Wine region
Beaujolais
Beaujolais: about 13,500 hectares of Gamay north of Lyon, ten crus such as Fleurie and Morgon, granite soils and the young wine Beaujolais Nouveau.
- Vineyard area
- about 13,500 hectares on a chain of hills about 55 kilometres long
- Main grapes
- Gamay (about 97 per cent); Chardonnay for the small share of white wine
- Soils
- more than 300 mapped soils; granite in the north, more clay and limestone in the south
- Signature wines
- Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais-Villages, Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent
- Annual ritual
- Beaujolais Nouveau: released on the third Thursday of November
Beaujolais lies north of Lyon on a chain of hills about 55 kilometres long, between the foothills of the Massif Central to the west and the Saône plain to the east. It is often counted as part of Burgundy, but it lies largely in the Rhône département, closer to Lyon than to Dijon, and has a face of its own: about 13,500 hectares, almost entirely planted with a single grape, Gamay. The soils are exceptionally varied; more than 300 have been mapped, and the granite of the north, where the ten crus lie, shapes the wines most.
Gamay, properly Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, is a natural cross of Pinot and Gouais Blanc, which makes it a sibling of Chardonnay. Duke Philip the Bold banned it from Burgundy in 1395 in favour of Pinot Noir; the grape found a home further south, and Beaujolais now holds half of the world’s Gamay vineyard. Semi-carbonic maceration is typical: whole bunches begin to ferment inside the berries, which gives plenty of fruit, soft tannins and aromas of cherry, raspberry and, in very young wines, sweets and banana.
The appellations form a staircase. Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages are the regional appellations, mostly in the south; the Beaujolais appellation alone covers about 3,900 hectares, and Beaujolais Nouveau, released every year on the third Thursday of November, makes up more than a fifth of the region’s production. Above them come the ten crus, made only from Gamay and carrying only their own name: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Fleurie is regarded as perfumed and delicate, Morgon as powerful and fleshy, Moulin-à-Vent as the most structured and long-lived; after some years it can recall a Burgundy.
At table, Beaujolais is a wine for meals, best served lightly chilled, around 13 to 15 degrees: charcuterie, terrines, poultry, andouillette and mild soft cheese; the more powerful crus go with braised meat. The rare white Beaujolais, made from Chardonnay, is full and fruity, with peach and apricot, and suits fish and poultry. The Swiss link is close: Gamay is one of Switzerland’s main red grapes, with the largest area in Valais, where it forms the Dôle with Pinot Noir, and it is the leading red in Geneva. Anyone who likes Beaujolais will find its Swiss counterpart in Geneva, Vaud and Valais.