Burgundy. Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais nouveau 2021
Third Thursday of November is a special date for all wine lovers all around the world as it is when Beaujolais Nouveau wines from the current vintage are being released. Beaujolais Nouveau wine is made from Gamay grapes, variety grown in Beaujolais region in the south of French Burgundy. What is so special about Beaujolais Nouveau is the fact that it is sold and drunk shortly after bottling, without no or very short aging in stainless steel vat. The very process of producing this young wine also deserves attention.
For Beaujolais the traditional vinification method is semi-carbonic maceration. Gamay grapes are harvested by hand together with the stems. Fruit are not crushed in any way - they break only accidentally, under their own weight. This alone has a huge impact on the final flavour. Then, in closed stainless steel tanks, without oxygen, grapes ferment, the yeast works and CO2 is released creating conditions for carbonic maceration that takes about 4-10 days. The wine is released less than two months following the harvest. The use-by date for Beaujolais Nouveau is only one year - after which time the wine turns into wine vinegar. The last bottles of a given vintage can be sold on 31 August of the following year at the latest.
Today I’ve opened a bottle of an excellent Beaujolais Nouveau from a quite famous and large producer from Burgundy - Joseph Drouhin, whose enotheque in the historical centre of Beaune I have visited in August 2020. You can book a bit pricy, but personalised wine tour in the unique cellars of the Kings of France and the Dukes of Burgundy that I would recommend if you haven’t done many similar tours in the cellars.
After sunny and generous vintages that produced rather colourful and fleshy wines, Beaujolais Nouveau from 2021 is a return to a much more classic primeur style. It was also the smallest harvest in the last 30 years, mainly due to the spring frost. Wine has a medium purple colour, moderate intensity, intense freshness and very clear, fruity aromas. Distinctive aromas of bubble gum, banana and cinnamon are accompanied by red fruits, such as raspberries and redcurrant. Its style is very approachable and light.
Serving: drink young and slightly chilled at 14°-15°C.
