Beaujolais Nouveau is Here!

French law specifies that this fresh and fruity wine be released on the 3rd Thursday of November and that the Gamay grapes used must be hand-harvested and from free-standing, individual vines. Here at CM North Lamar, we'll be celebrating on the 19th by pricing the George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau at $7.99--a savings of $6.00! And, due to perfect weather and growing conditions, experts say that this vintage may be the best in the last 50 years.

Located in the Burgundy region of France, where winemaking dates back to Roman times, the growers, vintners, and the consuming public are in a state of pure excitement and anticipation as one of the truly memorable vintages of Beaujolais nears its way to our tables and glasses. One advantage the Beaujolais Nouveaus have in their vinification is the method known as carbonic maceration. This process gently extracts the juice from the grapes reducing the amount of acidity normally found in the grape skins and lending the resulting wines an early accessibility and freshness. This lush fruity style lends itself to be paired beautifully with turkey, ham and all the Thanksgiving trimmings.

Beaujolias Nouveau should be consumed within the first year after bottling, but Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais have cellar lives that far exceed their youthful counterpart. The most approachable Gamays in terms of value are the Beaujolais Villages. They are soft and fruity and pair well with lighter fair such as fish, fowl, cheese plates, etc. The Cru Beaujolais’ are usually priced between the low $20.00 range and top out, in most cases, in the mid $30.00 range. Examples of these Cru vineyards include Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-A-Vent and Brouilly to name a few. These wines approach the complexity of the Pinot Noir grape and are much more ageworthy and pair well with heartier foods like cassoulet, duck confit and red meats such as lamb or beef.

We encourage you to stop by CM North Lamar on this Thursday to sample our Gamays and celebrate the Beaujolais Nouveau!