Beaujolais – Episode Two

Recent soil maps have cast new light on these 10 crus, all grouped together in the northern part of the region. They share many aspects: grapes, viticulture, macroclimate. So the differences in style are essentially down to geography–which makes these wines a fascinating study in terroir.

Like many of France’s wine regions, the Beaujolais wine classification has a pyramid structure. Beaujolais AOC is the most forgiving in terms of its rule book and covers the largest area: 85 villages (or communes, to be more precise) between the city of Lyon and the Mâconnais on the west bank of the Saône River.

Theoretically a step up in quality, Beaujolais Villages AOC stipulates lower yields, higher minimum alcohol levels and covers the best 38 communes of Beaujolais AOC’s 85. Both of these Beaujolais appellations can create red, rosé or white wine (whites must be made from pure Chardonnay).

General Beaujolais

Typically light, fruity, and meant for early drinking (like Beaujolais Nouveau or Beaujolais-Villages), made from Gamay.

The Beaujolais crus sit above these two larger appellations at the top of the quality pyramid, and all 10 share a host of attributes.
All 10 make still, dry, red wines only. They all follow a very similar cahier des charges (production rule book). They share the same continental macroclimate.

The main grape used is Gamay. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, pointing out that it has black skin and clear juice, to set it apart from two red-fleshed varieties that are also permitted in small quantities (up to 10% in total): Gamay de Bouze and Gamay de Chaudenay.

In the vineyard, plants are mostly grown as bushvines (though trellising as cordon de Royat is permitted) and they can live to over 100 years old. All the 10 crus are divided up into dozens of lieux-dits.

In the winery, producers can choose from carbonic maceration, semi-carbonic maceration or traditional vinification. Most use concrete tanks to ferment, and mature their wines in old oak foudres.

1. Kermit Lynch Beaujolais Villages
2. Mary Taylor Beaujolais Villages
3. Arnaud Combier Premieres Gouttes Beaujolais-Villages

Saint-Amour

Total vineyard area: 310 ha/770 ac Average elevation: 335 m/1,100 ft

This most northerly of the Beaujolais crus takes its name from a Roman soldier who fled to France in the 3rd century and established a monastery here. It’s a signature that has proved extremely useful when it comes to sales and marketing.

It has the gentlest slopes in Beaujolais and some of the most diverse soils, with pink granite (the region’s most emblematic substrate), blue diorite, clay, sandstone and alluvial deposits. As such, it’s difficult to generalize about the characteristic style of Saint-Amour, but it tends to be towards the lighter end of the scale, fresh and aerial.

Saint-Amour is the northernmost Cru in Beaujolais. Its wines are velvety, plush, and full of soft red fruit flavors, and many examples, especially old-vine bottlings, have a real capacity to age.

Juliénas 1

Produce complex, age-worthy wines with good structure.

Total vineyard area: 540 ha/1,330 ac Average elevation: 330 m/1,080 ft

The name Juliénas probably derives from Julius Caesar, who made a stopover here during the Gallic wars.

While much steeper than neighboring Saint-Amour, Juliénas also has very diverse soils. It is the least granitic of all the crus; instead, it has plentiful schist, blue diorite, sandstone, clay and alluvials. In her book The Wines of Beaujolais, Natasha Hughes MW says that the diorite-rich soils “lend the wines a certain breadth on the palate and firmness of tannin”. Its hilly terrain provides multiple exposures, with the most favored sites being those that face south and southeast.

Winemaking in Julienas dates back to Julius Caesar. Hence, the name. The wines tend to be ripe and weighty with fruitiness that’s dark and spicy rather than tart and juicy.

Chénas

Produce complex, age-worthy wines with good structure.

Total vineyard area: 220 ha/540 ac Average elevation: 250 m/820 ft

There are two theories about where Chénas gets its name. It was once covered with oak trees, known as chênes in French; or it could refer to a Roman family that lived here named Canus.

It’s the smallest of all the Beaujolais crus and its terrain varies substantially from west to east. The west is made up of very steep granite hills; the east features pebbly alluvial soils with gentler slopes. Expect more black fruit flavors than its neighbors and firmer tannins, making for a cru with good ageing potential.

Chénas is located between Julienas and Moulin-A-Vent, and like its neighbors, it produces sturdy and age-worthy wines. Unfortunately, they’re the rarest, and tracking down Chénas in the States can be a tall task. If you’re up for the challenge, though, these smooth and structured reds are worth it.

Moulin-à-Vent 1

Considered the heavyweight Crus, offering deep color, structure, and aging potential.

Total vineyard area: 620 ha/1,530 ac Average elevation: 255 m/840 ft

There is indeed a moulin-à-vent (windmill) in this cru; it dates back to the 15th century and is a protected historical monument. It goes to show this has always been a windy spot, which is useful for keeping fungal diseases at bay. It might surprise therefore that this is one of the lowest-lying Beaujolais crus. Its slopes are gentle, but they face south- and southeast, capturing the sun.

Moulin-à-Vent was famous for the quality of its wines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and today it produces some of finest, longest-lived wines in Beaujolais, with Hughes praising the wines for their combination of fine, grippy tannins, peppery aromatics and floral notes.

The northwestern part is mainly pink granite; to the east, the soils have more clay and ancient alluvial and colluvial deposits. There is also a large band of manganese that some producers claim plays an important part in the cru’s typicity.

Moulin-à-Vent is responsible for dense, earthy, powerfully structured Beaujolais. Dark and complex, Moulin-à-Vent can often age for 20+ years in bottle.

Fleurie 2

Known as the “queen,” producing more floral, elegant, and silky wines.

Total vineyard area: 790 ha/1,950 ac Average elevation: 340 m/1,120 ft

Fleurie’s terroir is characterized by two things. First, the steepness of its slopes. Second, the amount of pink granite that underpins its vineyards–over 90% of its surface. The remaining area, two outcrops to the east, is alluvial deposits.

The poor, acidic granite soil is more or less weathered depending on the location. Where it’s decomposed into granitic sands it can make for a very dry, draining terrain; an advantage in wet years, but less beneficial in dry weather.

Its name refers to the typical style of wine found here, particularly from the more elevated vineyards: delicate, red-fruited, with a pronounced floral aroma. The wines from lower down the slopes, where there’s more clay, tend to be slightly fuller and more structured.

A lot of Cru Beaujolais is floral, but none more so than the aptly named, Fleurie. The violet and rose-accented wines are elegant and powerfully aromatic.

Chiroubles

Total vineyard area: 280 ha/690 ac Average elevation: 410 m/1,350 ft.

Directly southwest of Fleurie is Chiroubles. Like its famous neighbor, it’s also very steep, with plots rising from 270m to 600m. It’s also made up almost entirely of pink granite, very thin and sandy in places. Unfortunately it’s an area particularly prone to hailstorms.

It’s less than half the size of Fleurie, which might explain why, despite the similar terroir and quality potential, it’s not at all as well known. Hughes describes the style here as one of “finesse, tension and a heady perfume”.

Chiroubles is at the highest elevation of any cru, which leads to particularly bright and refreshing wines. If you’re looking for an ideal chilled red, this is it.

Morgon 1

Considered the heavyweight Crus, offering deep color, structure, and aging potential.

Total vineyard area: 1,060 ha/2,620 ac Average elevation: 310 m/1,020 ft

Second only in size to Brouilly, Morgon is a particularly large cru with very diverse soils. The main type is pink granite, to the west and north, giving a relatively delicate expression. Much of the southern and western vineyards are made up of alluvial deposits and clay, which produce a richer, fruitier style. The Côte du Py, the most famous lieu-dit in Morgon (and arguably in the whole of Beaujolais), is a large outcrop of blue diorite. This terroir is the source of the denser, structured, long-lived wines for which Morgon is famous.

Apart from the Côte du Py, which rises to 358m/1,175 ft elevation, Morgon has some of the gentlest slopes among the Beaujolais crus.

Morgon produces some of the most rich and robust wines in Beaujolais. The area’s granite-rich soils yield particularly grippy, concentrated reds.

Morgon is one of the ten Cru Beaujolais villages in France, known for producing rich, powerful, and age-worthy red wines from the Gamay grape, distinct from lighter Beaujolais wines; they offer dark fruit (cherry, plum) and mineral notes, often developing complex, “Burgundian” flavors with age. It’s a robust Cru, sometimes called the “Burgundy of Beaujolais,” known for its structure, tannin, and aging potential, setting it apart from more delicate styles.

• Grape: 100% Gamay.
• Style: Full-bodied, robust, structured, with firm tannins.
• Flavors: Cherry, ripe peach, black fruit, kirsch (fruit brandy), and mineral notes.
• Aging: Excellent aging potential, often developing complexity and savory notes (a characteristic known as “Morgon-ing”) over 5-10+ years.

Régnié 1

Total vineyard area: 380 ha/940 ac Average elevation: 350 m/1,150 ft

It was the discovery of a Gallo-Roman villa belonging to a nobleman named Reginus that confirmed the origin of the name of this cru. It’s the most recent of the 10 to be promoted to this top level of the appellation pyramid, in 1988.

It’s another heavily granitic appellation but it also contains large outcrops of sandstone, schist and alluvials. In terms of local style, Hughes says “most Régniés are notable for their plush, juicy character rather than their firmness of structure”.

Régnié produces vibrant, aromatic, peppery examples of Beaujolais. The region is currently home to a growing wave of young, organic winemakers producing fresh reds that speak to exactly where they’re from.

Côte de Brouilly

Generally rounder, plusher, and more approachable

Total vineyard area: 300 ha/740 ac Average elevation: 300 m/980 ft

There are two crus with Brouilly in their name: Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

Brouilly is the most southerly of the Beaujolais crus, and the biggest. Its vineyards surround a small, conical hill rising to 484 m/1,588 ft that represents the cru of Côte de Brouilly–so let’s deal with that first.

It might be more straightforward if Côte de Brouilly was called Mont Brouilly, since that’s the official name of the hill over which the vineyards of Côte de Brouilly are spread.

Though granitic to the west, its most notable soil is blue diorite. Though a very hard rock, it has many cracks and fissures within it, allowing roots to delve down deeply. It typically produces powerful, ripe, black-fruited wines that age impressively.

Côte de Brouilly is a hill located within Brouilly. Its vines enjoy ideal doses of sunshine, and tend to produce powerful, mineral-driven wines.

Brouilly

Generally rounder, plusher, and more approachable

Total vineyard area: 1,180 ha/2,920 ac Average elevation: 290 m/950 ft

Surrounding the Côte de Brouilly is Brouilly, the largest cru in Beaujolais. It’s around four times the size of Côte de Brouilly and has very diverse soils. To the south and west, it’s mainly granite. The north and east are more varied, with limestone, schist, marl, alluvials and diorite.

The size and diversity of this cru make style generalization difficult, but these are largely fruity, approachable, easy-drinking wines that are usually best drunk young.

Brouilly – named after the Roman lieutenant, Brulius – has been producing fresh, crowd-pleasing wines since Brulius was here doing whatever Brulius did. The largest and southernmost Cru, Brouilly is an ideal bridge between lighter versions and the savory reds from Crus a bit further north. Order the house red at a Lyonnais bistro, and there’s a solid chance you’ll receive a wine from Brouilly.