This weekend I had the opportunity to take a short cruise around the southern tip of Manhattan while enjoying 6 chilled Beaujolais (4 cru). While it reinforced in my mind that there is nothing quite like sunset just off the Statue of Liberty, a few other things crystallized during the lovely three hours that I thought I would share.
The first, is that slightly chilled Beajolais, whether it’s a straightforward Beaujolais, the slightly better Beaujolais Villages or even the Cru Beaujolais of Morgon, Fleurie, Regnie, etc., is delightful during a warm summer evening (on the water or otherwise). As people (bloggers, wine writers, etc.) like to point out, choosing reds to enjoy during summer can be a tough task, especially for those hot summer days, but even Cru Beaujolais can be enjoyed slightly chilled, and most offer good fruit along with characteristics of other complex wines (mineral, earth, spice, etc.).
This versatility leads me to my second point. If the only Beaujolais you have tried is Beaujolais Nouveau, I encourage you to branch out and try other Beaujolais, you can start with a Beaujolais Villages, even. I’m not suggesting you have to give up your Beaujolais Nouveau, but it’s only available for a limited time, and due to its production process, it is not designed for storage, so if you still have some from last November it’s probably not so good anymore. Beaujolais, on the other hand should be good for at least a year, and some can be good for quite a bit longer. In addition, the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Cru retain, especially when young, much of the fresh fruit flavor, while adding light tannins and secondary and tertiary flavors (i.e. more complexity).
I hope these small points encourage you to give Beaujolais a try this summer. The six I had were generally good, but not great, but they were quite enjoyable on such a fine, sunny Saturday. I've posted a few photos on Flickr so you can see the sights first hand.
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