Unserious Wine for Unserious Times: Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
OK, it’s that time of year, the third Thursday of November and all that. And we all know what that means — the new Beaujolais Nouveau. (Which is like saying, “the new new Beaujolais.” OK. Anyway.) Last week marked the arrival of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, and the “experts” are saying this years is a very good vintage.
Beaujolais Nouveau is always the first vintage released, just a few weeks after harvest. It is made from the Gamay grape, and is typically light-bodied and fruity. This year’s Georges Duboeuf bottle declares, “Tender, fruity, harmonious, elegant, fresh, delicious are the main qualities of primeurs wines.”
So, what are “primeurs wines,” you might ask? I wanted to know the same thing, so I looked it up on Wikipedia: “A nouveau, or vin (de) primeur, is a French wine permitted by Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) regulations to be sold in the same year it was harvested.” Alright, then.
I tasted this year’s Georges Duboeuf BN 2009 on Thursday, slightly chilled, as recommended. The thing that struck me is how much it reminded me of Welch’s grape juice. I kept trying to identify the flavor, and that was it. Now, this wine isn’t made to be serious by any stretch of the imagination, but chilled, it had that distinct Welch’s grapey taste to me. I then later tried it at room temperature, and liked it better. But that’s just me. Lots of folks are going to prefer it chilled, and that’s good too. The thing is, this is a fun, unserious wine for fun, unserious times, so it’s very good for what it is. Good for Thanksgiving, and also good for folks who think they don’t like red wine at all. I give people who say they don’t like reds a glass of slightly chilled Beaujolais, and they are often surprised at how much they like it. That being the first step on the slippery slope of loving great red wine for some. Try it at your next dinner party. : )
If you’re in the mood for a more serious report on this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, check out Wine Spectator’s report, where they review nine wines from the vintage. WS says about this year‘s crop, “. . . this time, wine lovers truly have something to be excited about: 2009 will likely go down as one of Beaujolais’ best vintages on record.”
You wouldn’t go wrong if you bought a case of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau for your Thanksgiving celebration!
It’s debatable whether AOC regulations allowing Beaujolais to be sold in its first year signifies value. It has been explained to me by a French person, “If the wine was anything worthwhile, the French wouldn’t want to get rid of it so quickly.” !!!
I don’t think it signifies value as much as it signifies, “let’s sell some unserious, fruity wine to some unserious, fruity Americans. They will drink ANYTHING!” tee hee!