Beaujolais Red Wine

While Beaujolais does make some fine white wines, mainly from Chardonnay, it is best known for its reds. For many years, the best known of these was Beaujolais Nouveau – an early-release, fruity red made via carbonic maceration and launched each year on the third Thursday of November. But this early drinking quaffer represents only a small fraction of the region’s output. The true depth of Beaujolais lies in its ten crus, where older vines, diverse soils and serious winemaking produce complex, structured wines. Today, producers craft site-expressive, ageworthy Gamay that can rival some Pinot Noirs coming out of northern Burgundy.