| Visits With The King Of Beaujolais And The King Of The Rhone | | | | By: Ron Kapon | << back  Page 2 of 6 next >> |
History- Beaujolais owes its name to the Sires of Beaujeu, who reigned over this region during the 9th to 11th centuries. Historians believe that wines were first planted here in the Gallo Roman era, dating back to the 4th and 5th century.
Geography- Beaujolais occupies an area 30 miles long and 8 miles wide in the southernmost part of burgundy with Macon to the north and the Rhone to the south. Lyon, the third largest city in France after Paris and Marseilles, is a half hour south. Beaujolais is very hilly with granite mountainsides and its latitude is similar to that of Portland, Oregon.
Vineyards, soils and grape variety- 1/3 of the area (55,000 acres) are covered by vineyards with the granite soil in the northern vineyards giving aromas of ripe fruit and faded roses and the clay soil in the south reminding many of red fruits. 98% of the vineyards are planted in Gamay with 2% in Chardonnay, which is used in the small production of Beaujolais Blanc. There are over 4,000 grape growers and 15 million cases of all type of Beaujolais sold worldwide and the US imports about 15% of the total. This area has the highest density of grapevines in the world; over 4,000 vines per acre.
Winemaking- Grape picking is done manually since machine harvesting is not allowed and the fermentation is accomplished by a unique method known as semi-carbonic maceration where bunches of grapes are placed in vats (wood, stainless steel or concrete). The weight of the top grapes makes those at the bottom burst and begins to ferment and this warms the vat, causing fermentation to begin inside the skins of the whole grapes. The result is great fruit extraction and red wines that benefit from being served slightly chilled.
Appellation- Beaujolais- Comes mainly from the southern area of the region with a fragrance of red fruit and berries and are mostly consumed within France and Europe (7 million cases). Beaujolais Villages- The best seller in the US, mostly from the central and northern part of Beaujolais (37 communes). These wines are soft, velvety and fruity (almost 4 million cases). Crus- the 10 Crus are wines named after 10 northern villages. The cru name will appear on the label, often without the word Beaujolais. Here they are alphabetically: Brouilly- Largest and most southern, grown just below Cote de Brouilly; Chenas- Smallest cru that ages well; Chiroubles- Highest altitude and most feminine; Cote de Brouilly- Steep slopes on Mont Brouilly; Fleurie- The queen of Beaujolais; Julienas- The name comes from Julies Caesar; Morgan- Improves with age after 1 to 2 years in the bottle; Moulin-A-Vent- Biggest and longest lived, oak aged, named after the windmill, not the village; Regnie- Newest Cru- 1988; Saint-Amour- Most northerly cru. Noveau- This fresh, fruity wine (raspberry and red current) is bottled in November and released in the US on the 3rd Thursday of November (4 million cases) and is best consumed within 4 months of bottling. Nouveau was first exported in the 1960”s and today is 18% of Duboeuf’s business.
Georges Duboeuf started in the Maconnais, just north of Beaujolais, and today sells Macon-Villages, Saint-Veran and his first wine- Pouilly Fuisse. From the Cotes du Rhone (northern Rhone just south of Lyon to the southern Rhone near Avignon) come Cotes du Rhone red and white, Cote Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Gigondas, Saint Joseph, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cotes du Ventoux, Cotes du Luberon and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. His grape varietals including Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc that come from the Vin de Pays D’Oc in south- central France, on the Mediterranean, the largest wine region in the world. His Loire wines come from Vin De Pay Du Jardin De La France and finally there are the Georges Duboeuf Cuvee red and white table wines.
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