It’s not every day that old beaujolais go out of their cellar. They are fragile, rare and as all old wines, a bit moody. We know them young vibrant of fruit but there is much more than the baby to the Beaujolais Family.

This day at the France-Vins exhibition, from the 2004 to the 2012, they were all under the Belgian lights. The eldest was only 10, already a good age to feel the evolution. All from my family vineyard, it was a good exercice to check the time effect.

• « Les Crus ont fait leur Pâques »

Beaujolais crus are really born during the spring time thats follows the harvest, in Beaujolais we like to say that « the crus have passed their first Easter ». They still need time after the harvest, from 7 to 8 months before the official birth. On Easter day, we don’t see chocolate falling from the sky but we rather hear the sound of corks poping up from the bottle. It’s a great birth, a day to celebrate : the Beaujolais Crus are ready for tasting. This is certainly why the Crus Festival week-end is every year the last week-end of April, just after Easter (This year the 27 & 28th of April at Moulin-à-Vent, join!).

It was 9am when the first tasters arrive at France-Vins, first the Delhaize team, nose in the glass, like bees looking for the right nectar. Then the Flanders and the Wallon crowd curious and intrigued.

• So on which side of the line do you start tasting a vertical of wines ?

A vertical is the same wine in different years, an horizontal at the opposite is the same year but with different wines. So to start tasting a vertical, you should first by the youngest or the eldest.

I like to start with the eldest because then tannins are smoother, the body is more délicate, aromas more complexe. Also there are usually more fragile so that if you start by a young fruit bomb, maybe your palace won’t be able to feel the eldest as it should. It would be like going from the sunlight to the shadow, you don’t see anything anymore. .

I also like to start with the young wines that wake you up and then, bit by bit to discover the treasures of aging. The thing is sometimes, oldest wines are passed and don’t taste anything good. We are not all equals when facing age. Some other times, it’s hard to believe old wines can be so lively!

The 2004 for instance, tasted tirer, sûre that a 2003 would have tasted much younger on its side. The 2005 was very appealing, full of fruits with yet a great structure. It certainly has many other good years to go. Le 2005 hyper gourmand avec encore une belle structure était certainement dans la fleur de l’âge avec de belles années devant lui. 2006 was more discrete but very refined, with menthol notes and spices. 2007 was a bit tired, sometimes in a flirting mood, but rather all over the place. 2008 is still full of fruit but in a few month, it should start looking like 2006. 2009 is a fruit bomb, we drunk it all, but that’s okay, it probably lacks acidity and might not age so well. 2010, 2012 are perfect now, you are good to go.However, 2012 is rare, there were only a few grapes left, and it’s very light. It’s a joyful wine perfect now. For 2011 & 2013, come back later

These wines tell a story, a climate, and poke your memory. This day it was the 10 last years at Château des Moriers that I’ve seen passed in front of me, with some new friends invited to join.

Finally, I’ve poured many glasses, heard comments, written a few notes and all is to notice that there is a Fleurie for everyone… So I let each of you remember its favorite.

Le salon France-Vins 2013:

France-Vins 2014 by Sopexa from Sopexabenelux on Vimeo.

Taste my Fleurie in Belgium (Mamzelle Pinard, Etiquette, Bistro du Canal, Mmmh, Brasserie Gaillard)