Georges Duboeuf | Sip Tripper

Say what you will about tradition and how disappointed we are this Thanksgiving. Yes, once again, the 2020 theme of having to “pivot” rears its ugly head, reminding us of the “new now” – a deadly threat in gathering of extended family and friends. Let’s count our blessings, though, and focus on the wonderful tradition that remains — the release of Beaujolais Nouveau!

Under French law, the wine is set to be released at 12:01 a.m. on November 19, weeks after harvest. Every third week of November, like clockwork, we can count on this bottled gamay. Grown in the most southern wine growing region in Burgundy, France, there’s an outlier region called Beaujolais, where the wine is quite different in regard to production and climate. In fact, Beaujolais is referred to as its own appellation that produces these light, dry grapes that are a cross between a pinot noir and the ancient white gouais grape.

In a non-Covid-19 ravaged world, Beaujolais Nouveau Day is typically marked in France on the third Thursday in November with fireworks, music and festivals to celebrate the first wine of the season.

When you pick up your bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, be sure to look for label artist Maeve Croghan’s “Russet Vines” on the Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2020 bottles (featured image). Keep in mind that it’s meant to be consumed immediately — within a month, preferably, and it will not have a high tannin structure or acidity, but will be fruity in both aroma and taste. Its tart cranberry overtones make it a perfect pairing for Thanksgiving dinner – even if you’re a table of one.

The producer most familiar to those who open a bottle or two of Beaujolais Nouveau each November is Les Vins Georges Dubœuf. But did you know Les Vins Georges Dubœf produces more structured wines? Try a few bottles of Villages and Moulin-A-Vent and you’ll be sure to up your game with Thanksgiving dinner. Beaujolais-Villages is not the same thing as Nouveau, but it is made from the remaining production to produce a darker, richer and more full-bodied wine – and can be stored longer than Nouveau.

Take a listen to what Romain Teyteau, North America export director at Les Vins Georges Dubœf, has to say about Beaujolais wines:

Excerpt from my interview with Romain Teyteau, export director, North America, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf.

I look forward to tasting the soon-to-be-released Beaujolais Nouveau, but in the meantime, I’m sipping a 2018 Domaine des Rosiers Moulin-A-Vent produced by Georges Duboeuf and rated 93 James Suckling points, and a 2018 Domaine De La Vigne Romaine Moulin-A-Vent — both pour a garnet gamay of exquisite silk on the palate. Enjoy these deeper, full-bodied wines with beef stew, duck confit, Portobello mushroom dishes, spicy dishes and fine, matured cheeses.

As you celebrate with a bottle of Georges Duboeuf, toast to Georges, who passed away in January 2020 at the age of 86. And be sure to check out THIS LINK for upcoming virtual Beaujolais Nouveau events.

If you’d like to learn more about Georges Duboeuf wines, click HERE.

Like the ruby slippers of a young girl who, in the turn of a twister wasn’t in Kansas anymore, the colorful French gamay grape awaits in a bottle of Chateau de Nervers Brouilly and Domaine Des Quatri Vents Fleurie, both villages classified. Gamay grapes are a cross between pinot noir and the ancient white gouais, and grown in the most southern region of Burgundy, in Beaujolais…considered by many to be its own appellation. The timing of the new release of gamay wines have the precision known to Switzerland. Every third week of November, a new release of Beaujolais Nouveau is swiftly sold. Many buyers open the bottles for Thanksgiving dinner as a tradition, but almost nobody will put the bottle down in the cellar.

The idea of Beaujolais Nouveau is to taste the grape of the prior harvest, newly released, as a gateway to how a particular vintage will age. This is not a wine to elicit layers of character and perfumes. It is meant to be consumed immediately and offers a straightforward mouthfeel of straight fruit and fine tannins. Its aromatics are without the mask of oak, and for the Fleurie, you’ll get hints of fresh-picked violets; for the Brouilly, cherries and red currants dominate. Both gamay wines are fruit forward, inviting on the palate and pair well with aged cheeses, spicy dishes and tarragon chicken or roasted lamb. Okay, so they both work really well with pizza!

The biggest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau is Georges Duboeuf, who also produces Chardonnays such as Macon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuisse, the former grown in limestone and the latter in clay, chalk. My preference is Pouilly-Fuisse for its Burgundian character and aroma of roasted almonds mixed with verbena. This is a slightly oak-aged wine and expected to age well. The best pairing? Caesar salad topped with lobster, or any light pasta dish, seafood bisque or shellfish.

Finally, wines from Burgundy can be expensive, yet these wines are priced around $20 a bottle. Enjoy the youthful vibrance of these entry-level, Beaujolais wines. Especially at a picnic, and if you’d like…in a sangria.