Every third Thursday in November, France (and not only, since bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau are sent all over the world on the eve of the holiday) celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau Day – the young wine of the current vintage, which is the first to go on sale in the same year. And this is the only wine of a protected designation that can have a year on the label, while other wines of French appellations have not yet completed the production process and can enter the market only in a few months (unless, of course, the producers want to produce wines with an appellation, and not as table wine – Vin de France).
You can read in detail about Beaujolais Nouveau wine, its history, production technology, grape variety, as well as the Beaujolais region and its terroir in my detailed article devoted to this topic.
Here I will briefly recall the key information about this wine and give an example of a tasting of Beaujolais Nouveau 2023. Here’s what you need to know about Beaujolais Nouveau:
- This is a Gamay wine
- It is produced using carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration
- The grapes for it can be harvested anywhere in the Beaujolais region – from the Crus on the granite hills in the north of the appellation to the flat, sandy soils of the south, where the wines of the regional name are produced
- Most often, the grapes for Beaujolais Nouveau come from the south
- This is a light, unobtrusive, simple, very fruity and juicy wine, incredibly drinkable and practically without tannins
- It can only be sold until Christmas of the current year
- This wine is not intended for aging at all, and the sooner it is consumed, the better.
Tasting: Pavillon de la Palud, Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2023
Color:ruby, with a violet tint, medium intensity
Aroma: Expressive, purely fruity and juicy, with bright shades of wild strawberries, ripe cherries, cherries, raspberry jam and grape juice, as well as a sweetish a hint of peony.
Taste: Fresh and fruity, with the same nuances as in the aroma (cherry, strawberry, sweet cherry, raspberry and peony). There are practically no tannins, the acidity is quite fresh, but soft and pleasant (medium level). The aftertaste is average, but pleasant and juicy.
Overall impression and quality rating: A good typical Beaujolais Nouveau, with its characteristic softness and simplicity.
What to pair with: cold meats, Lyon specialties: salami, meurette eggs, dry-cured ham, Saint-Marcelan cheese, you can even experiment with Camembert and Brie, since this wine does not have tannins that do not get along with the enzymes on the cheese crust.
