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Beaujolais:

From Rookie Ball to the Premier League,

from Burnley to the BoSox

Inside the Ten Cru of Beaujolais: Baseball/Soccer Primer Part Deux

 

You didn’t think we were done, did you? Hell no! Now that we’ve laid out the differences between Beaujolais’ appellations, it’s time to take a deeper look into the ten Cru of Beaujolais, and the aspects and characteristics that set them apart and make them as different as the teams of Major League Baseball and the English Premier League. And what a coincidence: that’s what we’ll be comparing each Cru to. We’ll move through each Cru from those that produce the lightest wines to those that produce the heaviest wines. Think of it just like moving up the table or checking out who is at the top of the standings and getting ready for the playoffs. Not that any of these wines isn’t a prime-time performer ready for the postseason or a Cup final. It’s just, everyone offers a little something different, and each has their own set of loyal fans.

 

THE LIGHTER-BODIED CRU (meant to be consumed 3-4 years after being bottled)

 

Brouilly, The Chicago Cubs/Tottenham Hotspur of Beaujolais Cru

An apropos analogy, since both the Cubs and Spurs always think of themselves as championship material and elite members of their respective leagues yet are perennial also-rans that haven’t brought home the hardware or won the league in a very, very long time (and this is being written by a die-hard Spurs fan, too). Brouilly (Broo-EE) is the largest Cru of Beaujolais, encompassing nearly 1300 hectares around the foot of Mont Brouilly, and just like the Cubs in Chicago and Spurs in London, it seems like they are always being shown up (at least Championship-wise) by the “other” neighbor they share territory with (more on them below). Brouilly is the also the most southern Cru in Beaujolais (okay, so maybe that doesn’t quite fit with the Northsiders and North Londoners) and it’s also the only Cru that allows other grapes (in this case Chardonnay and Aligoté) to be grown within its confines. Brouilly wines are deep ruby in color, with aromas of raspberries, blueberries, plums, and peaches and just the slightest hint of minerality.

 

 

Chiroubles, The Colorado Rockies/Sunderland of Beaujolais Cru

Given that Chiroubles (Sheer-ROOB-luh) has vineyards at some of the highest altitudes of any Cru in Beaujolais (yes, even higher than Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly), the Rockies (with the highest elevation in Major League Baseball) and Sunderland (the most northerly Premiership squad now that Newcastle has been relegated to the Championship) seem like fitting matches for this often-forgotten Cru. Plus, like the Rockies’ choice of violet as a central team color, Chiroubles wines are often resplendent with the scent of violets as well as other flowers such as peonies, irises, and lilies of the valley. Chiroubles wines are usually bright red in color (like Sunderland’s home kits) and softer and more supple than other Cru wines, with lots of bright fresh fruit flavors. Soft and supple...hmm. Just like the air at Coors Field, or this past year’s team at the Stadium of Light, beyond lucky to avoid the drop like their northern neighbors.

 

 

Regnie, The Tampa Bay Rays/Burnley of Beaujolais Cru

The newest Beaujolais Cru (promoted in 1988 after years of toiling in Beaujolais-Villages) is represented by the newest teams in Major League Baseball (the Rays, established in 1998) and the English Premier League (Burnley, promoted just last weekend after 33 years outside the top flight). Legend has it that the first vines of Beaujolais planted by the Romans were done so here in Regnie (Ren-NEE), although one other Cru disputes their claim as the birthplace of Beaujolais wine. Regnie wines tend to be bright red in color with violet tints, and aromas and mouthfuls of red currants, blueberries, and raspberries. Regnie wines are probably the boldest and most robust of the lighter-bodied Cru.   

 

 

THE MEDIUM-BODIED CRU (meant to be consumed 4-6 years after being bottled)

 

Cote de Brouilly, The Chicago White Sox/Arsenal of Beaujolais Cru

Cote de Brouilly (Coat duh Broo-EE) grapes exist on a higher plain and are more robust than the neighboring Brouilly vineyards, similar to how the White Sox and Arsenal have existed on a higher plain and have been more robust when it comes to contending and winning championships in recent years than their cross-town rivals the Cubs and Spurs. Cote de Brouilly vines sit on steep, sunny slopes looked over by a chapel on top of the hill and a statue of the Virgin Mary inside. Cote de Brouilly wines tend to be darker, richer, more deeply concentrated, and less earthy than the Brouilly wines produced below, with a deep purple-red color and aromas of fresh grapes, dark cherries, and irises. These are wines that may need a couple of years of additional aging in the bottle before they reach their true drinking potential.  

 

 

Fleurie, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Aston Villa of Beaujolais Cru

Both of these teams love to play more of a finesse style of game rather than just clobber you, pound out homers, and throw crosses into the box hoping someone will head one home. Fleurie (Fluhr-EE) is probably the most finessed wine of all the Beaujolais Cru, with a soft, velvety mouth feel and bright fruit and floral aromas of peach, black currants, irises, violets, summer roses, and red fruits. In very good years, Fleurie wines can required up to four years before they are ready to be drunk, can be aged for up to 16 years, and have a bright red color closer to the Angels’ team colors than Villa’s claret-and-blue. It is often said that a cup of Fleurie is like Springtime in a glass. Which certainly sounds like Southern California to us. Sorry, Birmingham...

 

 

Saint-Amour, The Oakland Athletics/Portsmouth of Beaujolais Cru

Since Saint-Amour (Sant ah-MOOR) is one of the smaller Cru regions in Beajolais but is also the romance capital of the world (we know, we’ve been there. Two of our friends even had their marriage reconfirmed there by the town’s mayor), it makes sense to have the region represented by two smaller-market clubs that for some reason people always seem to fall in love with and think they are going to do better than they actually do. I guess we have Billy Beane and Harry Redknapp (before he left for Tottenham) to thank for that. Nonetheless, St-Amour’s wines are usually well-balanced and refined with spicy, frisky notes (like the A’s and Portsmouth are supposed to have) and aromas of kirsch cherries, peaches, and medicinal herbs. Legend has it that the region was named after a Roman soldier named St. Amateur who converted to Christianity after escaping death. Just like legend has it that both the A’s and Pompey had achieved greatness before under players named Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire, Allan Knight, and Jimmy Dickinson. Allegedly.

 

 

THE FULLER-BODIED CRU (meant to be consumed 4-12 years after being bottled)  

 

Chenas, the Baltimore Orioles/Bolton Wanderers of Beaujolais Cru

Remember how Orioles owner Peter Angelos fought tooth-and-nail to keep a team out of the Washington D.C. Market, claiming it was the exclusive property of the Orioles? You know how poor Bolton has to not only compete with Manchester United and Manchester City but now Wigan and Blackburn in the same vicinity? Well, the same thing (sort of) happened to the Chenas (Shen-AHS) region of Beaujolais, which lost over half of its total acreage when Moulin-a-Vent was designated as its own Cru. Now it is the smallest Cru in all of Beaujolais, but since there are fewer grapes in the area, its wines are considered the rarest of the region, rarer than even the Orioles in the playoffs or Bolton in Europe. Named after the large oak forests that populate the region (the French word for oak is “chêne”), Chenas wines are spicy and seductive with woody and floral notes and soft velvety textures. You may also get the aroma of roses on these wines. They do age well and are big, full-bodied, and bright ruby red. They are wines fit for kings (much like how the Orioles and Bolton should be top-of-the-standings teams), which makes sense, since they were once the favorite wine of Louis XIII.

 

 

Julienas, the Boston Red Sox/Liverpool of Beaujolais Cru

Now we come to the big boys, the self-stylized “kings” of the region and leagues. Julienas (Jhoo-lee-en-AHS) wines tend to be the favorite benchmark wines of wine journalists and reviewers, who hold these wines up as the premier wines in all of Beaujolais and what all other Cru should be doing. Sound familiar? Additionally, the town of Julienas was allegedly named after Julius Caesar himself, and the region refutes Regnie’s claim as the birthplace of Beaujolais, claiming instead that their region is the one the Romans first planted after the conquest of Gaul. Despite how much noise they make and all their bluster about how great their wines are, though, they’re only third in total vineyard size among the Cru. Again, sound familiar? Julienas wines tend to be very rich, very intense with red fruits and the aroma of peonies, and bleed ruby red. They can be drunk young but will improve with age (sort of like the Sawx and Pool teams now). But no matter what anyone tells you, this is not the be-all end-all of Beaujolais wine as we know it. And at least the winemakers have had the good sense not to create pink labels for their wine.

 

 

Morgon, the New York Mets/Manchester City of Beaujolais Cru

You know that team that no matter how hard they try, how well they do, and how many world-class players they assemble are still consistently overshadowed by their bigger, badder, better brother next door? Well, meet Morgon (Mor-GOHN). Despite being the second largest Cru, despite producing some of the deepest, richest wines in Beaujolais, wines that can be aged for many years and can even take on Burgundian like flavors and silkiness, it still gets overshadowed by its neighbor Moulin-a-Vent, whose wines can last longer and are richer and deeper. Morgon wines have scents of peaches and apricots, Crushed red berries, and plums, and while they have a full body and a length and depth to them, it seems like they can never step out of the shadow of their neighbor to the north.

 

 

Moulin-a-Vent, the New York Yankees/Manchester United of Beaujolais Cru  

The Bronx Bombers. The Red Devils. The “King of Beaujolais.” All three have proven their greatness on the field and over time and deserve to look down upon all the others from their perch high above. Despite its humble beginnings, Moulin-a-Vent (moo-LAWN ah VENT) year in and year out produces some of the finest wines not just in Beaujolais, but in all of France, wines that are deep, complex, well-balanced, and requiring of at least six years of aging before they can even be bottled. Moulin-a-Vent wines can be stored for decades and

still remain drinkable. They are often aged in oak to give the wine more tannins and

backbone and separate it from other Beaujolais Cru. These are quite simply, the

finest expression of the Gamay Grape. You can find, ebullient with roses, irises,

spice, ripe fruits and a full rich body. Hail to the King, baby. Moulin-a-Vent is

your Beaujolaisan monarch.

Beaujolais has always gotten a bad rap. When critics tend to write or speak about Beaujolais, they always punctuate their reviews with words like “light,” “fresh,” “simple,” “breezy,” and “quaff.” Is this a wine or an ad for feminine hygiene product? One of the worst insults we’ve ever heard regarding Beaujolais is that it’s a wine “best enjoyed in the region it is made.” While this is a truthful statement (Beaujolais wine does taste incredible when sipped in one of the little bistros of the area), it’s also true for more or less any wine made anywhere in the world (except for maybe certain ice wines produced in northern Canada), and it’s clearly intended to be a back-handed compliment that Beaujolais is not a wine of enough weight or significance or complexity for wine drinkers outside of the area to concern themselves with.

 

Well, we call shenanigans on that. Poppycock, balderdash, flim-flam and all of that hoo-haw. Beaujolais is a wine of weight, significance and complexity that deserves to be a regular part of the drinking habits of wine lovers around the world. We think the problem lies in the fact that among too many, Beaujolais is misunderstood. We promised last week we wouldn’t dwell or launch into a continued rant on those who only know or equate Beaujolais with the Beaujolais Nouveau wines released the third Thursday in November and we’ll keep our promise. But we’re definitely doing something about this. And what we’ve decided to do is compare several of the different aspects and appellations about Beaujolais wine to two things we know a whole lot about: Major League Baseball (for our American fans) and English Premier League soccer (for our British and other non-American fans). You can thank us later.

 

Now on the surface, you might not see any immediate connection between American baseball and English soccer/football to a French wine region. I mean, one is French and the others are...well, not French. But as you start to look closer and in more detail, the similarities become apparent. To the point where you can’t stop comparing different parts of Beaujolais to different baseball and soccer/football teams.  

 

But we’ll get to that in a second. First, a few fast facts about the Beaujolais wine region. Beaujolais (pronounced either BOW-jhuh-lay or bow-jhuh-LAY; we prefer the latter as it sounds more sophisticated and French) is the southernmost wine region of the Burgundy appellation, though most Burgundy producers and wine snobs discount this connection and treat Beaujolais as its own separate region (technically, it is its own appellation, and the climate of Beaujolais is closer to the Rhone wine region than to Burgundy’s more prestigious northern territories). Beaujolais lies a few kilometers north of the city of Lyon along the Saone (pronounced Sohn, like the chick on “The Wire”) river, cradling the towns of Villefranche en Beaujolais and Belleville (not the same Belleville where the Triplets came from, but close) to the east. It also lies directly south of the Maconnais region of Burgundy. The primary grape grown in Beaujolais is the Gamay grape and almost all of the wine produced in the region is red, though small amounts Gamay rosé are produced and a little Chardonnay and Aligoté is turned into Beaujolais white as well. Winemakers in Beaujolais are legally required to utilize a grape-pressing and fermentation process called carbonic maceration, which allows gravity and natural yeasts to perform the heavy lifting a wine press normally does (we explained in detail the carbonic maceration process in last week’s Gamay post; scroll down to the last entry of “Fun Facts to Impress/Bore People at Parties). There are over 50,000 acres of vines stretched across the long and narrow 34 miles of Beaujolais soil, which never gets wider than 9 miles at any point.

 

There are three main appellations in Beaujolais producing four different and distinct versions of Beaujolais. Now is the time to get out your scorecard, because our official sports tour of Beaujolais begins here:

 

The Different Appellations of Beaujolais: A Baseball/Soccer Primer

 

Beaujolais Nouveau:

This is the way most people know Beaujolais wine, as the light, fruity, nearly weightless Nouveau that is released the third Thursday of every November, a date officially declared a French national day of celebration (but not a holiday) in 1985. The Gamay grapes are usually harvested by hand in late August or early September, then allowed to ferment for only a few weeks before they are bottled and shipped on “Beaujolais Nouveau Day” in November. Two-thirds of these wines come from the Beaujolais appellation (more on that below) while the remaining third come from the Beaujolais-Villages appellation (more on that below the previous “more on that”). Beaujolais Nouveau is normally bright cherry red in color and has a bold, fruity, cherry and red currant flavor with fresh, fruity and floral aromas (man, that’s a lot of F’s). It’s meant to be drunk young and should be served with a bit of a chill on it, which is ironic since it’s normally released on the cusp of winter, when you wouldn’t necessarily want to drink a wine with a chill on it.

 

Baseball/soccer equivalent: The Rookie Leagues/Combined Counties Football League

Given that the Nouveau is the youngest wine in France and the first vintage of each year to be released, it only makes sense that we compare it to Major League Baseball’s Rookie League, which was created only for first- and second-year players, and England’s Combined Counties league, which sits on level 10 of England’s football league system (there are only 11 tiers by the FA, and the 11th is made up of town and amateur leagues). Fresh young players just getting their first chops in the sport...sounds an awful lot like Beaujolais Nouveau to us.

 

 

Beaujolais AOC:

The basic Beaujolais appellation includes all the vineyards south of Villefranche en Beaujolais and extends in small pockets up the east side of the region, closest to the river. The standard Beaujolais growing area is topographically the lowest in the region (meaning it sits closest to the river and the water table, so these vines get more water than in other appellation, which is technically bad for grape-growing conditions; you want to make it as difficult as possible for the vines to get water so they will work harder and grow fuller, fruitier grapes. A comfortable vine is an unproductive vine. Sadistic, I know, right?). As mentioned above, this region produces the most Nouveau, but what’s not bottled up early as Nouveau (and that’s usually around 60-70% of all wine produced each year) is aged in oak usually until March when it is bottled and sold. Basic Beaujolais wines are intended to be drunk within a year of harvest and while they still do display the lighter, fruitier tendencies of the Nouveau, the aging in oak softens the wines and there is more of a tannic pull in them. At a minimum Beaujolais have an alcohol content of 9% ABV (wines labeled as Beaujolais Supérieur will have between 10-11% alcohol) and are the traditional bistro wines you’d find in liter pots throughout Lyon and the Rhone valley.

 

Baseball/soccer equivalent: Double-A ball/The Nationwide Conference

A step-up in competition means a step-up in quality, and just as that’s true for the move from Nouveau to standard Beaujolais, so too is it for the move from Rookie ball to Double A, or from the Counties League football to the Conference. The towns may not be much larger and some of the players still may not be full-time professionals yet, but there is far more experience here and a lot more quality. Not as much quality as the wines and leagues above, mind you, but regular Beaujolais, just like Double AA or the Conference, can easily be enjoyed if you don’t go in expecting too much.

 

 

Beaujolais-Villages AOC:

Now we’re getting into some quality Beaujolais wine. The Villages appellation lies north of the Beaujolais vineyards and forms almost a ring around the fabled Beaujolais Cru (which we’re getting to. Hold on there, speedy!). The Villages territory comprises around 39 different towns/villages/hamlets/communes in the northern or “haut” Beaujolais area, including the town of Beaujeu, the historical capital of the region and also the town from which the region got its name. This area is higher in elevation and hillier than the regular Beaujolais vineyards but not as high as the Beaujolais Cru vineyards. By law, the Beaujolais-Villages AOC requires that its winemakers have smaller grape yields per hectare than the Beaujolais AOC (50 hectoliters/hectare, as opposed to 55 hl/ha for the Beaujolais AOC), meaning that fewer grapes will receive more of the water and nutrients to produce fuller, riper fruit (killing off your neighbors to ensure that you survive and thrive...it just keeps getting more sadistic by the second!). This ensures a better quality of grape for a better quality of wine. Villages wines can be bottled early as Nouveau but this is uncommon, as there’s more money to be made as a Villages wine than as a Nouveau. Like basic Beaujolais, Villages are also traditionally released the March after harvest but unlike the simpler wine, can be drunk sometimes 2-3 years after harvest. These wines have a deeper red color than their simpler cousins, and subtler aromas of darker fruits and strawberries tend to lead the olfactory proceedings rather than flowers and sharp red cherries. Beaujolais-Villages wines are generally softer and more complex than the simpler Beaujolais.

 

Baseball/soccer equivalent: Triple-A/The Coca-Cola Championship  

We’re almost to the top-shelf but not quite. Too many errors, too many lapses, and a few drops in quality here and there. It’s as close to the top rung of professionalism as you get without being there, but it’s still a clear level below in quality. Ideally as a player, you don’t want to spend too many years either in Triple A or the Championship, and the same is true with Beaujolais-Villages. It lasts a bit longer than the wines below it, but just doesn’t have the legs to run and stay with the better, more talented wines playing at a higher level.

 

 

Beaujolais Cru:

As they once said in WCW, this is where the big boys play! This is the top-of-the-line when it comes to Beaujolais, the best wines the region produces. And unlike in Burgundy or Bordeaux, where the word Cru (and pronounced like crew) refers to specific wineries or vineyards, here it defines the ten specific areas that produce the best grapes and best wines Beaujolais has to offer. The ten Beaujolais Cru are surrounded by the Villages vineyards and make up the highest and hilliest parts of the region, resting furthest away from the river on the foothills of the Beaujolais mountains. Beaujolais Cru wines never have the word “Beaujolais” on their labels; instead, the label bears the name of the Cru or area in which the wine was grown (similar to what is done in Burgundy or the northern Rhone valley). Seven of the ten Cru (Morgon, Saint-Amour, Fleurie, Regnie, Chenas, Julienas, and Chiroubles) are named after the villages or towns the vineyards surround; of the remaining three, Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly are named after the extinct volcano Mont Brouilly, which rises up from central Beaujolais and around which both areas grow, and Moulin-a-Vent is actually named for the windmill (moulin-a-vent literally translates to “windmill”) that is a major landmark in the area. Legally, grapes from Beaujolais Cru can never be used in Nouveau wines, and the maximum legal grape yield per hectare in the Cru is lower than Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages (down to 48 hectoliters per hectare). Beajolais Cru wines are deeper, richer, fuller-bodied, and far more complex than all other Beujolais wines. Each Cru produces wines with their own unique aroma and flavor signatures, and many Cru wines can be drunk up to 12 years past their intial harvest. In fact, for some of the heavier, more robust Cru wines (especially those from Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, and Moulin-a-Vent), the wines should be allowed to age further inside the bottle – sometimes for 3 to 4 years after bottling – before they are ready to be consumed.  

 

Baseball/soccer equivalent: Major League Baseball/The Premiership  

Well, duh. Since the Cru is the top-of-the-heap for Beaujolais wine, of course it could only be represented by the best and most elite leagues in each respective sport. The Cru is where the best grapes come and give all that they have to offer, putting everything on the line every vintage and dazzling fans worldwide with their talent, prowess, and acumen. Despite the beating Beaujolais sometimes takes from critics (like baseball does about steroids and the EPL does about, well, the English style of football) Beaujolais Cru wines are well-respected in most wine circles and can stand up to the best that Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa, and other elite wine regions have to offer. Much like how Major League baseball teams feature the best players from around the world, or how English Premier League teams match up favorably against teams from Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1, Germany’s Bundesliga, and every other football league on the continent (well, unless they’re playing Barcelona, but that’s a different story...Mes que un club!).