Alsace

Armagnac

Beaujolais

Wine Tours of the BEAUJOLAIS Region of France

Planning a wine tour in Beaujolais When I first considered a wine tour of Beaujolais I thought of it as an adjunct to Burgundy - just a quick loop round the south after all it didn't have much more to offer than a rather fresh and fruit young wine, Beaujolais Nouveau. How wrong I was!! The people in the villages, vineyards, wineries and caves are genuinely warm and friendly and not affected by the tourist hype of the north. And the wines, big, bold fruity creations with aromas of ripe berry fruit and summer. This is truly a great place to be a wine tourist. HOWEVER, you do need considerable guidance, or a lot of time, or a tour guide to get the best out of the experience. While the region is compact, a lot of the wineries are hidden away and can be easily missed.

A ONE DAY TOUR—BEAUJOLAIS

	This one day tour in the AOC regions of Beaujolais took in: Vineyard 1 - vineyard and winery inspection in the Brouilly AOC Vineyard 2 - a delightful tasting at Domain les Roches Bleues with Christiane - yes we tried all the botles! The entree course of a 3 course lunch at a local restaurant- 15 Euros incl. wine Vineyard 4 - tasting of award-winning AOC wines at Cave du Chateau des Loges in Perreon

Vineyard Selection Our vineyard selection offers one Beaujolais appellation, one Beaujolais Villages appellation, and three Beaujolais cru appellations; Brouilly, Cotes de Brouilly and Regnie. Because 50% of the wines are made by coooperatives we have included two in our selection.

	Domaine Les Roches Bleues Contact: Dominique and Christine LACONDEMINE Tel: 04 74 03 43 11 Fax: 04 74 03 50 06 E-mail: lacondemine.dominique@wanadoo.fr www.wildearthvineyards.com 69460 ODENAS - France The name, Les Roches Bleues, reflects the blue granite rocks that dominate the vineyard. Christine tells of her parents dynamiting the rock to make the vineyard. The steep rocky nature of the soil and its location high on Mt. Brouilly makes this terroir very special and the wines produced of a distinctive character. Christine is a charming hostess who takes real pleasure in explaining the vineyard and the delightful tasting room and cellar. These are wines made with passion and skill and the vineyard of 8 hectares of Gamay grapes is partly Brouilly Appellation and higher up the mountain, Cote de Brouilly appellation. We tasted the full range of these widely awarded wines. Les Roches Bleues Brouilly 2007 13% alc 6.15€ A nose of fresh raspberries and violets with loads of Gamay fruit on the palate. Good strong tannins and sound acid will reward careful cellaring.. Les Roches Bleues Brouilly 2006 13% alc 6.15€ From a particularly hot dry year resulted in a Gamay with aromas of spices and ripe fruit. Deep red colour with a polish in the glass. On the palate excellent fruit flavours and sound tannin structure. Les Roches Bleues Brouilly 2005 13% alc 6.15€ 2005 was a good year from Gamay in Beaujolais and this wine reflects the fruit, skilful wine making and careful cellar aging. Smooth and well-balanced wine with a ready-to-drink character. Les Roches Bleues Cote de Brouilly 2006 13% alc 6.65€ This is as good as it gets! Aromas of ripe berry fruit, raspberries and floral notes, with a deep dark cherry colour in the glass. Smooth tannins that blend with oak in the background while on the palate smooth long taste of rounded flavours of fruit and spice. This is a wine that shows that Gamay can be a great red wine. If you drink no other Beaujolais wine then this is the one to try - it is all class blows away any idea that you had that Beaujolais Nouveaux was at all representative of this wine region!
	CAVE du Chateau des Loges Les Logos Le PERREON - France Tel: 04 74 03 22 83 Fax: 04 74 03 27 60 Email: contact@caveduchateaudesloges.fr Website : www.caveduchateaudesloges.fr The cave is one of the 19 in Beaujolais and has 180 growers with 400 ha producing 22,000 hectolitres per annum. The range includes: Beaujolais Rouge, rose & blanc; Beaujolais Villages; Beaujolas Cru from Brouilly and Regnie appellations, plus a Rose Mousseux. We tasted a number of fine wines of which a number had recently won medals. Beaujolais Blanc 2007 alc 12% 4.90€ 100% chardonnay wine with a pleasant aroma of peaches, clear colour and on the palate tones of peaches and mineral with a clean fresh citrus finish. A delightful wine to have with fish or poultry - a surprise and a bargain! . Beaujolais Villages 2007 alc 12.5% 4.50€ This 100% Gamay wine was a surprise! With a nose of ripe fruit, raspberries and red currant and bright cherry robe, it offered to the palate smooth tannins, good structure and a delightful mixture of ripe red fruit. Award-winning ready to drink Beaujolais that would go great with any meats. A real food wine! Beaujolais Villages Selection 2007 alc 12.5% 5.00€ From selected parcels of grapes this non-oak wine had mature fruit aromas, a dark red colour with excellent fruit on the palate plus a long lingering taste. Very good structure and fine tannins. A select wine! Regnie Cru 2006 alc 13% 5.20€ A top of the range Beaujolais Villages wine with deep dark red colour with flashes of purple in the glass. Good tannins with a long fruit and mineral finish. A quality wine that would reward careful cellaring. Beaujolais Villages Prestige 2006 alc 12.5% 6.30€ A selectionne Hachette Gamay wine it exhibited all of the characteristics of a Regnie cru wine with a cherry-red with violet tints and an aroma of re currants, raspberries and blackberries. Good tannins and a balanced complex fruit finish. A good wine to serve with hors d'oeuvres and pre-dinner.
	Cave des Vignerons du Doury 69620 LETRA - France Tel: 04 74 71 30 52 Fax: 04 74 71 35 28 E-mail: cavedoury@wanadoo.fr A co-operative of 170 grape-growers with a total of 380 hectares producing 25,000 hectolitres comprising 90% Gamay and 10% Chardonnay. The cave has a well-structure range of 5 vins rouges with a number of vintages available, 2 Gamay roses, a Chardonnay Blanc and a Blanc de Blanc. All tasteful displayed in a modern cave - well worth a visit. We tasted the whole range of Gamay reds and everyone was a pleasure reflecting good fruit and sound wine-making. Cuvée Prestige 2006 13% alc 5.00€ A deep red Beaujolais with a nose of raspberries and almonds. A spicy palate with strong tannins and complex structure. Great with red meats, game and cheeses. Beaujolais Superieur 2005 13% alc 5.15€ Made from selected parcels of Gamay grapes the Beaujolais Superieur has garnet red robe with a delicate spicy nose. On the palate there are smooth tannins and ripe berry fruit tones. A wine that could be enjoyed on its own or with cheeses or red meats. Cuvée Doury Chene 2007 13.5% alc 6.20€ Selected fruit from 4 villages the wine had nine months in small oak barrels. The nose is bursting with aromas of sandalwood, vanilla and raspberries while on the palate there are smooth tannins and loads of ripe fruit flavours like black currants and cherries plus spices like cinnamon and cloves. A delight to drink now but in two years will be outstanding. Blanc de Blancs 5.80€ A 100% Chardonnay method traditionnelle sparking