Beaujolais & Bourgogne

The theme had me very interested as a recent Beaujolais and Burgundy enthusiast. 5 Cru Bojo + 4 Bourgogne + 1 Village level red. There was, predictably, a pretty small crowd for this venue.

A nice sampling of 2011 Cru Beaujolais.

• 2011 Domaine de Colette Fleurie 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie

  Nose was quite fragrant with some lovely floral aromas. Unfortunately, the palate did not live up to the promise of the nose. A little unbalanced toward the acidic side and the fruit seemed a little bitter. Not terrible, but was a little lean for me and didn't really deliver what I like about Gamay. Loved the nose, though.

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• 2011 Marcel Lapierre Morgon 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

  "N" bottle. Nose was tight, but showed some fresh strawberries. On the palate, some pretty and pure Gamay fruit, light-bodied for a Morgon, with abundant acidity. Seemed lighter and with less depth than the last bottle of this I tried.

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• 2011 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly

  Nose showed aromatic distinct Gamay. On the palate, fruit forward with aggressive tannins. Good acidity and structure. Good now, but probably best to lay this one down for a year or five.

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• 2011 Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly

  Very fragrant earthy and slightly pungent nose. On the palate, forward fruit, pure Gamay flavors and some earthiness. Fairly light bodied but quite flavorful and open. Good acidic and tannic structure. Drinking well now but should age nicely too.

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• 2011 Domaine Diochon Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent

  Very forward and fragrant Gamay nose. On the palate, lots going on with some strong tannins, good balancing acidity, and pure young Gamay flavors. Fleshy texture was intriguing.

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5 Bourgogne from 3 recent and very good (or better) vintages. It seems the very low end of red burgundy these days is $20 - $25.

• 2009 Domaine Camus-Bruchon & Fils Bourgogne 85 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Nose not giving up much - very tight. Lean and acidic, especially for a 2009 vintage. Strong tannins. Nice enough table wine, but lacks depth and is poor value at $25.

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• 2010 Louis Chenu Bourgogne 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Strange citrus aroma that was also a strong presence on the palate. Tasted a bit like tangerine to me. Good balance, nice fruit, interesting wine.

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• 2011 Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Very prominent sulfur on the nose (which drew quite a few complaints from the crowd), though I didn't find it as overwhelming as most of the others. I smelled a bit of vanilla, too. On the palate, the sulfur was not very noticeable. Good balancing acidity and some pretty fruit. I like this, despite the somewhat objectionable nose.

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• 2009 René Bouvier Bourgogne Montre Cul 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Tons of oak on the nose - this really stuck out in this tasting. On the palate, the oak was not as prominent, but still too much for my tastes. Too bad, because this was pretty well balanced and there was some nice tart fruit. Too bad -- just a little too much oak for me to enjoy this much.

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• 2010 Aliane Côte de Nuits Villages 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages

  Nose was quite tight but there was a freshness about it that I liked a lot. On the palate, fairly light-bodied with some tart, pure, flavorful fruit. Good clean and long finish. A little lighter than the 2009 but very similar in style and flavor profile.

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For me, the Beaujolais clearly outperformed the Bourgogne. I find that to be the case in general at the same price point.