wine
watch
“
Beaujolais sales here at Sherry-
Lehmann continue to be pretty ro-
bust,” reports CEO Chris Adams.
“
Part of what’s happening is that these
food-friendly wines are gaining more
and more appreciation among wine
lovers. It helps that they aren’t big,
over-the-top, high-alcohol beasts.”
“
The 2009 vintage has renewed
interest in cru Beaujolais,” agrees Phil
Bernstein, Beaujolais buyer for Mac-
Arthur Beverages in Washington,
DC, “especially those of the small
growers brought in by importers such
as Kermit Lynch. I’ve heard that this
is the first time he’s had to make al-
locations for a Beaujolais!”
Master Sommelier and wine consul-
tant Fred Dexheimer says the same thing
is happening on-premise. “Beaujolais, es-
pecially cru Beaujolais, is finding a groove
within certain pockets of the sommelier
community”—notably in locavore and
farm-to-table establishments, he says,
although he sees less interest among
“
mainstream” restaurants. “I think a large
part of it has to do with importers such as
Kermit Lynch and Louis/Dressner carry-
ing these wines along with other produc-
ers in the natural wine movement.”
Climbing Back
Of course, the international wine econ-
omy and the constant fight to keep a
network of worldwide distributors remain
ongoing worries for Beaujolais winegrow-
ers. Beaujolais sales to the U.S. fell from
over 7.4 million liters of wine in 2007 to
just over 5.3 million in 2009—a huge
drop of 30%. But they have climbed back
up to around 6 million liters in 2010 and
2011,
and the long-range outlook is opti-
mistic. Moreover, a lot of things are go-
ing on these days to keep the Beaujolais
brand refreshed.
The region is regaining its repu-
tation for making superior tables
wines that can age,
and not just as
the source of that perpetual teenager
of fall wines, Beaujolais Nouveau.
Its top designations, those labeled
with the names of one of the 10 cru
villages, account for 40% of sales,
Beaujolais-Villages for 30% and
everyday Beaujolais for the remain-
ing third.
There is increased interest in
identifying specific vineyards
as single-site crus,
going beyond
village-based crus. Côte du Py,
T
he news out of Beaujolais these days is mostly good. The
2009
vintage is going down as one of the best on record.
Export sales are beginning to grow again. The types of
wines favored by a younger generation of wine drinkers
meshes with that of Gamay-based wines. And the emergence of a
new generation of Beaujolais winegrowers—innovative and eco-
friendly in their outlook—is pumping enthusiasm into this lovely
hill country north of Lyon.
Beaujolais’s picturesque villages like Fleurie
have helped foster a brisk agri-tourism business.
The Blossoming of Beaujolais
Affordable prices and great 2009 vintage create demand for top crus
text and photographs By Roger Morris
Ripe fruit, smooth tannins and bright acidity are
food-friendly common denominators that characterize
Beaujolais-Villages and cru bottlings.
