Beaujolais red wines
Red, white and rosé: Beaujolais wines come in three colours. But despite everything, red wines still remain, by far, in the majority since they account for 95% of the production.
Gamay noir à jus blanc – the undisputed master of the Beaujolais vineyards – is both the vineyard’s standard-bearer and trademark.
Consequently, the Beaujolais region produces a myriad of red wines with a single variety.
It expresses different nuances on different terroirs, producing wines with varying levels of tannin and fruitiness.
All these characteristics provide wines with a lovely red-coloured robe. They are refreshing, easy-to-drink, low in alcohol content and packed with red and black fruit aromas (raspberry, wild strawberry, blackberry, black cherry). They occasionally exude spicy or floral notes.
Those different nuances can be found across the 12 Beaujolais appellations, from 2000 estates, 9 wine cooperatives and 200 trading houses that shape the red wines from the Beaujolais vineyards on a daily basis.
The bright side of life is red in the Beaujolais crus
The production in the 10 Beaujolais crus is made up exclusively of red wines. As such, from north to south, they offer a range of hues and aromatic profiles, each very different from the next:
The Saint-Amour cru is characterised by a certain duality: one wine is light and easy-to-drink with aromas of iris or violet and even raspberry aromas. While the other is powerful and complex, offering aromas of kirsch and spice. Strong point: tender and harmonious weight and texture.
Juliénas wines have a very specific aromatic profile since the cru fluctuates between a bouquet of peach, small red fruit and floral aromas with a deep, intense ruby red colour.
Chénas offers generous wines, tender on the palate, that stand out with their garnet-red colour and notes of small black fruit, peony and spice.
In the Moulin-à-Vent cru, the wines range from deep ruby to dark garnet in colour. On the nose, they express aromas of blackcurrant, liquorice, ripe fruit or even more floral notes like wilted rose. On the palate, they are structured and complex.
Fleurie wines have a crimson red colour with red fruit aromas, notes of iris, violet or rose. On the palate, they are sure to prove their elegance.
In Chiroubles, the wines are bright red in colour. The small red fruit aromas blend together with a sumptuous nose of floral notes.
As for the Morgon cru – garnet red in colour – it is impressive owing to its powerful, rich and fleshy palate. On the nose, the wines are characterised by their ripe stone fruit.
Next, there’s the Régnié cru with its ruby colour, its nose of raspberry, redcurrant, plum, blackberry and blackcurrant, and spicy, mineral notes. On the palate, the cru exudes freshness as well as nice length and structure.
In the heart of the Côte de Brouilly cru, the range is complex: intense garnet red in colour, the aromas reveal red fruit as well as lovely notes of fresh plums, floral fragrances, mineral and peppery notes… On the palate, the wines are vibrant and structured.
Last but not least, the Brouilly cru shows off a ruby red colour with notes of red fruit (strawberry and raspberry) that are smooth and round on the palate.
A vineyard nuanced in white and rosé by the Beaujolais & Beaujolais Villages appellations
As for the Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais AOCs, they offer the whole range of wines produced in the Beaujolais: reds, rosés and whites.
However, when it comes to red wines, they are not to be outdone!
Beaujolais-Villages wines have a garnet red robe close in colour to perfectly ripe cherries. On the palate, they’re powerful, structured and harmonious, and the aromas of red or black fruit are sure to be enticing.
The Beaujolais reds are crimson red in colour. Their nose is slightly spicy, packed with just-picked red fruit. On the palate, they are lively and round with delicate tannins.
And don’t forget Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Villages Nouveau – objects of pure pleasure, non-astringent, delicate, refreshing and fruit-driven wines – that come in red and rosé.
