Although it may not feel so festive these days, yesterday was Beaujolais day, and that is cause for celebration!  Despite Covid and these trying times, we continue to celebrate Beaujolais here at the shop! A big part of our ethos is our dedication to wines and producers that we love and believe in wholeheartedly. We are not so concerned with scores and market trends, but follow our passions, especially from regions that overdeliver on quality for their sticker price. There is perhaps no region that we stand behind more faithfully than the FINE wines of Beaujolais, both for the joy they bring to our own lives and for the immense value they represent for our clients.

In conjunction with the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau in France yesterday and a killer Cru Beaujolais offer below, we are so excited to launch our education and entertainment blog today.  We’re thrilled to publish our first post written by our dear friend, Pascaline Lepeltier, MOF. She has written a definitive guide to the Beaujolais region.  She covers everything from the history of the region to the myriad of terroir variation between each cru and details the region’s most important producers. Pascaline eloquently lays out the finer points of what makes Beaujolais such a compelling wine region.  If you know Pascaline, you know she does not half-ass anything, and this piece is further evidence.  She is such an international treasure in our industry, and we are so grateful for her contribution to our blog.  If you would like to learn about Beaujolais, please check it out – you will even dive into the warm waters of carbonic maceration. The full piece is on our site in 3 parts, but to give you an idea, we wanted to include her introduction which absolutely sums up our feelings about the Beaujolais region:

"The famous British critic Andrew Jefford, in his benchmark book The New France (published in 2002) once dubbed Beaujolais an “Enigma”. It is a mystery to find that eighteen years later, high quality Beaujolais has yet to earn its place amongst the greatest wines of the world. While the amount of wine professionals, savvy connoisseurs & collectors all over the world is sky-rocketing, looking for the rarest crus and the most compelling labels, few seem to hold a firm understanding of the complexity, quality and age-worthiness that can be found in this wine region. Beaujolais wines, especially from the 10 crus in the north of the appellation, are much more than just versatile, jovial wines and lip-smacking glou-glous.  They can definitely tick that box, but they can also be found to convey depth, grace and remarkable terroir-expression with very unique individual character. Now that the lieux-dits are popping up more and more on labels - we all know Morgon Côte de Py or Corcelette, but what about Dutraive’s Fleurie Champagne or Foillard’s Morgon Les Charmes? - you realize you need to read Beaujolais like you read the Climats in the Côte d’Or, or the Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive in Barolo! Yet what differs is the value.  An absolutely ridiculous amount of work is required to produce such wines, the evidence of which is revealed in the equal pleasure one can experience by drinking today or within a decade.  The pool of talent is growing every year, reclaiming their region, their lieux-dits and their old vines from the industrial and artificial Beaujolais Nouveau tsunami. With a succession of age-worthy vintages like 2018, Beaujolais and its crus are a real treasure trove when you know where to look."

Please click here to read more of Pascaline’s introduction to the Beaujolais region, and then learn all about carbonic maceration as well as an incredible breakdown of the 10 Crus, top producers and recent vintages. Obviously, Pascaline is a tough act to follow, but we do plan to continue to write about the regions and producers we love and post things on the blog.  

In addition to sharing Pascaline’s amazing blog entry today, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there is virtually no better wine on the planet to put on your Tday table than a great bottle of Beaujolais.  Today’s offer features a treasure trove of our favorite growers who stand as some of the finest in Beaujolais. In contrast to the porch-pounding, Nouveau wines released yesterday, these producers turn out extremely expressive wines many of which will stand the test of time toe to toe with great red Burgundy. It is always a pleasure for us to be able to offer wines of this caliber at such reasonable prices and something we take great pride in curating for our customers.  This list includes many large formats that will evolve gracefully for a celebration down the road as well as plenty of bottles ready to go now. Beaujolais is always a classic companion for the Thanksgiving table, but such compelling wines demand attention beyond that single day each year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!  2020 has been rough!  Treat yourself to some lovey wines and enjoy the day! 

The bottles below are offered on a first come, first served basis. Follow the links below to purchase on our site or call/email us if you need some assistance. 

Cheers,