A Beaujolais for every day…
Lover of wine, cheese and foreign languages: an excellent combination!
November may traditionally focus on Beaujolais Nouveau, but Samantha Bailey believes the region produces wine fit for any occasion, and any day of the week.
Boutinot France’s offices are in the middle of the vineyards of St Véran AC on the southern perimeter of the Mâconnais. Drive five minutes down the road, over the border into the northern rim of the Beaujolais cru, and the vista of the hilly Beaujolais Crus opens up in front of you.
Unsurprisingly after twenty years in the region, Master Blender Samantha Bailey knows the Beaujolais and Mâconnais intimately. She sources all our Beaujolais directly from growers that she is lucky enough to call her neighbours, selecting by blind tasting either single domaine or single vineyard wines.
In Samantha’s Own Words:
In January 1990, when I almost literally landed in the village of Juliénas, in the heart of the rolling Beaujolais hills, I fell in love with the area and its wines.
The Boutinot office has since moved from Juliénas to the village of St Vérand; a small, stone-built village with a Roman church, nestled in the slopes bordering the Mâconnais region. Thus, throughout my time with Boutinot, our home has been this beautiful area of lower Burgundy where some truly great wines cry out for discovery.
I have been fortunate enough to walk through a number of vineyards with different growers, and to do broad tastings as each new vintage becomes presentable. It is fascinating to see how each Beaujolais Cru has its own distinctive flavour profile, yet all are made from the same single grape variety, Gamay Noir à jus blanc, generally using the traditional carbonic maceration method of vinification. The bubbling vats in the cellars just after the grapes have been picked is like a symphony in homage to nature, and tasting the nectar at various stages of its evolution is compelling and fascinating.
For me, each Cru has its time and place:
Monday is a Beaujolais Villages kind of day. Something light and juicy to accompany the Sunday roast leftovers.
Les Pivoines, AOP Beaujolais Villages
Tuesday is the day for Côtes de Brouilly. Wine with a suave touch served with a simple pasta dish.
Skyline, AOP Côtes de Brouilly
To get you through the mid-week fatigue of Wednesday, let a delicious Fleurie shout its exuberance.
Fleurie La Madone La Reinte de l’Arenite, AOP Fleurie
By Thursday it’s time for a breath of fresh air with a lighter bodied offering.
Friday night is pizza night, so Moulin à Vent goes down a treat.
On a sunny Saturday, sizzling sausages got perfectly with Chénas.
Château de Belleverne, AOP Chénas
Sundays are made for either a traditional British roast dinner or a Boeuf Bourguignon, both of which cry out for a Morgon. (Skyline)
