Well, not much, General, which is a good thing...
For those who may have missed an episode, it's been a few years since the third Thursday of November is no longer a flood of insipid wines, more inclined to binge drinking than to conviviality and sharing. Despite the eternal grumblers and other sourpusses, the Beaujolais Nouveau is good Beaujolais, to be appreciated simply. Simple pleasures are not without demands, and the team at La Tulipe Rouge has just tasted about a hundred of them, from which here is a selection, demanding, as you know us, we let nothing pass. After all, we are like you, we buy our wines and we too want to enjoy ourselves. Before revealing the list of the New Nominees 2023, let's hear from the excellent Bertrand Chatelet, director of SICAREX Beaujolais, the viticultural and oenological research institute of the region, who speaks aptly about the 2023 vintage.
"2023 returns to a vintage more moderate in its climatic, agronomic, and ripening characteristics compared to 2021 and 2022, with notably the beginning of the harvest at the very start of September. However, the last phase of maturation and the first harvests were marked by strong heat, unusual for this period. Once again, vintners and winemakers had to adapt to harvest balanced grapes, despite their water deficit. Thanks to this work, the vinifications proceeded serenely. The cooler nights have helped to preserve the precursors of aromas revealed by frank and active fermentations. The grapes, made very firm by the maturation conditions, released juice, pigments, and tannic structure only very gradually, and this more particularly for the semi-carbonic macerations traditional to Beaujolais. After a few days of patience, the first wines decanted are meeting expectations. The 2023 vintage will be a revelation of diversity: diversity of terroir, diversity of winemaking know-how, diversity of Beaujolais cuvées for Celebration, Character, and Exception."
Well said, isn't it? To tell the truth, we quite agree overall and are even quite admiring of the mastery of the exercise which is no longer reduced to a mash of candied blackcurrant or Haribo candy juice but truly to a new composition, inspired and always turned towards simple and cheerful pleasure.
Some figures in pictures and just after, THE selection made by La Tulipe Rouge. Happy discovery and happy Beaujolais Nouveau 2023!
Beaujolais Nouveaux 2023
The top 3 :
Domaine Pertuizet – Cuvée Gégé – 9,00 €
Pulpy, rooty, juicy, and cherry-like, all supported by a solid structure. This Gégé is full of life; we love it!
Anaïs Pertuizet : apertuizet@gmail.com
Domaine Julien Mathon – Cuvée TOUTENCANON – 8,00 €
Fruit, flowers, and deliciousness, all sliding smoothly with a refreshing tangy edge… Barkeep, another one!
Julien Mathon : pourjulien@orange.fr
Domaine des Voutes Dorées – Cuvée Beaujolais Nouveau – 6,00 €
Bright fruit, a toasted hint with a faux air of pinot (really!), all nicely fleshed out. You literally bite into the gamay at its best. Thank you.
Bastien Carron : domainedesvoutesdorees@gmail.com
Go for it with your eyes closed:
Domaine Jean-Pierre Rivière – 7,70 € - contact@domainejpriviere.com
Agamy - Domaine de Solémy – 8,50 € - contact@agamy.fr
Domaine Frédéric Berne – 12,00 € - contact@fredericberne.com
Domaine des Marrans – 12,00 € - contact@domainedesmarrans.com
Domaine de la Grosse Pierre – 13,00 € - contact@lagrossepierre.fr
Domaine Michael Nesme – 7,00 € - mickael_nesme@yahoo.fr
Terroirs et Talents – Vini l’Ourson – 12,00 € - gregory.barbet@terroirs-et-talents.fr
Domaine Perol – Abracadaboum – 11,50 € - f.perol@numericable.com
Beaujolais-Villages Nouveaux 2023
The top 3 :
Domaine Longère – 8,75 €
A lovely nose, floral, a full, pulpy, pure mouth, full of deliciousness, and an addictive finish, in short: a little gem!
Jean-Luc Longère – jean-luc.longere@wanadoo.fr
Domaine des Combiers – 7,00 €
Refinement in the aromas, a delicate, pulpy, floral, structured, and relatively persistent mouth for the category. A new standout.
Laurent Savoye - savoyelaurent@gmail.com
Domaine Romuald Petit – 9,00 €
Meaty, juicy, and uncompromising, yet balanced, with depth and elegance. A real wine before being a real new one.
Romuald Petit – petitromuald@yahoo.fr
Go for it with your eyes closed:
Domaine Bertrand – Super Canon – 12,00 € - domainebertrand@outlook.fr
Château des Maladrets – 12,00 € - gregory.barbet@terroirs-et-talents.fr
Maison Trénel – 9,25 € - contact@trenel.com
Domaine Nicolas Boudeau – 10,00 € - contact@nicolas-boudeau.com
Domaine Oedipoda – 8,50 € - berengere.beraud@gmail.com
Domaine de la Milleranche – sans sulfites ajoutés – 9,50 € - milleranche.corsin@wanadoo.fr
Domaine de Colette – Natur’elle – 12,00 € - domainedecolette@gmail.com
Domaine des Nugues – 9,50 € - contact@domainedesnugues.com