Questions on 2001 Thivin Cote de Brouilly

I received a gift of this wine today and I'm hoping you all can tell me something about, up to and including what kind of meal I should plan with it.

My friend purchased the wine for me at Elie Wine Company in Royal Oak, MI, and Elie printed out for her a great write up about Thivin that I believe was written by Kermit Lynch (not sure, as no authorship is noted).

I'm going to visit Elie tomorrow as a busy season gift to myself. I hear that he's a joy to do business with.

[Jenise]

Laura, gleaning from our own geo t's notes on the wine, expect a "dark ruby garnet" colored with with "rather bright, clean raspberry, cherry and strawberry flavors and aromas, moderately tannic, with good acidity." Think light to medium bodied meat like roast chicken or pork, and augmentations like mushrooms, thyme, and herbs d'provence.

Thanks Jenise! I don't remember having a Beaujolais before that wasn't Nouveau, so this will be a new experience for me. I appreciate the guidance!

I don't remember having a Beaujolais before that wasn't Nouveau, so this will be a new experience for me.

How did you like it?

Are you fully converted to the joys of Beaujolais?

Rahsaan - I haven't had a chance to open it yet. Mr. BB is in a curry experimentation phase and I suspect that the spiciness level he likes would not complement my Beaujolais. Once I can get him to give it a rest, I'll be popping it open.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I found geo t's notes and realized that I didn't give the full description of the wine I was given. I actually have the 2001 Chateau Thivin en Beaujolais Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Zaccharie Geoffray. Somehow I missed the specificity on that.

At any rate, it's what's for drinking tonight.

[Jenise]

Oh goody! That's a very good improvement. We'll be watching for your report.

I actually have the 2001 Chateau Thivin en Beaujolais Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Zaccharie Geoffray

So that's a special "reserve" Cote de Brouilly, which should therefore be even less similar to the BNouveau you've experienced before.

Hope you enjoyed it..

I definitely learned a lot from this wine. Though this particular wine may not be at the top of my list, I suspect that I will like Beaujolais (without the Nouveau) more than I expected to. It was definitely more "substantial" than I expected.

It had wonderful berry/cherry and somewhat earthy aromas that I loved. And it went wonderfully with our dinner, which was a Jamie Oliver recipe for a baked sandwich thingy stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, sun-dried tomatoes, cheddar and another cheese (I've forgotten), Parma ham, pesto, and rosemary.

The element that ultimately didn't work well for me is the flavor that I have come to call "overripe strawberries rotting in the sun." It's a taste that seems to appear in most zinfandels and is the reason I generally avoid them now, after having previously loved them.

I didn't consider the wine a disappointment - we did finish the bottle. And it led me to want to try other Beaujolais. So, another good learning experience for me - and I can't say I minded the excuse for hubby to make Jamie's sandwich. A wine matching favorite at our house.

I definitely learned a lot from this wine. Though this particular wine may not be at the top of my list, I suspect that I will like Beaujolais (without the Nouveau) more than I expected to. It was definitely more "substantial" than I expected.

Although as noted, this is probably more substantial than most good non-luxury cuvee Beaujolais, which should be somewhere inbetween.

Thanks, Rahsaan. I will keep that in mind. I think the main thing I got from this was a new curiosity about Beaujolais in general.

Thanks, Rahsaan. I will keep that in mind. I think the main thing I got from this was a new curiosity about Beaujolais in general.

Sounds great, search the Archives here and you will find that many participants, including myself, as huge fans of Beaujolais and Gamay in general.

Enjoy the ride!