regional Beaujolais in that it is more densely pigmented and displays less overt grapiness, deeper berry fruit and a distinct core of minerality. These qualities are attibuted to the prescence of granite in the Beaujolais Villages zone of production.
White Beaujolais Villages is also 100% Chardonnay. It tends to be slightly more concentrated in flavor than regional Beaujolais. It is deeper, richer and more supple on the palate and mirrors Macon in style.
The Beaujolais Crus
the cru AOCs display Gamay’s fruit within a much more structured framework. A higher percentage of old fruit and longer skin contact during fermentation give them aging potential. The crus represent about 40% of Beaujolais’ production.
All Beaujolais Cru wines are red, and most are 100% Gamay; however, they all allow for up to 15% Aligote, Chardonnay and Meon when incorporated as a field blend. All crus mandate hand harvesting.
All are:
Wine Styles: Red
Grape Varieties:
White: [S] Aligote, Chardonnay, Melon
Red: [P] Gamay
All of the crus have identified specific vineyard parcels, lieux-dits, within their boundaries that have reputations for producing high-quality wine. These sites have been substantiaed by Inter Beaujolais. The goal is to have these vineyards recognized as climats by INAO, with eventual recognition of some of the sites as Premiers Crus. The most well known of these sites is Cote du Py within the Morgon AOC.
Listing the crus from north to south:
Saint-Aour
Julienas
Chenas
Moulin-aVent
Fleurie
Chiroubles
Morgon
Regnie (Brouilly)
Cote de Brouilly
Brouilly
As Cote de Brouilly lies within and is completely circled by Brouilly, Brouilly both precedes and follows this cru in a north-south line-up.
Saint-Amour AOC
Saint-Amour is the northernmost cru; its vineyards border those of Bourgogne’s Maconnais region. The name of the AOC translates as “Saint Love,” and the wine is always promoted around Valentine’s day.
Saint-Amour produces wines of both short and long maceration times. The wines made with shorter maceration times are light, fruit and perfumed; the wines made with longer maceration times are naturally more tannic and structured.
Fleurie AOC
Though the wines are indeed floral, as the name indicates, the etymology of the appellaton is attributed to a Roman legionnaire. Fleurie is considered the most feminine of all the crus - the “Queen of Beaujolais) - but it can age and will develop sweet spice elements as it does so.
Chiroubles AOC
Chiroubles has earned a reputation for being the most “Beaujolais” of all the crus. The wines are soft, light, fruity and delicate… i.e. benchmark Beaujolais.
This AOC is the highest of the ten crus; its vineyards are located upon steep slopes between 250-450m in elevation. This is also the cooest of the crus; harvest starts later here than in all the others.
Julienas AOC
Julienas is named after Julius Cesar, whose troops were stationed throughout the region. As with much of Beaujolais, the Romans cultivated vines here and have left enduring presence. All vineyards lie on diverse soil types. The wines are therefore layered and complex.
Regnie AOC
This is the newest cru. Soils here have a higher precentage of sand, which crafts aromatic wines that are quick to mature.
Cote de Brouilly
Cote de Brouily is locatetd on the slopes jof Mount Brouilly. This cru is the only one to have vineyards on slopes facing each point of the compass. Soils have a volcanic element (diorite) which gives the wines an unique hit of pepper.
Brouilly AOC
The Brouilly AOC takes its name from Mount Brouily, a wide flat mountain that rises to 484m. It dominates the landscape. The vineyards are located on a plateau surrounding the base of this mountain. The mounntain itself was named after Brulius, a Roman army lieutenant who oeversaw this area 2000 years ago.
This is the southernmost and the largest of the Beaujolais Crus; it experiences much more of a Mediterranean warmth and sunshine than its northern neighbors. Volcanic diorite is aso found in soils here.
Chenas AOC
Chenas’ name recalls its location, an ancient oak forest. Chene means “oak tree.” The wines of Chenas are concentrated and need a few years of bottle age to manifest their true potential. That said, the flavor profile is described by locals as “a bouquet of flowers in a velvet basket.” This is the smallest of all the Beaujolais Crus. Its wines often hint of wood even if there is no barrel regimen.
Moulin-a-Vent AOC
This highly rated Beaujolais Cru is named after a local windmill which became a historic monument in 1930. The windmill and the AOC both received their respective distinctions at approximately the same time, and the windmill has remained the symbol of the cru ever since.
Moulin-a-Vent is considered the “king of Beaujolais” because it produces the most full-bodied and tannic wines of all the crus. This is partly due to the fact that many of the local vignerons favor Bourgogne vinification mthods. The wines can last up to 10 years depending on the vintage, and many will have a clear tendency to become Pinot-like. Locals have a verb for this: pinoter. They say the wines are pinotent.
Morgon AOC
Morgon is the 2nd largest cru (after Brouilly). The wines are distinctly characterized by ripe cherry fruit; in warm years, this cherry note is expressed as cherry jam of Kirsch. The locals attribute this strong cherry note to the decomposed schist soils referred to as “rotted rocks” or roches pourries. The cote du Py, Beaujolai’s most famous lieu-dit, is located on such soils. With age, the wines will pick up earthy notes of forest floor (sous bois) very reminiscent of Pinot Noir. The locals refer to this transformation from aroma to bouquet with a proprietary term, morgonner.
