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Get
all the evaluations for
the December
Release National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist Saturday, November 16, 2002 For
some, this week’s celebration of November’s third Thursday isn’t
worthy of a raised eyebrow. They couldn’t give a hoot about this 51st
Beaujolais Nouveau birthday bash. Indeed, these naysayers sneeringly
refer to it as the most over hyped, non-wine-event of the year.
Nevertheless, somebody out there loves Nouveau. A
virtual explosion of wine takes place this week as over 60 million
bottles are instantaneously shipped from their native villages north of
Lyon to every nook and cranny in France and all around the world. For
me, just the thought of a cool, refreshing, crisp glass or two or three
is just what the good doctor ordered. There is nothing better for
cheering up our ever shorter, frosty November days, especially when
served with hearty fall fare. While there are many pretenders, Gamay is
the king of nouveau grapes.
As for the other
previewed Nouveau, I am sad to report that Jeanjean
2002 Arabesque Syrah Nouveau Primeur a VdP D’Oc at $8.95
did not live up to last year’s “best buy” status. Foul weather
conditions produced a lighter, leaner, albeit still pleasant red that is
a great match to grilled sausages. A whopping 444,000 cases of the stuff
was released in France on the earlier October16th release date. Overall,
I am heartened by the fact that Beaujolais Nouveau has improved – it
had to! Last summer more than 13 million bottles (about 7 percent of
total production) of unsold, inferior 2001 stock had to be destroyed. Today
there are thousands of Nouveau-styled wines, not only from Southern
France, but also from all over the world. From Italy, for instance, we
have Novello, which once attracted a substantial local following.
Unfortunately, some LCBO selections have been far from stellar. Negrar
Novello del Veneto,
which is made from Corvina and Rondinella, has all too often ended up
near the bottom it terms of comparative quality. It is too bad that
better, more deserving wines can’t get into the market! Here
in Ontario, only Chateau des Charmes has produced any Nouveau worth
drinking. The key question is whether Chateau
des Charmes 2002 Gamay Noir Nouveau
at only $8.95 would
live up to last year’s 2001 stunner, which was the best since 1998. “This
year’s Gamay has terrific ripeness and concentration,” says Paul
Bosc, Sr. “We had a whopping
13.4% alcohol. It is being bottled today (just one week prior to the
release).” It
is bottled so late because Bosc believes that a longer/cooler (24˚
C.) two-week carbonic maceration/fermentation (vs. three days in France
at 31˚) produces fruitier wines. The downside is that it usually
takes a few weeks for a wine to settle down. Indeed, the sample of 2002
tasted this week was quite awkward and much less fruity than the 2001.
Final updated evaluations will be posted on the web site during the
coming week. As
for events, I have only received a single e-mail notice. The French Chamber of Commerce annual Beaujolais bash at the Ontario Club takes place this Thursday
from 6:30-10:30 pm $35 in advance/$40 at the door (call 416-205-9820).
They hope to get a thousand plus people out making it the biggest event
of its kind outside of France. As
for today’s Vintages release,
remember my B.C. best buy - Blue
Mountain 2000 Pinot Noir
at $21.95. I only have two other red recommendations. The first is the
deliciously accessible Cave
Spring 1999 Cabernet/Merlot at
only $18.95. I awarded it a Gold Medal (91 points) at the 2002 Canadian
Wine Awards (Click
Here to
see all the results). It has a dusty, fairly rich, ripe plum purée nose
with hints of smoke, red pepper purée and some cedar. On the palate it
is well balanced with ripe plums, vanilla, chocolate and ripe black
cherry flavours. The
other is the wonderful José
Maria da Fonseca 1995 Periquita Clássico 1999
at $22.95. This excellent Portuguese effort from the Terras do Sado
region just south of Lisbon is made exclusively from the Castelão
Frances (aka Periquita) grape, which has been aged 10 months in new
French oak. It is solid, dry and well balanced with spicy, mouthfilling,
plumy, red cherry and sandalwood flavours. Only 200 cases of six are
available. Nouveau in Quebec vs. Ontario A
quick comparison of what is happening in Quebec at the SAQ vs. the LCBO
shows how poorly Ontario consumers are served. In Ontario we have 9
items vs. 17
at the SAQ. In terms
of the best wine tasted Georges
Duboeuf 2002 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
- it is cheaper at the SAQ $13.95 vs. $14.95 here. Better yet, the SAQ
web site (saq.com)
not only provides you with a detailed descriptive list, but also as of
November 14th lets you order your Nouveau in advance to be delivered to
any address on November 21st. Moreover, there is no charge if the order
is over $50. Now
that's service! In
many instances the LCBO can’t even be bothered sending your wine to
your local store never mind having it delivered to your home! Nouveau
tastings will take place at the following LCBO outlets: Queens Quay (11
am-1 pm), Fairview Mall (12-2); Kingsway
(11-3), Millcroft (11-2); Bayview Village (11 - 5). Here is the list of the nine Nouveau wines at the LCBO GENERAL
LIST France Italy Ontario VINTAGES STORES AND VINTAGES SECTIONS France Italy
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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004 |
To
test the waters, I did a comparative blind tasting earlier this week
(November 13th to be precise) of several Nouveau classics.
The hand’s down winner was 
On
the general list we have a perfectly acceptable 
In
terms of best buys, however, it is going to be impossible to beat