foodwineclick

Winophiles Celebrate All the Forms of Beaujolais
The third Thursday in November is the annual release date for Beaujolais Nouveau, that fresh and fruity 1st wine of the year. A great marketing tool, Beaujolais Nouveau became very successful, unfortunately at the cost to more serious wines from the region. This year, our French Winophiles are celebrating all aspects of Beaujolais, from Beaujolais Nouveau to Cru Beaujolais. Come along and find a new aspect as we dig in! Take a look down further in this post for ideas from my fellow French Winophiles!

Thibault Liger-Belair, a Burgundy Winemaker in Beaujolais
Thibault Liger-Belair comes from a Burgundy winemaking family established in 1720. Inheritance laws, family business dealings change over the years. In 2001, Thibault took over a portion of the family estate, concentrating his efforts on a portion of the family’s storied holdings in Burgundy, including multiple Grand Cru holdings. Thibault had a deep interest of the Burgundian approach of examining individual plots of land for their unique soil, aspect and weather; and pursuing those individual characters into single plot wines. In 2009, Thibault expanded his view to include Beaujolais. Aha! A different grape, a different soil; could he apply the same techniques? And the Domaine des Pierre Roses in Moulin-a-Vent was born. In Beaujolais, Thibauld is working with the Gamay grape, in granite soils within Moulin-a-Vent. The vineyards are certified organic with biodynamic cultivation.

How does a Burgundian approach differ from typical Beaujolais winemaking (besides the obvious choice of grape variety)? Both regions hand harvest whole bunches, but basic and Villages Beaujolais wines are fermented by carbonic maceration (CM) or semi-carbonic maceration. These styles allow a non-yeast based fermentation inside the intact whole grape bunches early on in the process. As the intercellular transformation progresses, the skins soften and the must ferments in a typical yeast based fermentation. Carbonic Maceration produces bright fruit flavors, enhances acidity and extracts fewer tannins. A Burgundian approach crushes the whole bunches in the fermentation vats and allows the more typical yeast driven fermentation from start to finish. It’s not that one is better than the other, it’s just a different approach. For a fun experiment, try opening a Beaujolais wine where carbonic maceration is listed vs. a Cru Beaujolas wine – you’ll taste the difference yourself!

Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin à Vent “La Roche” AOC 2018 (32 euros locally) 14% abv
Organic, harvesting is manual with 40% whole clusters. 3 weeks of fermentation with a very light extraction. Aged in barrels of 2 to 3 prior use during 15 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Eye: Deep ruby
Nose: Medium plus intensity dark, ripe blueberries, blackberries, black plums, leather, hints of vanilla. After the wine was open for a while, some prunes.
Mouth: Dry, medium plus acidity, medium very finely grained tannins, medium plus body, high alcohol, long finish. Fruit flavors echo the nose and are ripe, implying sweetness though the wine is dry. A bit of astringency from the tannins adds interest.
Observations: This wine is deeper, richer, more complex than I would typically think from Beaujolais. The acidity is definitely present but less prominent. The tannins are well integrated, but more noticeable. This wine is not unusual for a Beaujolais Cru, as many winemakers take a more “serious” approach with their Cru labeled wines.

Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin à Vent at the Dinner Table
Astute readers may know that Julie was not home the evening I made dinner for the Beaujolais event. I jokingly refer to foods Julie doesn’t care for as the “forbidden foods”. When she is out, the forbidden foods appear. Tonight that meant lamb tenderloin and green lentils; both on the list. In France, we see different cuts of meat than we’re accustomed to in the US. Lamb chops are cut very thin here, so I was looking for something a bit different. The lamb tenderloin includes the parts of the lamb I associate with both the tenderloin and the chop, and I wasn’t disappointed. Green lentils must be one of the most unattractive foods possible, but I love the flavor and texture. Since I don’t have a grill or space for one in France, the lamb was successfully sautéed in a cast iron skillet. The Thibault Liger-Belair wine had the body and flavor to stand up to the strong flavors of the meat, a very nice match!

Links to French Winophiles Beaujolais Finds
Take a look at what our French Winophiles have found in our investigation into all things Beaujolais. If your knowledge of Beaujolais is limited to nouveau, you’ll find there is much more to the region!

• A Burgundian Approach to Beaujolais by Food Wine Click!
• Oeufs en Meurette + Domaine Fagolet Morgon Le Janin 2020 by Culinary Cam
• Roasted Salmon with Beaujolais and Grape Coulis by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Thanksgiving Leftover Dishes with Beaujolais by Our Good Life
• 2016 Georges Dubœuf Domaine des Rosiers Gamay, Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais: wait, how old? by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley