It’s a day that a strong segment of wine lovers eagerly anticipate each year; Beaujolais Nouveau Day, This year’s day is bittersweet as it’s the first Nouveau day since the passing early this year of Georges Duboeuf. While many Beujolais producers bottle a Nouveau, no single person or house is more associated with it than Georges Duboeuf. That’s particularly true in the United States where he nearly single handedly created the Nouveau Craze. So this year when you take your first sip of Nouveau, you might want to raise it skyward. No doubt Mr. Duboeuf is looking down, smiling at everyone who’s enjoying his wines.
Over the last few vintages Duboeuf has added two wines to the Nouveau line, a Rosé, and a Beaujolais-Villages. Here’s a look at these wines which are hitting store shelves all across the United States and the World, Today.
Georges Duboeuf 2020 Beaujolais Nouveau ($13.49)
This is latest vintage of the wine that started the craze. It’s entirely Gamay, In the 2020 vintage they sourced fruit mainly from the southern part of Beaujolais. There are 80,000 cases of this wine landing on shelves today. There’s a tinge of purple in this mainly deep red wine. That tinge is the first thing I look for when I pour the Nouveau, it’s part of its hallmark in my eyes. Brilliant bright red fruit aromas lead the charge. The palate leans towards red cherry with hints of black cherry peeking through. Mineral notes and cranberry mark the finish. The freshness and vein of acid will keep you coming back. Probably best to grab a case and avoid repeat trips to the wine shop.
Georges Duboeuf 202 Beujolais Rosé Nouveau ($13.49)
I’m not going to lie, I did a little dance the first time I learned there was going to be a Nouveau Rosé from the folks at Georges Dubeouf. Gamay, Nouveau and Rosé, three of my favorite things in the wine world. Like classic Nouveau, much of the fruit was sourced in the Southern part of Beaujolais. 10,000 cases of this wine are hitting U.S. shelves today. The Nouveau Rosé is a brilliant red-tinged deep pink. Ripe wild strawberry and stone fruit aromas are joined by a wisp of orange zest. Those characteristics reverberate on the palate. A wisp of flintiness and hints of candied cherry drive the crisp finish. If you need a Rosé to drink all winter, Duboeuf has you covered. It’s just delicious. Try it with fried chicken for incredible results.
Georges Dubeouf 2020 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau ($14.99)
The fruit for this higher tier of Nouveau came from the same 38 Villages that their standard bearer Beaujolais-Villages A.O.C. is sourced. A mere 5,000 cases of this far more limited Nouveau are hitting shelves today. While the classic Nouveau is red in hue, tinged with purple. Flip that around for this deeply purple wine with a bit of red on the fringes. Everything here is a bit deeper, darker and with a bit more heft. Black fruits such as raspberry supersede red. All of that dark, fruity goodness continues on the substantial finish. This is a more than worthwhile addition to the Georges Dubeouf Nouveau Portolio