Dupeuble Beaujolais Nouveau

Yes, it's that time of year again-- the Beaujolais Nouveau is here! Ho hum, you say? I do understand. Most Beaujolais Nouveau is plonk, frankly. Industrial wine that has had almost every imaginable winemaking trick, shortcut, and coverup applied to it.

There are, however, producers who eschew the fakery that usually accompanies this marketing-driven wine, producers who make old-fashioned, anachronistic Beaujolais Nouveau that is worth drinking.

Most industrial Beaujolais is made from grapes that are picked at the earliest moment that it is legal to do so, typically well before the grapes are fully ripe. This is to hedge against rainfall, which can ruin the crop if it comes too close to harvest, and also to speed the production schedule.

To cover up the thin, green harshness from picking immature fruit, sugar is added, masking the astringency of the unripe fruit. This also artificially raises the alcohol level and the perceived body of the wine, plumping it out like a surgeon's silicone. It can't hide the green, unripe flavors in the finish, though, and that's why these wines often have a combination of sweetness on the palate and an odd, bitter aftertaste.

During fermentation, the industrial producers use aggressive, lab-cultured yeasts to control the speed of fermentation, which takes place in sealed vats, in order to increase the volatility (think strong, fruity smells) in the wine.

The result of all this manipulation is a strange, unnatural and unbalanced tasting wine.

There are, as I mentioned, producers who do not torture their grapes this way. Wine importers Kermit Lynch and Peter Weygandt represent two of these fine producers, and they are worth seeking out. We sell them at our store, yes, but we are by no means the exclusive outlet for them. Here are a few brief thoughts from yours truly on the character and quality of two of these wines:

Domaine Dupeuble, 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau : Nice color, a bit deeper purple than I expected to see. Fresh, almost effusively lively style, loads of succulent strawberry fruit, underlaid by some beguiling tobacco notes. Very nice complexity, a hint of CO2 remains in the unfiltered bottling. This wine is produced with little to no sulfite, and is not recommended for cellaring-- drink this within the next six months.

Domaine de Vissoux, 2009 Beaujolais Primeur Vieilles Vignes Old vines, a mix of parcels from within and without Pierre Chermette's holdings in Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie, two of the top sites in Beaujolais. The vines selected are 30+ years old, and it shows in the concentration of the fruit, as well as the more pronounced tannic structure. Darker in color than Dupeuble, and drinks more like a Beaujolais Cru (a wine from one of the top named and delimited areas.) Dark cherry, some hints of pepper, and a resonant savoriness.

Both of the above wines are excellent choices with Thanksgiving fare, as they have less tannin than many red wines, and plenty of fruit. Turkey is a relatively lean meat, and you should be careful pairing wines that are too tannic or heavy, as they will make your bird taste dry.

It's also worth mentioning that both of these producers handpick their grapes, farm organically, and let the natural yeasts that settle on the grapeskins ferment the grape juice into wine. Little or no sulfite is added, only at bottling.

I briefly mentioned the Beaujolais Crus, above, and that could be the subject of a whole separate post. If you've never tried the complex and delicious gamay wines form Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Fleurie, Cote de Brouilly, or the other named sites in Beaujolais, you're missing out. There's nothing better with a grilled steak.

Matt Morgan is co-owner of Morgan & York, Fine Wines and Specialty Foods in Ann Arbor. He blogs about food and wine for AnnArbor.com, and can be reached at 'matt' at 'morganandyork.com'