Monday, April 04, 2005

Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2004 in real time (PB)

This nouveau, now 6 months into its release, is a very pretty ruby in the glass with light fruit aromas so typical of the Gamay grape from which all nouveaus are made. This one is released by the well-known, Joseph Drouhin. There is a slight mildewy odor in the nose, and it carries over onto the palate. This is where wine tasting gets a little weird. This is a subtle but definite aroma which is not to be confused with a “flaw” in the wine. It might be down right offensive to some yet down right enticing to others. I fall somewhere in between. The wine is tart, shallow (not unusual for Gamay) with a pleasant, grapey finish. It should be served considerably cooler than a typical red wine and not critically tasted as much as guzzled.
I paid $3.99 for this wine for as you know, Nouveau wines are meant to be consumed immediately upon their release. They do NOT age. Hence the reduction in price for this fast aging wine. Frankly, I tasted a couple different Nouveau’s this year when first available at twice this price, and they were not this enjoyable. Take advantage of the short longevity of this wine which should yield some good wine bargains in the next couple months to come.
I will pair it with a baked, stuffed halibut for dinner tonight which is why I am going to raise one more glass and get cooking!

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