Today is Beaujolais Nouveau Day!
What does this mean? The 3rd Thursday of November, as designated by French law, marks the release of the latest Beaujolais Nouveau, a lively red wine made from Gamay grapes. Bottled in record time (just 6-8 weeks after harvest) and meant to be enjoyed right away, Beaujolais Nouveau pairs beautifully with afternoon tailgates, sunset drives along the coast, and Thanksgiving dinner. As this wine has just been released, it may take some time to make its way to your local wine shop, so if you can’t find Nouveau (new), ask for another red from Beaujolais – it will be made with Gamay and likely just as deliciously crushable.
To celebrate, a few wineaux friends gathered for a sampling of the region, all made with Gamay grapes. Our two Beaujolais Nouveau options (on the right) were lightest and juiciest, delightful and crushable.
Laurence et Rémi Dufaitre produced a lovely bouquet of cherry and strawberry and an almost effervescent mouthfeel and the Nouveau by Georges Duboeuf Wines also brought red fruit and a hint of Bananas Foster on the nose. In the middle, our 2020 Louis Jadot was a bit fuller, with some white pepper, but still easy drinking and a beautiful compliment to our first bites of dinner: pan fried chicken with fennel, roast cherry tomatoes, air fried Brussels sprouts, and rice pilaf.
Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie presented a delicate balance of tart cranberry and earthy tones. Our most full and tannic (though still low on the scale), Domaine de Foretal Moulin-à-Vent was suggestive of dark chocolate and anise. Throughout the evening, the lighter wines opened up and the oldest 2018) mellowed, but there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. We’d recommend any of these bottles for your Thanksgiving festivities!
Witty Pairs 