Beaujolais

Overview

Beaujolais is the southernmost wine region of the greater Burgundy family, producing red wine primarily from Gamay on a mix of granite, schist, and limestone soils. The region is divided into basic Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages appellations, and ten Crus — geographically distinct zones of superior quality in the northern half of the region. The Crus, from north to south, are: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly, and Brouilly. The finest Crus — particularly Moulin-à-Vent and Morgon from old vines — are structured, terroir-transparent wines capable of aging 20–30+ years and can resemble mature Burgundy. The 2023 vintage was outstanding; the 2022 vintage was also very good but more heterogeneous than initially thought.

Key Producers

Moulin-à-Vent

• Louis Boillot et Fils — Louis and Clément Boillot; eight single vineyard Moulin-à-Vents; “la Rochelle” is the flagship; one of the great sources in the appellation
• Domaine Coudert — Clos de la Roilette (Fleurie) and Moulin-à-Vent
• Maison Joseph Drouhin — Range of Cru Beaujolais
• Domaine Terres Dorées — Jean-Paul Brun; low-intervention; range of Crus
• Xavier et Nicolas Barbet — Moulin-à-Vent; destemmed; raised in used Burgundy casks

Fleurie

• Domaine Lafarge-Vial — Fleurie specialist; multiple single vineyard cuvées; Chiroubles and Côte de Brouilly
• Clos de la Roilette — Alain Coudert; “Clos de la Roilette” and “Cuvée Tardive”
• Château de Fleurie — “la Madone” single vineyard
• Domaine de Grand Garant — Claude Grosjean; “le Vivier”

Chiroubles

• Domaine Mélanie et Daniel Bouland — Chiroubles, Morgon, Côte de Brouilly; Gilman called their 2023 Morgons “unequivocally the finest lineup of young Morgons I have ever been fortunate enough to taste in my lifetime”
• Domaine de la Grosse Pierre — Pauline Passot; three single vineyard Chiroubles; centenarian vines

Morgon

• Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes — Morgon specialist; “la Voûte Saint-Vincent,” “Javernières,” “Château Gaillard,” “Montpelain,” “aux Pierres Javernières”
• Domaine Georges Descombes — Morgon and Régnié

Saint-Amour / Côte de Brouilly

• Domaine des Billards — Saint-Amour; “le Clos des Billards” Réserve Caveau
• Domaine de la Piroulette — Grégory Barbet; Saint-Amour single vineyards
• Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes — Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée des Ambassades”
• Bonnet-Cotton — Marine Bonnet + Pierre Cotton; Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly

Beaujolais-Villages / Juliénas

• Domaine Pierre-Marie Chermette — Multiple Crus; “Coeur de Vendanges” centenarian vine Beaujolais (94 pts in 2022)
• Domaine Marine Descombes — Juliénas and Beaujolais-Villages (Mary Taylor Selections)
• Jean-Paul Brun — See Terres Dorées

Sub-Appellations (Crus)

• Saint-Amour — northernmost Cru; lighter, earlier-drinking
• Juliénas — granite soils; structured; ages well
• Moulin-à-Vent — manganese-rich decomposed granite; the most powerful, longest-lived Cru; can resemble Côte de Nuits with age
• Fleurie — floral, elegant; granite soils; the “feminine” Cru
• Chiroubles — highest elevation Cru; pale, ethereal; early-drinking
• Morgon — schist-rich “Côte du Py”; can be powerful and long-lived; the “Burgundian” Cru
• Régnié — light, fruity; sandy soils
• Côte de Brouilly — steep slopes of Mont Brouilly; blue granite
• Brouilly — largest Cru; varied soils; less concentrated than Côte de Brouilly

Grape Varieties

• Gamay — exclusively for Cru Beaujolais and red Beaujolais; occasionally old vines

Style Notes

Beaujolais spans a wide range from the light, fresh Beaujolais Nouveau style (not covered here) to the structured, 30-year Moulin-à-Vent from centenarian vines. The best Cru Beaujolais are made by semi-carbonic maceration (whole-cluster fermentation) and raised in large neutral oak foudres, though some producers (Barbet, Brun) destem and use small barrels. Key quality markers: soil transparency, red and black cherry fruit, spice tones, fine tannin, tangy acids.

2023 Vintage: Excellent; drought with August respite (scattered showers in the northern half); heat spike at harvest. Best wines from 13–13.5% alcohol; some overripe examples at 14.5%+. Most Crus will benefit from 4–8 years of cellaring.

2022 Vintage: More concentrated and structured; more variable than initially expected; some vineyards shut down during extreme drought and never fully ripened. Top examples are exceptional; cellar for 10–15 years.

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC March-April 2025 #116.txt (pp. 83–104)