Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting Beaujolais

Thoughts on the matter: (While presiding over an auction) “At 200,000 euros, I’ll deliver the wine. At 250,000 euros, my husband [former president Nicolas Sarkozy] will deliver it with me.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Supermodel, former French First Lady

The wine world doesn’t have many wine collectors that are willing to pay big money for Beaujolais as they are best known in this region for releasing their wines to reveal the quality of the vintage a few weeks after the harvest...aka Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais Nouveau was once one of the hottest topics in the wine world.  This half made wine that gave this region a reputation for vino that had to be consumed in its first six months of life really hurt the image of these ancient vineyards that produce some of the world’s most distinctive red wines from the Beaujolais Gamay varietal which thrives on the granite soils of southern Burgundy.  

This tasting will showcase some of the top small producers and will change your perception of the Beaujolais Gamay varietal, especially if your only experience here begins and ends with the novelty Beaujolais Nouveau.

These tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines, you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time... a great way to spend happy hour.

Tonight we will feature wines from Beaujolais with some of the world's greatest examples of the Gamay varietal.  This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-782-0606.

Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting featuring Beaujolais
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
6:30 PM

2013 Domaine de la Prebende Beaujolais
Price: $18.75       Sale $16.50          Case $192

Incredible value here. This is the same family as Dupueble, which had their 500th anniversary at the domaine a couple years ago. These are 70 year old vines on a slope of clay-limestone. The wine is fairly serious once it opens. It’s concentrated and bright with that tart red fruit.

2013 Clos Roilette Fleurie           
Price: $23.25       Sale $20.46          Case $238

The Clos de la Roilette, in the village of Fleurie, covers 22 acres of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an eastern exposure, borders the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, and produces wines that are beautiful when young and have the capacity to age 5-10 years, depending on the vintage.

The particular terroir (mainly clay and manganese), and the age of their vines (25 to 33 years-old) account for the richness of their wine. It has a deep blackcurrant color with a hint of purple, a restrained nose of crème de cassis, a rich, full mouth with aromas of cassis, black cherries, and a nutty character, and finishes with zesty acidity. This is a wine that ages gracefully and takes on the aromatic character of a Pinot Noir.

2012 George Descombes Regnie Vieille Vignes
Price: $28.50       Sale $25.08          Case $291

In total, Georges owns about 15,5 hectares of land spread over 5 AOC's : 7,5 hectares in Morgon, 3,5 hectares in Brouilly, 2 hectares in Regnié, 0,5 hectare in Chiroubles and 2 hectares of Beaujolais Villages. Grapes are hand-harvested, then stored in a temperature controlled container before being placed in 60 hl cement tanks. A traditional, semi-carbonic maceration occurs, and the wine ferments from its ambient yeasts. For each Cru, Georges produces old vine cuvées which are vinified separately, then aged in barrel six months before bottling. Keep your eyes peeled: the only way to visually distinguish a "V.V" from a regular bottling is the red wax top.

Georges is a firm believer that his wines benefit from time in bottle, and always releases them up to a year later than most of his colleagues.

2012 Coquelet "Cote de Py" Morgon
Price: $28.50       Sale $25.08          Case $291

This Morgon hails from "La Voûte Saint-Vincent" vineyard and has a very distinct Soil of sandstone and disintegrated granite.  The Gamay vines are an average of 45 years and they have a South East eposition on a small coteaux.  Traditional vinification here with 50% of the grapes destemmed. Fermentation for 13 days in cuve, then aged 10 months in concrete tanks.

2012 Liger Belair Moulin A Vent Vieilles Vignes
Price: $34.25       Sale $30.14          Case $350

The 2012 Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes is a blend of fruit from 7 parcels, all planted mid-slope. Savory herbs, new leather, licorice and graphite all add complexity to the dark fruit. The style is deep, intense and explosive. This is another super-impressive showing from Thibault Liger-Belair. Drink 2014-2020. (91-93) points

2013 Diochon Moulin a Vent
Price: $25.50       Sale $22.44          Case $261

From what is undoubtedly the biggest and baddest cru of Beaujolais, Diochon’s Moulin-à-Vent makes the wines described above look wimpy. It certainly has the edge in terms of raw power: despite its lovely floral tones, its rustic feel and chewy tannins suggest it can go the distance. Novice wine collectors, listen up: this is the Gamay you want to lay down, as it doesn’t break the bank and is sure to provide future thrills. Veteran wine collectors: you may need a case or two. –Anthony Lynch

2012 Guy Breton Morgon
Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00          Case $383

Guy Breton is known by his friends as Petit Max – though he is anything but petit, by the way.  He took over the family domaine from his grandfather in 1986. Until that point, the family was selling their fruit to the large cooperative wineries which dominated the region and were gravitating towards a uniform style. The rise of imported yeast cultures to impart flavor and aroma, the use of high-tech carbonic maceration, and the widespread commercialization of Beaujolais Nouveau debased the region’s reputation, and Beaujolais came to be seen as one-dimensional, lacking any expression of the native terroir. Following the example of traditionalist Jules Chauvet, Guy and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Jean Foillard, soon hoisted the flag of this back-to-nature movement. Kermit dubbed this clan the Gang of Four, and the name has stuck ever since. The Gang called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification: starting with old vines, never using synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvesting late, rigorously sorting to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refusing both chaptalization and filtration. The end result allows Morgon to express itself naturally, without make-up or plastic surgery:  rustic, spicy, loaded with schist minerals and at the same time, refreshing and deep-down delicious.

Breton’s domaine is comprised of three hectares (only 7.2 acres), eighty percent of which lies in the appellation of Morgon, around the village of Villié-Morgon. The vines range in age from 8 to 80 years, with the 80-year-old vines dedicated to the “Vieilles Vignes” cuvée. Guy’s property is located in the microclimates “Saint-Joseph” and “Grand Cras,” where the naturally low pH of the soil creates favorable conditions for Breton’s sulfur-free vinification.

2012 Jean Paul Thevenet Morgon VV
Price: $36.25       Sale $31.90          Case $370

Jean-Paul Thévenet is the third generation to produce wine at his family estate in Morgon, but as a young man he took the domaine in an unexpected direction. In the early 1980s Beaujolais was flooded with mass-produced, over-commercialized wine, pushing winemaker and viticultural prophet Jules Chauvet to invoke a return to more traditional practices. Jean-Paul and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, and Jean Foillard, soon took up the torch of this “natural wine” movement. Kermit dubbed this clan the Gang of Four, and the name has stuck ever since. These rebels called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification: starting with old vines, never using synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvesting late, rigorously sorting to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refusing both chaptalization and filtration. These techniques allow the character of Morgon to express itself naturally, without any cosmetic surgery: rustic and spicy yet also refreshing and loaded with the minerality of the granitic vineyards.

Known as “Paul-Po” among friends, Jean-Paul is reserved yet fun-loving. He farms his small five-hectare domaine with his son, Charly, who also makes his own wine from the neighboring Grand Cru Régnié. Charly is a staunch advocate of natural wine just like his father, and since 2008 the two have taken the domaine to the next level by adopting organic and biodynamic viticultural practices. While the rest of the Gang works the Parisian market, hand-selling their wines, Jean-Paul maintains a low profile. Producing only 2,000 cases per year, he simply focuses on creating the best wines possible, and we are always eager to buy as many cases as he can spare!

A bit about Beaujolais:

Located north of Lyon in eastern France, Beaujolais overlaps Burgundy in the north and Rhône in the south. The picturesque Beaujolais vineyards run along the Saône River, where winemakers have crafted deliciously supple and fruity wines since the days of Ancient Rome.

Over mainly granite terrain, the Beaujolais Crus form a meandering path. From south to north, Brouilly is followed by Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, Chénas, Juliénas and Saint-Amour.

The region has ideal growing conditions. It receives lots of sunshine and has granite-based soils that lend excellent structure to the wines. The Gamay grape is used to make all Beaujolais wines with the exception of white Beaujolais, or Beaujolais blanc, which is made of Chardonnay grapes.

Only manual harvesting is allowed in the Beaujolais region. Handpicking means that before being vatted, entire bunches are sorted to remove any bad grapes. This winemaking method is specific to the Beaujolais region.

Total surface area of vine growing area: 67 square miles

Grape Variety: Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc (99 percent of production)

Annual production: 850,000 hl

Number of appellations: 12, including 10 Crus

  1. Brouilly
  2. Chénas
  3. Chiroubles
  4. Côte de Brouilly
  5. Fleurie
  6. Juliénas
  7. Morgon
  8. Moulin-à-Vent
  9. Régnié
10. Saint-Amour
11. Beaujolais
12. Beaujolais Villages

Number of winegrowers: 2,600

Average surface area of an estate: .03 square miles