WTN: 2004 Joseph Drouhin Moulin-à-Vent

Just like with my fairly recent post on my darling Muscadet, I'm wondering if I can draw out some closet Bojo lovers with this post! I actually surprised myself by liking this one so much - for some reason I've never really warmed up to Moulin-à-Vent (more of a Morgon man myself) as so many examples have had a pronounced scent of blood to them. This one had a tiny hint of it, but it wasn't overpowering as with so many others.

• 2004 Joseph Drouhin Moulin-à-Vent - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent (6/22/2006) 13% abv; 12,89 euros at Alko
  Quite a delight this little wine! Though it isn't the best bojo around, the nose has damp earth, raspberry, is of course very fruity, and has a delightful hint of a good Cuban cigar. The palate is soft and fruity on the attack, the mid palate shows some nice savoury and even pungently mineral elements. The aftertaste is acidic, earthy, a little tannic, and surprisingly mineral. I like this very much.

Posted from CellarTracker

[James Roscoe]

I've never taken to the bojos myself. I always get too much banana in them and it just turns me off. The village wines tend to be more tollerable, but maybe I need to dive back in. Heck at that price and with Otto singing its praises... Maybe Otto is the new RP? And I'm just one of his lemmings. pretty soon the price of this wine will be $50. better get your case early!

I've never taken to the bojos myself. I always get too much banana in them and it just turns me off. The village wines tend to be more tollerable, but maybe I need to dive back in. Heck at that price and with Otto singing its praises... Maybe Otto is the new RP? And I'm just one of his lemmings. pretty soon the price of this wine will be $50. better get your case early!

IIRC the banana note of many Bojos is caused by a yeast strain that Duboeuf was fond of using. It's not, if I understood correctly, a terroir scent, a grape scent or a scent of carbonic maceration. Steer clear of Duboeuf and Duboeufists and try some terroir producers like Drouhin instead!

[James Roscoe]

B/C I will follow your advice blindly (as you are officially the NEW RP) I will look into some other bojos. Thanks.

"Bojo"???

Whatever, dude. There are many good '04s, but watch for the '05s! The 2005 Beaujolais cru wines are beginning to appear, and so far, they're every bit as good as the '03s or better. I tasted an '05 Saint Léger Brouilly this afternoon, and it was a wonder: Beautifully concentrated raspberry fruit aromas and flavors, lots of exotic spice.

Otto,

Haven't tried any of Drouhin's Beaujolais bottlings, but have been relatively impressed with some of Jadot's bottlings. Of course, the top of the heap are the Jean Thevenets and Marcel Lapierres of the world (not to mention Brun, Devignes, Coudert and... and... and...). But, for some good honest wines at reasonable prices, Jadot is pretty tasty. Will look for Drouhin if any comes to town.

James,

Yes, definitely look again. Although Otto dismisses Dubeouf completely, his single-vyd or cru bottlings are pretty good (and I'm fairly sure are not yeasted with that strain of yeast Otto mentions). My uncle has been fond of hiding Dubeouf's top Moulin-a-Vent bottlings over the years in the back of his wine cooler, only to pull out a 10, 12 or even 15 year-old bottling and open them. Almost all of them have turned out to be wonderful (remembering that these are 'only' beaujolais).

I stocked up a bit on a few '99s and a goodly amount of 2000 beaujolais from a number of producers, and have had a fun time pulling them out on occasion and pouring them for friends - well received - much to their surprise when I tell them they're drinking beaujolais.

So, a question to all (was literally going to post a new thread, when I ran across Otto's thread)... are the 2005s beaujolais living up to their hype? Was offered a "pre-arrival" of Jean Thevenet's Morgon VV bottling, as well as Marcel Lapierre's Morgon (at about a dollar more per bottle than I got the 2000s for). Was thinking I should buy in . . . what say?

Thanks,

Mike

Heck, still have some `03 Julienas. Better get down to the cellar.

So, a question to all (was literally going to post a new thread, when I ran across Otto's thread)... are the 2005s beaujolais living up to their hype? Was offered a "pre-arrival" of Jean Thevenet's Morgon VV bottling, as well as Marcel Lapierre's Morgon (at about a dollar more per bottle than I got the 2000s for). Was thinking I should buy in . . . what say?

Thanks,

Mike

The short answer is "Yes." We knew this was going to be a great vintage just from the nouveaus, which were unusually dark and full-flavored.

The longer answer is (as it always is) "It depends." I tasted five nouveaus when they first came in, and was impressed with four of them. (The basic Duboeuf was the same old same old). I've since tasted '05s from Janodet and the aforementioned Saint Léger, and thought they were excellent. If it were me, I'd certainly go for the Lapierre Morgon, and thank my lucky stars that it's only an additional dollar. Euro/dollar exchange rate is still a bitch.

B/C I will follow your advice blindly (as you are officially the NEW RP) I will look into some other bojos. Thanks.

Calling me the new RP is an insult He stands for everything I have tried to rally against.

"Bojo"???

Whatever, dude. There are many good '04s, but watch for the '05s! The 2005 Beaujolais cru wines are beginning to appear, and so far, they're every bit as good as the '03s or better.

Isn't Bojo a commonly used name? I didn't really care for 2003. A contrarian as all too often, but I really hope 05 doesn't turn out to be another 2003. They were often flabby, overly fruity, overly ripe, overly alcoholic. I never did understand the hype they received.

Although Otto dismisses Dubeouf completely, his single-vyd or cru bottlings are pretty good (and I'm fairly sure are not yeasted with that strain of yeast Otto mentions).

Well, I didn't mean to dismiss D. completely - I have little experience with his top stuff, but the few I've tried haven't won me over. I should try more of them if any find their way here.

[James Roscoe]

Otto,
How can you get so passionate about one person? Big deal? As a fellow Marylander, I always feel I have to stand up for the guy. I really don't think he stands for anything much other than his own back pocket and he's not too interested in that much anymore. He's made his money and I think he is ready to enjoy life. Just chill dude. Life's too short to get upset about RP (or anyone else for that matter) or to drink crappy wine. You got one figured out, so go for the second.

I had never heard the term bojo used until this thread. I like it. I will use it See you are becoming my RP!
Cheers!
James
Musar Rocks(now I have to try some)

IIRC the banana note of many Bojos is caused by a yeast strain that Duboeuf was fond of using.

This is the yeast strain that makes the banana scent and I mistakenly used it in my home made '04 Cab Franc.

Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne) : This yeast metabolizes more of the malic acid during fermentation than most other yeasts and should be considered for wines which are high in malic. It is noted for producing "fruity" reds such as vin nouveau and works well with high-acid native North American grapes, producing rounder, smoother, more aromatic wines that tend to mature quickly. Because it is also known for making blush, rosé and semi-sweet wines with a tropical fruit character, it promotes these styles with Cabernet Franc, Gewürtztraminer and Riesling. For obvious reasons, is often the yeast of choice for a great many malic fruit and berries and for vegetable-grape concentrate blended wines. Alcohol toxicity is predictable at 14% and its temperature range is 60-85°. F.

How can you get so passionate about one person? Big deal?

Yes, I know. Nothing to worry about. And it may surprise some people that I'm not as anti-Parker as it may sometimes seem. He is a good taster and he writes good notes. Our tastes just tend to be rather divergent - a few wines we both do seem to love, though. What I was more carping about was the whole "parkerism": the lemmings, the blind following, especially the critiqueless following. What I hate above all is lack of criticism. And I know you meant your words as a joke, but some of the things you said still made the hairs of my neck rise! Mostly I am just so tired of all this parker stuff. Let him taste what he will; let me taste I will. Let me disagree with him; let him disagree with me. I think that he logically ascribes to one paradigm of wine (see the much derided paradigm post ); I hope I ascribe to another: both are still logical.

Howie, thanks for the clarification on the yeast! It is used in some Belgian beers also IIRC - does anyone know which ones?

Well, I didn't mean to dismiss D. completely - I have little experience with his top stuff, but the few I've tried haven't won me over. I should try more of them if any find their way here.

Otto,

Yeah, don't dismiss completely if you have the opportunity to buy a couple bottles. And, they always seem to need a few years... tried a few different bottlings of Duboeuf in one of the vintages (maybe '91?) that even RP had good things to say about the wines. A bit young on some, but I wasn't upset to have tried them (I only bought sampling bottles; at the time, I wasn't socking any away).

Of course, if Duboeuf M-a-V bottling was same price as Brun M-a-V or Dom. du Granit (Bertolla) M-a-V, it would be no brainer which wines I would choose over the Duboeuf.

Thanks,

Mike

Not being a big fan of Beaujolais (Bojo) wines, one of those who had the perceived notion that these were so called “festive” wines and fairly on the light side and “wimpy”. Boy! - Did my friends, David and Jill prove me wrong at a recent tasting? Maybe it had something to do with the vintage year 2003, from what I recall it was one of the hottest summers recorded (responsible for 100+ deaths in Europe).
The wines (Reds):
•03 J-N Sambardier Beaujolais-Village “Domaine Manoir du Carra’ (unfiltered) $14 Ruby red color, soft ripe red fruit and cherries on the nose and palate, and pleasant aftertaste. (14.5)
•03 Chateaux De Pierreux- Brouilly $19 Dark ruby color, cherries, raspberries, and hint of leather. Pleasant and lingering aftertaste. (15.5)
•03 Joseph Drouhin- Chiroubles $20 Dark ruby color with a hint of purple, cherries and raspberries with a hint of spice. The wine had good acidity and some decent structure and tannin. Lingering and pleasant aftertaste. (Tell you the truth it came across more like a Pinot Noir Burgundy than a Gamy Beaujolais (southern Burgundy), my first reaction was – How do I score this wine? My overall impression was it was a well made wine so I gave it a score of (15.5).
•03 Duboeuf- Regnie “Domaine des Buyats” $11 Rich and dark ruby red color, wonderful ripe red and black fruit on the nose and palate and a hint of fruitcake and spice. Pleasant aftertaste. (Great Buy, again it didn’t come across as a Gamy Beaujolais, to me it revealed itself more like a Rhone) (14.5)
•03 M Lapierre- Morgon $21 Ruby red color with a purplish robe, subtle fruit and earthiness with the “Bret” thing or “barnyard” thing happening in he glass (12)
•03 Duboeuf- Fleurie “Domaine des Quatre Vents” (Darroze) $14 Ruby red color. Nice ripe red and black fruit and a hint of spice on the nose and palate. Well made with good structure, acidity and tannins. Pleasant lingering aftertaste. (Great Buy, but not your typical Beaujolais) (15)
•03 Trenel Fils- Julienas $19 Rich dark ruby red color. First impression the wine seemed closed and fairly tight, but after swirling the glass rigorously and warming the bowl just slightly it revealed itself. Well balanced wine, with earthy, mineral flavors with subtle fruit and a hint of spice. Pleasant aftertaste. (14)
•03 Louis Jadot- Moulin-a-Vent “Chateau des Jacques-Clos de Rochegres” $40 What could I say about this wine, definitely a meat and potato wine. (16.5)

Salute

I found some of the '03 Beaujolais that are normally more austere than others, for instance Louis Jadot, to be just slightly short of sensational.

Thanks for the notes on the `03s Victor. Gonna pull the Julienas this week and see whatsup!!

This is the yeast strain that makes the banana scent and I mistakenly used it in my home made '04 Cab Franc.

Howie, it's also the yeast that I misguidedly used on my '04 Concord to try and deal with horrifically unripe grapes from vines that hadn't been pruned the year before. That was such a lesson that I will never again agree to pick from such a poorly managed vineyard. And, I must say that I don't like the 71B yeast - besides imparting banana esters, it compromises the acidic structure of the wine, as if by flattening out its crispness. I am sticking with EC-1118 (Prise de Mousse).