2010 Beaujolais Nouveau Arrives

A blind tasting of France's first wines of 2010 reveals a solid vintage

Alison Napjus
Posted: November 18, 2010

The third Thursday in November means the annual arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. And despite the fact that Nouveau is largely just a marketing tool, it shouldn’t be forgotten that at its heart it’s meant to offer consumers their first peek at the potential quality of the 2010 vintage in the northern hemisphere.

This seems all the more relevant with the 2010 vintage, which follows on the heels of the exceptional 2009 vintage—one of the region's best in the last 50 years. For fans of the wine, the news is good, as the Nouveaus in our blind tasting today were easy-drinking and very likable. They showed good balance overall, and a friendly, tangy acidity that enlivened the currant and berry flavors. I didn’t find the concentration of the 2009s among the 2010s, but as Franck Duboeuf of Maison Georges Duboeuf, the region’s largest négociant and the top-scorer of today’s tasting, said, “[2010] is very [typically] ‘Beaujolais’ in style. Of course we like to make comparisons, [but] it simply shows its own personality.”

Initial orders of 2010 Nouveau are up 8 percent from last year, according to Peter Deutsch of W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Duboeuf’s U.S. importer. This may be a sign of some slow improvement in the economy, or perhaps the desire of retailers to meet potential demand after supplies for the touted 2009 vintage sold quickly last year.

The general success of the 2010 vintage can be attributed to fine weather just before and during harvest, which gave the grapes time to mature. Harvest was late this year, with most growers starting in the third week of September, compared to the end of August in 2009. And specific to Nouveau, this year's wines also benefited from the decision by producers to reduce the volumes available for sale as primeurs from 32 hectoliters per hectare to 25 hl/ha, “with a view to ensuring quality and to avoid undue fluctuations in the market during the buying campaign,” said Grégory Barbet of Loron & Fils.

Beaujolais Nouveau sources grapes from the greater Beaujolais appellation, as well as from the slightly smaller Beaujolais-Villages appellation. And while wines from these areas usually offer a good introduction to the region’s style, the best bottlings typically come from one of the area’s 10 named Crus, appellations in their own right within the larger Beaujolais appellation that each show their own distinct style. The 2010 bottlings of the Cru wines will be released next year, and in the interim consumers can look for remaining 2009 Cru Beaujolais in the marketplace.

“We are very confident with 2010," said Duboeuf. "It shows the range and capacity of the Gamay grape from the very aromatic, ready to drink Beaujolais [Nouveau wines], to the more complex Crus.”

Bright acidity frames this elegant red, accenting flavors of blackberry, black currant and plum. There's fine balance and light grip on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases imported. -A.N.

Hints of smoke and cigar box add depth to the fruit flavors of black currant and black cherry in this aromatic red, with a good core of flavor and lightly grippy tannins. Drink now. 7,200 cases imported. -A.N.

A supple, easy-drinking red, showing lots of black currant and blackberry flavors, with accents of violet, tea leaf and tobacco. Modest finish. Drink now. 6,667 cases made. -A.N.

A pleasing, fruit-forward wine, with tangy acidity enlivening flavors of raspberry, red cherry and spiced tea. Aromatic finish. Drink now. 2,000 cases imported. -A.N.

A light-bodied, floral and aromatic red, showing cherry and strawberry preserves fruit flavors, with hints of pekoe tea and dried rose petals. Offers light tannins on the finish. Drink now. 340 cases imported. -A.N.

A balanced red, with hints of black cherry, plum and spice. Supple, with a moderate finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases imported. -A.N.

An aromatic red, with pretty wild strawberry, red cherry and spice box flavors. Easy to like, with a modest finish. Drink now. 440 cases imported. -A.N.

A bright, easy-drinking red, with modest raspberry and creme de cassis notes and a moderate finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases imported. -A.N.

Hints of earth and smoke accent this lightly grippy red, with flavors of red fruits, blueberry and cigar box. Drink now. 900 cases imported. -A.N.

With a hint of banana on the nose this straightforward red shows white raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors and balance to the modest acidity. Drink now. 155,000 cases imported. -A.N.

A peppery red, with tangy acidity and modest black currant and raspberry notes. Drink now. 150,000 cases made. -A.N.