Yay, it's beaujolais nouveau time again! It's nice to sample a couple of these fresh wines, especially since we've already had a 10-inch snow storm here in Minneapolis.
On Saturday, I sampled the 2010 Labuouré-Roi Beaujolais Nouveau ($9); it was a luminous pale ruby in the glass, with an aroma of sour cherry. It had a flinty quality, and I found it very light on the palate, with some sweetness toward the finish.
And this evening, it was the 2010 Georges Duboef nouveau (about $8). This was a much deeper red than the Labouré, with notes of chalk and plum. It had a slight effervescence at first, and finished with more tannin than Saturday's wine. Some other reviewers found it tart this year, but I thought it was pretty well-balanced for a nouveau.
Very different styles, but both delicious.
Some critics say the whole nouveau celebration is a lot of hype for a wine that isn't that special, but I appreciate any event that helps make wine more fun and accessible. Even better, let's just think of it as an economical way to visit France!
On the Rag, Vol. 804
12 hours ago