WTN: Beaujolais and the Journey of Life

Daniel Bouland Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Melanie 2008
13% abv
$22 US American Cash Money

I'm turning into a Gamay fanatic. Another Weygandt selection. The proximity of this store to my house is proving problematic for my pocket book. In any case there's more of the same grapey goodness here as had been mentioned in my previous rambles over this varietal (please see "Kelly Gushes Like a School Girl Over the Pierre Chermette Old Vines Vissoux" or "Kelly's Solemn Vow of Fidelity to the Great ESJ Bone Jolly"). I gave it a bit of a chill down, as seems only right an natural, and the aromas from this are a bit more restrained, though the scent of darker berries, I know I'm supposed to be tasting some strawberry in there, is present with a bit of, I don't know, flint? The taste is smooth, from the world of beer drinking I'm reminded of the mouthfeel that good dextrins bring. The taste continues smooth and lingers for a bit with a very slight edge of tannin in a sort of "oh, hi there" kind of way. It's hard to place some of the flavors as they are very subtle. The one thing I've noticed with all three of the quality Beaujolais and Beaujolais style wines I've had recently is that the keep getting more interesting the more I drink them. I'm not necessarily leaving these particular wines out to breathe or what not, but over the course of going back for the 2nd or 3rd glass (or...erm...cough... hell finishing the bottle...ermm..cough..) new flavors keep popping out. Gentle flowery flavors sometimes. They wines flavors can seem very, very old like something out of your grandmothers closet and then they can seem very, very young like..er..whatever it is kids have nowadays.

I'm minded a bit of this:


The Voyage of Life Youth - Cole

A serene meander down the river, full of the vigor of young life. Or sure if you peek in the corner over there you can see where you're going to get walloped come the adulthood portion of the series (the tannins), but things is peachy now (the fruit). This wine is an idyl.

Which wine shop, Kelly?

This very one:
http://www.weygandtwines.com/

It's in Cleveland Park on Connecticut Avenue. It's just north (same side of the street) as Cleveland Park Liquor & Wines.

I like your note on the Cote de Brouilly. I enjoy Beaujolais Cru and would like to have more of them in my wine collection (recently had a Chiroubles.)

I want to have more of them in my belly.

That too, but I'm going to be drinking some Austrian wines this month for the Wine Focus.

I'm turning into a Gamay fanatic.

I've been one for a while, but sometimes even one's own high expectations can be topped. That was the case for me last night when I opened the Domaine du Vissoux 2007 Beaujolais Cuvée Traditionelle (also a Weygandt import, though purchased for $14 -- $4-5 below the Weygandt price -- at MacArthur). I drank a bunch of the 2005 and loved them all, but this was just at another level, with red fruit, flower, herb, sandalwood and mineral aromas and flavors in perfect balance. It just doesn't get better than this. (Though maybe it does -- I've got some of Vissoux's Fleurie Poncie yet to open as well as other Cru Beaujolais by other producers. That would be something.)

Last time I was at Weygandt, I asked one of the salespeople to compare Vissoux and Bouland -- he told me the former was more about red fruit and the latter more about black fruit. From your description that sounds reasonable. I do have some Boulands in the cellar, though not the Cuvee Melanie, and am looking forward to trying them.

BTW, your notes are brilliant.

I'm turning into a Gamay fanatic.

I've been one for a while, but sometimes even one's own high expectations can be topped. That was the case for me last night when I opened the Domaine du Vissoux 2007 Beaujolais Cuvée Traditionelle (also a Weygandt import, though purchased for $14 -- $4-5 below the Weygandt price -- at MacArthur). I drank a bunch of the 2005 and loved them all, but this was just at another level, with red fruit, flower, herb, sandalwood and mineral aromas and flavors in perfect balance. It just doesn't get better than this. (Though maybe it does -- I've got some of Vissoux's Fleurie Poncie yet to open as well as other Cru Beaujolais by other producers. That would be something.)
.

The Vissoux has been my favorite so far, by far. Though saying I prefer that is like saying I prefer having a big pile of gold to having small pile of gold. One is certainly better than other but I wouldn't mind either.

I'm not sure how MacArthur as getting this wine cheaper than the actual wine Weygandt's shop. I mentioned this to them when I was in there and they weren't even sure how MacArthur were getting it at all. I got my Cuvée Traditionelle for 13 bucks and it's currently 18 IIRC at Weygandts. I will say the Weygandt folks are very quick to give discounts though and something is on sale every day.