It’s that time again - Beaujolais Nouveau Day - when glasses are raised across the world to mark this year’s release. If you purchase 6 bottles or more, the price will be the same as last year (just £12 per bottle).
Once again we are shipping nouveau from Château de Belleverne at La Chapelle de Guinchay, 3km east of Chenas.
The grapes are harvested from vines planted on an array of different terroirs: siliceous clay (St Amour), granite (Chenas) and limestone, all scattered in a beautiful playground of 36 hectares (originally 8 hectares when the family took over the property in 1969.
Brothers Didier and Alain own vineyards in the Villages plain as well as in the Crus of Juliénas, Chénas, St Amour and Moulin à Vent.
The Beaujolais Villages harvest started on Monday 13th September 2021 and a run up of 10 days of glorious sunshine has helped to develop phenolic ripeness in the grapes. As with the majority in the Beaujolais region, the vineyards were affected by the early April frosts with Beaujolais and Villages communes experiencing 50% loss of grapes, slightly less in the Crus with more altitude with a resulting effect on pricing.
Tasting the grapes on vine just before harvest suggested a good balance, but let’s face it, Nouveau is all about quaffing, celebration of the harvest and fun!
Slightly chilled at about 13°c - and generously. It doesn’t improve with age, so enjoy the moment.
We also have a small quantity of Organic Beaujolais Nouveau 2021 from Domaine de la Couvette and Sharpham New Release 2021, a white English nouveau wine.
“I always buy a few bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau every year. A family tradition has grown over the years of saving one bottle for about a month and serving it slightly chilled to accompany the cold meats on Boxing Day, which always goes down a treat.”
Stuart P
“I buy a case or two of Beaujolais Nouveau every year. It's a light easy-drinking wine which should be drunk within a few months and certainly before spring the following year. I like to see how it varies from year to year ... some years the bubblegum taste is very prominent.”
Martin T