If your idea of Beaujolais is an area that produces “gluggable, inconsequential” wine, you should think again. Thus argued renowned wine critic Jamie Goode at a recent Beaujolais event in London. He points to a whole new generation of innovative winemakers looking to make “true and honest” wines that are terroir-driven. Beaujolais wine offers great value and a range of styles from the different regions and producers. Here is our Beaujolais Fast Facts feature for those interested in finding out more about this often overlooked region.
Where is it?
The Beaujolais wine region is located to the east of central France, between the Burgundy and the Rhône wine regions.
Latitude
Villié-Morgon: 46˚N
Longitude
Villié-Morgon: 4.67˚E
Altitude
Up to 450 metres.
Main Beaujolais wine regions and appellations
Beaujolais AOC
The Beaujolais AOC covers the whole region but in practice the red and rosé wines mainly come from the south, in the flatter areas with clay soils. It is harder to ripen the grapes here and the wines tend to be lighter and intended for early drinking. There is also a very small amount of white Beaujolais wine made from Chardonnay, which tends to be planted on limestone soils to the far north of the region near Mâconnais and to the far south west of Villefranche.
- Beaujolais Rouge: 5,863 hectares producing 247,660 hl.
- Beaujolais Rosé: 304 hectares producing 10,898 hl.
- Beaujolais Blanc: 133 hectares of vineyards, with annual production of 5,576 hl.
Beaujolais Villages AOC
Beaujolais Villages are 38 communes in the wooded mountains to the west of the region. Soils and exposure can vary and the wines can be more concentrated than straightforward Beaujolais. As much of the wine is blended by merchants, any Beaujolais Villages wine that is labelled with the name of the village is generally estate-bottled and may be particularly interesting. As with straight Beaujolais, small amounts of rosé from Gamay and white wine from Chardonnay are also made.
- Beaujolais Villages Rouge: 4,518 hectares producing 185,384 hl
- Beaujolais Villages Rosé: 70 hectares producing 2,134 hl.
- Beaujolais Villages Blanc: 48 hectares of vineyards, producing 1,856 hl.
The Crus
There are ten crus, the top red wine regions of Beaujolais, all of them located in the hillier areas to the north, which offer freer-draining soils and better exposure, thereby helping the grapes to mature more fully. These wines can be more complex and concentrated. Listed from north to south, the crus are as follows:
Saint-Amour
The northernmost cru, with a surface area of 319 hectares has soils of clay, granite, slate, limestone and alluvial stones. The wines can have a minerality and fruity notes. Average annual production is 15,659 hl.
Juliénas
This region sits alongside Saint-Amour, to the west and has 578 hectares of vineyards. The soils are blue stone, granite, slate, clay, sandstone and alluvial stones. The wines can be fuller-bodied than those of its neighbour. Average production: 24,503 hl.
Chénas
The 249 hectares of vineyards in Chénas are to the south of Juliénas and Saint-Amour. The soils are of granite, sand and alluvial stones. The grapes can struggle to ripen. Average production: 9,564 hl.
Moulin-à-Vent
This region lies below Chénas and alongside Fleurie. It has 717 hectares of vineyards. This is a very varied region with some flatter land to the south, which produces less complex wines, while some of the best areas can produce excellent, complex wines with lots of ageing potential. The soils are of pink granite and manganese-rich granite. Average production: 26,192 hl.
Fleurie
Fleurie is situated to the west of Moulin-à-Vent and has 914 hectares of vineyards. The wines from sandy areas like Chapelle des Bois are lighter than those from more clay soils and there are some areas like Les Garrants and Poncié that can make wines to rival those of Moulin-à-Vent. The bedrock is granite. Average production: 34,630 hl.
Chiroubles
This is the highest cru, situated to the west of Fleurie and has light, sandy soils over pink granite. Grapes can struggle to ripen in a cool year but make charming wines in a warmer vintage. The vineyard area is 334 hectares. Average production: 13,157 hl.
Morgon
With 1,114 hectares, this is the second largest cru, after Brouilly. It is situated to the south of Chiroubles and Fleurie and is famous for the rich, spicy wines of the Côte du Py. The soils are alluvial and clay over granite and blue stone. Average production: 51,231 hl.
Brouilly
The 1,257 hectares of vineyards are located to the south of Morgon and Régnié and produce very variable wines. The soils are clay, granite, blue stone, alluvial sands and limestone. Average production: 56,179 hl
Côte de Brouilly
This is a smaller area of just 340 hectares to the west. The volcanic slopes of Mount Brouilly produce some very good wines. The soils are andesite granite (blue stone) and stony. Average production: 15,009 hl.
Vineyard in Régnié. Photo credit: JB Laissard
Régnié
This smaller area of 368 hectares produces wines that lighter and lower in price. The soils are granite, with a surface layer of clay or sand. Average production: 16,256 hl.
Climate
The climate is temperate and semi-continental. Summers are warm and in winter snow can fall on the foothills of the Massif Central.
As in Burgundy to the north, hail can be a significant problem some years – in fact in both 2016 and 2017 some producers lost up to 80% of their crop. INAO rules currently forbid netting of vines, such as is commonplace in Argentina, but producers in both regions are lobbying for it to be allowed.
Temperatures
Temperatures can drop to freezing in winter and rise to a high of 27˚C in summer.
Rainfall
Average of 730 mm per year.
Rain falls throughout the year and can have a particular impact on yields at the time of flowering and fruit set, as well as close to harvest, when grapes can become diluted or even split, allowing disease to set in.
Photo credit: Inter-Beaujolais
Soil and topography
The north (known as Haut Beaujolais) is a hilly region with a bedrock of granite and schist with some patches of limestone and a sandy topsoil that drains well. This is very beneficial to Gamay, enabling it to ripen well.
The southern part (Bas Beaujolais) is flatter and has soils of clay, which is slow to warm up and can make it difficult for Gamay to ripen.
Grape varieties
Gamay
Officially Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, this variety accounts for 98% of the grapes grown across the Beaujolais wine region.
It buds early so cold weather, frost and winds early in the season can damage the young buds. However, it also ripens early, before autumn rains can cause problems.
This is a generous cropper and, if yields aren’t controlled, it will produce wines that are thin and acidic.
Gamay wines are usually medium+ to high in acidity and they can be light in body, colour and tannins with aromas of red fruits. This is very much the image that many people have of Beaujolais wine – light, easy to drink and easy to forget. However, with different viticultural and winemaking techniques, a whole other style of wine is being made from this grape. However it is made, a good Beaujolais wine is likely to have aromas of raspberries and cherries, a touch of black pepper and some minerality and be an enjoyable, food-friendly wine.
An extraordinary aspect of a good-quality Gamay wine is that as it evolves over time, it becomes more and more like a Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
One of the world’s favourite white grape varieties can be found in small quantities in Beaujolais, accounting for just 2% of the vineyard area. It is mostly planted in free-draining limestone areas and some beautiful white wines are being made for it, very much in the style of Mâcon just to the north. In fact, producers in some parts of Beaujolais are able to label their white wines Bourgogne Blanc.
Viticulture facts and vineyard management
Planting density
Beaujolais has some of the world’s highest density plantings with 6,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare.
Clones
There are 140 approved Gamay clones in Beaujolais. However, they are becoming less fashionable and some growers are reverting to massal selection.
Vine training systems
Traditionally the Gamay grapes were trained into a gobelet (free-standing bush) form, but as new vineyards are planted, they tend to be trellised and trained using the single guyot format with up to 12 buds.
This has the advantage of placing the clusters of grapes in the optimum position to ensure that the grapes get enough sun exposure to ripen more fully (with leaf plucking if necessary). Single guyot also ensures that each bud has greater likelihood of ripening.
Irrigation
As rainfall occurs throughout the year, irrigation is not usually an issue. In fact, what is really key is that the soils drain well, as vines hate sitting in water.
Pests and diseases
As this is an area with year-round rainfall, all the usual suspects that emerge in damp conditions can make life difficult here, such as powdery mildew, botrytis and grey rot. Growers need to be vigilant and also manage the vine canopy to ensure that the air can flow well through the vines, drying any moisture on the grapes and helping to keep them healthy and disease-free.
Viticultural challenges
Unpredictable weather events like hailstorms or heavy rainfall present challenges and growers have to respond as best they can.
Yields
Authorized yields all appellations: 52 hl/ha
Sustainability trend
Although historical, Beaujolais can be seen as an up-and-coming region where land and grape prices are much more affordable than in other regions. This is attracting a new generation of young, innovative growers and producers. One particularly noticeable trend is the move towards more sustainable production, with many producers already certified organic or biodynamic and plenty more in the process of conversion. Row inter-planting, a reduction in the use of chemicals and an emphasis on soil health and biodiversity are among the techniques being espoused.
Winemaking and wine styles
Red winemaking
These days there are many different styles of Beaujolais red wine being made, as the new generation of winemakers experiments with different techniques. But let’s start with the traditional method of winemaking for which Beaujolais wine is famous.
Carbonic maceration followed by normal fermentation in sealed tanks
Carbonic maceration process. Photo provided by Westbury Communications
To make wines this way, you need to hand-harvest whole clusters of very healthy, disease-free grapes. Often the clusters of grapes are chilled prior to fermentation to help avoid bacteria entering the vat because in a carbon-saturated environment such as these sealed tanks, micro-organisms can take over and spoil the whole batch of wine.
The chilled whole clusters are then put carefully into a special stainless steel tank, which tends to be wide rather than tall to reduce the level of crushing. Carbon dioxide is injected into the tanks, which are hermetically sealed. If any yeasts are going to be added, they are added at this point, before the tanks are sealed.
An extraordinary process gets underway in the uppermost clusters of grapes. An intra-cellular fermentation begins within each whole grape. For a period of 2-3 days, the enzymes in each grape begin to convert the sugar into alcohol and to break down the malic acid (in effect an initial malolactic fermentation), all in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment.
Meanwhile, the grapes lower down tend to split open under the weight of the grapes above, and the juice seeps out. So these crushed grapes and their juice begin a normal alcoholic fermentation process, usually with the ambient yeasts (unless yeasts were added to the vat).
After the first 2-3 days, when the intra-cellular fermentation of the grapes at the top has produced around 2% alcohol, the grapes begin to degrade and split open, seeping juice. In a real carbonic maceration process, the grapes would now be pressed and the juice fermented. However, what tends to happen in Beaujolais is that the grapes are left to split open and release their juice within the sealed, oxygen-free vat and a normal alcoholic fermentation process of grape must in contact with the skins gets underway. The winemaker regulates the temperature in the vat (typically 24˚C to 28˚C) to create a faster or slower fermentation (12-20 days). If gas builds up within the tank, it can be vented off.
Sometimes, a grill is placed in the vat to keep the mass of grape skins and debris known as the cap from floating on the surface of the wine. By keeping the submerged, it is not necessary to pump wine over it or punch it down to keep it wet and problem-free.
Once the fermentation is complete, the wine is lightly pressed.
This method produces light-coloured wines with less tannins and, at their best, lots of vibrant red fruit aromas and flavours. These wines are often bottled after a short resting period ready for early drinking.
Traditional vinification
Many winemakers make their red wine using the normal alcoholic fermentation process with all its usual permutations. The vats can be open wooden casks, concrete or stainless steel tanks. Yeasts may or may not be added.
Pumping over. Photo credit: Westbury Communications
Traditionally, whole clusters of grapes went into the vat but these days many producers are experimenting with partial or complete destemming. There are a number of considerations involved here. Those who prefer to destem argue that the stalks give greener, more astringent tannins (especially if the grapes were not completely ripe when picked) and that they can absorb colour. A wine made with destemmed grapes can make for fresher, fruitier and rounder wines with finer tannins, which can be bolstered by some oak-ageing. However, retaining some whole clusters means that there will be some intra-cellular fermentation and the creation of fruity aromas.
During the fermentation, winemakers use different techniques to break up the cap of grape skins that forms on the surface and to extract colour, tannin and flavours from the skins. These include pump-overs, punch-downs and rack and return and will also impact the final style of wine.
Maturation
While some Beaujolais wine is released after a short resting period in an inert vat for early drinking, others undergo some level of oak-ageing.
Cellar at Chateau de Moulin-á-Vent. Photo credit: Inter-Beaujolais
Other winemaking considerations
Chaptalisation
In a cool year, the grapes from some vineyards can be underripe, which creates two issues: firstly the wines can lack fruitiness and also have rather grippy tannins, particularly if the grapes are not destemmed. Secondly they can lack sugar – producers may pick at the legal minimum potential alcohol level of 10% for Beaujolais or 10.5% for Beaujolais-Villages and the Crus and then have to add sugar to the must (chaptalise) in order to reach the desired alcohol level in the wine (the legal maximum alcohol level is 12.5% ABV).
Natural winemaking trends
Many Beaujolais winemakers are opting for natural winemaking with minimal additions to their wines, including yeasts and sulphur dioxide.
Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Village Nouveau are among a handful of French “primeur” wines that are permitted to be released for sale earlier than the 15 December date decreed by AOC rules. Beaujolais Nouveau is bottled after 3 to 5 days of carbonic maceration in the vat, while non-primeur Beaujolais wines go through the whole alcoholic fermentation process. These wines are light, fruity and very easy to drink. Traditionally people associated them with aromas of bananas and bubblegum but this issue seems to be related to winemaking techniques and is largely a thing of the past.
During the 1970s and 80s, a hugely successful marketing campaign announced the arrival of each year’s Beaujolais Nouveau on the 3rd Thursday in November with such hype that sales soared. But the fashion waned, people began to look down on these light fruity wines and the Beaujolais producers found themselves with unsold wines that had to be sent for distillation and a loss of prestige for their other wines.
Beaujolais Rosé and Beaujolais Villages Rosé
The rosé wines are also made from Gamay. The crushed grapes usually undergo a short period of maceration so that the juice takes on some of the colour from the skins. Then the grapes are pressed and the must goes through the same winemaking process as a white wine.
The colour and tannin levels vary according to how long the maceration period was. These wines are usually dry, light and best enjoyed young as an aperitif or with light dishes like salad.
Beaujolais Blanc and Beaujolais Villages Blanc
Chardonnay is, of course, a gloriously versatile variety that can both reveal its terroir and adapt well to the whole battery of winemaking techniques. While white wine may only account for 2% of Beaujolais production, it is made into every conceivable style, from lean and unoaked, with zesty acidity and citrus aromas and sometimes a clear minerality, through to richer, bigger-bodied and more complex styles made using any combination of the following: fermentation and/or ageing in oak, complete or partial malolactic fermentation and some lees-ageing, with or without stirring.
Traditional wine pairings
- Red Beaujolais wine is a very food-friendly wine, with its high acidity and fruity aromas. Pair the lighter-bodied easy-drinking ones with pizza or chicken and the fuller-bodied, higher tannin ones with duck, mushroom risotto or Mediterranean tarts.
- The rosés are good with lighter dishes – check them out with soups or salads.
- Unoaked white wines will pair nicely with simple fish dishes, while the fuller-bodied, more complex styles are perfect with pasta with creamy sauces.
Trade/commercial factors
Production area
15,599 hectares
Number of producers
- 2,714 winemaking estates with an average size of 10ha
- 1,947 producers
- 12 cooperatives
- 151 brokers
- 25% of production is sold directly by the producers
Annual production
800,000 hl (110 million bottles)
- Beaujolais 247,660 hl (32.9 million bottles)
- Beaujolais Villages 184,348 hl (24.7 million bottles)
- Crus 366,992 hl (42.4 million bottles)
Over 40% of the volume is exported.
Interesting facts
Beaujolais winemaker and merchant Jules Chauvet (1907-1989) is seen by many as the founder of the French natural wine movement, who advocated making soils healthier, using fewer chemicals in the vineyard and eliminating the use of sulphur in fermentation. Jules Chauvet trained in chemistry and carried out scientific research into all aspects of wine, including yeasts, malolactic fermentation and carbonic maceration. He also developed the INAO tasting glass, later adopted by the ISO, which has become the industry standard and is now standard issue on wine courses like those run by WSET.
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Sources
- Beaujolais wine tasting event on 14 June 2018 organized by Westbury Communications, including presentations The New Faces of Beaujolais by Jamie Goode and Winemaking Styles in Beaujolais by Chris Piper. Westbury Communications also kindly supplied the maps and photos used in this article.
- The official site of Beaujolais wines
- Robinson, J., 2015. The Oxford Companion to Wine. 4th Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Clarke, O. and Rand, M., 2015, Grapes and Wines: A comprehensive guide to varieties and flavours. Pavilion Books Company Limited.
- Johnson, H. and Robinson, J. 2013. World Atlas of Wine. 7th Ed. Mitchell Beazley
