By Eric Asimov
How do you assess the value of Beaujolais?
I know people with merciless memories who recall when nobody would think to spend more than $10 for a bottle. They are appalled to see bottles of good Morgon retailing today for $50, $60 or even more.
The price of Morgon — of all wines, really, and just about everything else — seems unthinkable compared with the going rates decades ago. But it’s not just inflation. Equally important is the vast distance Beaujolais has traveled since its days as a cherished but inconsequential thirst-quencher.
Cru Beaujolais — the wines from 10 areas considered distinctive enough to bear more specific appellations, like Morgon, Fleurie or Moulin-à-Vent — long ago transcended any notion of triviality. These wines can be great as well as joyous, which is the enduring beauty of Beaujolais.
It’s not just the crus. Both Beaujolais, the lowest appellation in the Beaujolais hierarchy, and Beaujolais-Villages, the midrange, are also far removed from the light, simple wines of old.
Nostalgia is no way to gauge the value of Beaujolais. Price is determined by supply and demand, but value is judged by evaluating what you are getting in a good bottle against what you might get in similarly priced wines.
I recently went shopping in New York retail stores for Beaujolais from the 2022 vintage and found 10 bottles, nine crus and one Beaujolais-Villages, that I thought were excellent values and that I enthusiastically recommend. Seven were $22 to $30, and the most expensive was $45.
This list does not include longtime favorites like Lapierre or Jean Foillard, which most likely would have cost more as they are in great demand because the wines are so good. Nor does it include newer producers I consistently enjoy, like Anne-Sophie Dubois, Domaine Chapel, Julien Sunier and others.
One reason for the evolution of Beaujolais, as I mentioned, is climate change. The 2022 vintage was what the French often call a solar year. It was hot.
In previous scorching seasons, Beaujolais has sometimes seemed ungainly, even flabby, without the taut quality that can make the wines so refreshing. The ’22s are certainly rich, but the good ones do not lack tension or freshness.
Here are the 10 bottles in order of price.
Michel et Sylvain Tête Domaine du Clos du Fief Juliénas Tradition 2022, 13%, $22
Michel and Sylvain Tête, father and son, are one of the most low-key, reliable and reasonably priced producers of Juliénas. Their 2022 Tradition, made from organically farmed grapes, is especially good: bone-dry, focused and full of stony, earthy flavors of red fruit. (Skurnik Wines, New York)
Domaine de la Grosse Pierre Chiroubles La Grosse Pierre 2022, 14%, $24
Pauline Passot, a former sommelier, describes herself as a vigneronne passionnée, a passionate winegrower. She is the third generation of her family to farm and make wine in Chiroubles. This cuvée, La Grosse Pierre, is intensely floral and earthy, light and almost delicate, typical of a Chiroubles, which is often described as the lightest of the crus. (A Peter Weygandt Selection/Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pennsylvania)
Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Côte de Brouilly 2022, 12.5%, $27
The iconoclastic Jean-Paul Brun is one of my favorite Beaujolais producers. Unlike most, who employ some form of carbonic maceration, in which grapes are covered with carbon dioxide and begin a process akin to fermentation without yeast, Brun ferments his wines conventionally, which, in Beaujolais, is often referred to as the Burgundian method. He doesn’t contend that it’s better, just that it’s right for his wines. This Côte de Brouilly is juicy and stony. It is easy to enjoy now but will age well. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
Pierre-Marie Chermette St.-Amour Les Champs-Grillés 2022, 13.5%, $29
For generations, the Chermettes have been farming and making wine in southern Beaujolais. Over time, they expanded their estate to the northern crus. This wine from St.-Amour, the northernmost cru, is bone dry, tapered and structured, though not at all heavy. You could enjoy it now with a dish like a roast chicken that will cut the tannins, or give it a few years of age. (Weygandt-Metzler)
Georges Descombes Brouilly 2022, 13%, $29
Georges Descombes is one of the early producers of modern Beaujolais. Heavily influenced by Marcel Lapierre, Descombes has since 1988 been making minimally manipulated wines from organically farmed grapes. I love everything about this bottle, from the label, which looks like it was scrawled on a chalkboard in a Lyon bouchon, to the wine within, light, easygoing, spicy and floral. Descombes’ son and stepson, Kewin Descombes and Damien Coquelet, are also making excellent Beaujolais under their names. (Louis/Dressner Selections)
Nicole et Romain Chanrion Domaine de la Voûte des Crozes Côte de Brouilly 2022, 14%, $29
Côte de Brouilly is one of my favorite Beaujolais crus and maybe the most underrated. Unlike Brouilly, which tends to be lighter, Côte de Brouilly, on volcanic slopes above Brouilly, is firmer, more structured and often with an underlying mineral core. Nicole et Romain Chanrion are likewise under-the-radar producers, but this wine is excellent year in and year out. What I like especially about the 2022 is its savory salinity and lively fruit. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, California)
Domaine les Garçons Beaujolais-Villages 2022, 12.5%, $30
If $30 seems expensive for a Beaujolais-Villages, consider this: The wine comes from old vines farmed biodynamically, including a parcel more than a century old. It’s juicy and vibrant, richer than a typical Villages yet complex with underlying mineral flavors. The proprietors, Loïc Crispin and Fabien Pinguet, established their domaine in 2020 and are working to improve its biodiversity and soil health. (Skurnik Wines)
Domaine Coudert Moulin-à-Vent 2022, 14%, $32
Alain Coudert of Clos de la Roilette in Fleurie recently acquired a parcel in the neighboring cru of Moulin-à-Vent. This is the first vintage, and it’s superb — like tasting rocks and flowers. It’s similar stylistically to the Coudert Fleuries, which often need some aging to soften the tannins. Give this at least a few years, or hold on to it for a decade or more. (Louis/Dressner Selections)
Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly 2022, 13.5%, $37
The Geoffray family has been farming grapes in Beaujolais for almost three centuries. With their focus on soil health and building biodiversity, they have been on a roll, making excellent wines. This Côte de Brouilly is rich and intense, yet fresh and energetic, with fine tannins. You can enjoy this wine now or age it for a few years. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
Bonnet Cotton Côte de Brouilly “100 Percent Cotton” 2022, 13%, $45
Marine Bonnet and Pierre Cotton farm organically and only use tiny amounts, if any, of sulfur dioxide in their wines. This cuvée is pure and ripe in the style of the vintage, yet beautifully focused and sculpted, with stony flavors of red fruit. Like Domaine des Garcons, this relatively new estate is worth following. (Selected by Paris Wine Co./Coeur Wine Co., New York)
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