Tongues are still glowing purple after the ocean of Beaujolais Nouveau that washed across the nation - as it always does, with fanfare - at the end of November.
But with the strawberried sweetness of that easy red still fresh on the lips like a coy first kiss, some may be thirsting for a taste of something a shade more meaningful. And six months from now, those pretty but shallow young things really won't have much charm left to offer.
Thankfully, that flirtatious little gamay has some more sophisticated, older siblings. Meet the Beaujolais crus, gamay wines vinted with more artisan care, more intensity, and more character, drawn from the volcanic soils of the 10 small designated areas in southern Burgundy that bear their names. These are still largely affordable table wines, ranging from $14 to $20, but they have more than enough substance to last from two to seven years. The celebrated 2005s can still be found in stores, though the early 2006s are just rolling in.
Consider, among others, the elegant Fleurie, wild cherry Morgon, or lovely Chiroubles, the supple and early-arriving favorite of the bistros in Paris. There is the broodingly dark and peppery Moulin-a-Vent, the only cru not named for its village but a 15th-century windmill, considered to be the closest cru to a great aging wine. And then there is Chenas, which Gregory Moore, of Moore Bros., in Pennsauken, says is a "transparent expression" of its stony terrain.
"I like a roast chicken," said Moore. "Just open a bottle of Chenas, and it's all I need."
Opinions are divided on the value of nouveau itself, a happy, sugar-boosted, uncomplicated juice released the third Thursday of each November, destined to be drunk within just a few months of its harvest-time crush. Its annual debut was popularized by Beaujolais giant Georges Duboeuf in the '70s and '80s, but demand has dropped significantly of late, according to Moore.
Ed Murray, the Pennsylvania manager for Majestic Wine & Spirits, which imports Duboeuf's wines, naturally comes to nouveau's defense as a "bright, sharp, entry-level wine that is drinking quite nicely."
Majestic is conducting state store Beaujolais tastings of both nouveau and Morgon across Pennsylvania through the end of December.
