A GOOD BEAUJOLAIS IS NO LONGER ALL THAT HARD TO FIND IN QUEBEC
It used to be one of wine’s dirtiest words. Alongside others like Baby Duck, Blue Nun and Liebfraumilch, “Beaujolais” was synonymous with bad wine.
This was not only the barely fermented disappointing Beaujolais Nouveau that flooded the market every third week of November. Even basic Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Village was considered secondary wine.
The only wine that consistently seemed to be able to cross over into the world of “real wine” was that bowlingpin-shaped bottle of Brouilly by George Duboeuf.
This has been, and still is, one of the best-selling red wines in Quebec. My dad drank it for decades. He never knew that it was a Beaujolais. I still get the comment from time to time when I serve a Brouilly: “When did they change the shape of the bottle?”
I would hope that most consumers now understand that Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly is an appellation within the region of Beaujolais, which technically is a part of Burgundy. And more importantly, there are more than 20 different Brouilly to choose from at the SAQ. I’m a huge of fan of Guy Breton and Georges Descombes, but there are many terrific producers.
I have long been a fanboy of the region. Over the years I have implored people to try them, cellar them. I recently saw a post on Instagram by a reader who loves her California cabernet sauvignon, in which she waxed poetic about a 2012 Morgon from Jean Foillard that I had recommended.
“Not entirely a bad suggestion” was her comment, with a wink.
Twelve years ago it was nearly impossible to find a decent Beaujolais at the SAQ, let alone one of the 10 Crus: Fleurie, Morgon, Saint-Amour, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Julienas, Chiroubles, Chenas, Moulin-à-Vent and Régnié. That is no longer the case. There are 159 Beaujolais references now at the SAQ, including many wines by the region’s top producers.
What’s behind the recent success? While the region has been a favourite of sommeliers and a staple at wine bars for years, I think the recent move by consumers toward lighter and less-alcoholic red wines might have something to do with converting people.
Over 75 per cent of the region’s production is controlled by négociants, companies that buy grapes and/or finished wines and bottle them as their own. George Duboeuf is the best known and the largest of these companies. But coexisting with these largescale producers are some of the wine world’s leaders in organic and no-sulphite wines. Breton, Lapièrre, Foillard and Thévenet are but a few of them.
Or, perhaps, more people have tasted properly aged, superbly made Cru Beaujolais and understand why many of us would prefer to drink an expensive Beaujolais rather than inexpensive Burgundy, or other pinot noir. Who knows? But one thing is certain. Beaujolais is on the rise, at least here in Quebec. And it’s about time.