Using six wines from three of the ten Beaujolais crus, Carole Sender and Robert Galloway used a comparative tasting technique to demonstrate some of the different styles of Beaujolais...
The three crus selected, Fleurie, Julienas and Moulin-à-Vent, are all in the north of the region, which reputedly produces the best Beaujolais. The wine is made from the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannin and accounts for 98% of all plantings in the region.
Starting with two wines from the Julienas cru, where the grapes are grown on steep slopes of granite and schist and produce a succulent, fleshy and thickly textured type of Beaujolais, Carol compared a Wine Society’s Exhibition Julienas 2009 with a Julienas Esprit de Marius Sangouard Trenel 2009.
Moving on to Fleurie, a cru renown for its flowery, medium bodied Beaujolais, Carol introduced a Fleurie Trenel 2009 and a Fleurie Christian Gaidon 2009. While both wines showed a velvet texture with a fruity and floral bouquet, members preferred the Trenel style.
Finally, Carol introduced two wines from Moulin-à-Vent, a cru that produces the most full bodied and powerful examples of Beaujolais thanks to manganese and iron deposits in the granite soil. The rich, full flavoured Moulin-à-Vent Cuvee Exceptionelle Potel Aviron 2005 and Moulin-à-Vent Clos des Perelles Chateau de Beauregard 2009 were both popular with members with the more mature Potel Aviron proving to be the members overall favourite of the evening.
Overall, an interesting dip into the Beaujolais crus that highlighted some of the differences and similarities of wines made from the same grape, grown within a few kilometres of each other.
