GrapesRGreat

12,5% alc./vol., $Unavailable: Here comes another wine that is unavailable to most of my readers (effectively making this review for entertainment only) and one that has a story.  Gifted to my wife and I by our friends, the story is that roughly one case was imported to the U.S. by one of their friends coming back from France.  This is one of the many wines that likely never makes it out of France, let alone all the way to America.  We have been holding on to it knowing that it should be drunk for quite some time and finally mustered the courage to pop it.  You may or may not know Beaujolais wines from the Beaujolais Nouveau wines that flood American shelves just before Thanksgiving every year.  Those Nouveau wines are basically “young Beaujolais” that are made using techniques that allow them drinkability earlier than more traditionally made Beaujolais.  The purpose is to provide a sneak peek into the next vintage and give some hint of what to expect of the traditional wines to be released the next spring.  The problem is, American stores get cases and cases of Beaujolais Nouveau, but only a select handful of shops ever carry any of the real thing.  What I do know is that Beaujolais are generally not produced to be aged very long and are made with 100% Gamay grapes producing a lighter, fruitier wine, somewhat similar to Pinot Noir but typically without the complexity or tannin structure.  This is probably only the 3rd or 4th real Beaujolais that I have tasted.

The minute I poured this wine, I knew it was going to impress me.  Tons of cinnamon and clove on the nose eventually leading me to conclude that this wine smells just like warm pie dough with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on it (yes, it smells that awesome).  Sitting at the table with my wife, I told her I almost forgot to drink the stuff because it smelled so delicious.  The fruity character that I expected on the palate seems to have faded in the 4 years in bottle.  The complexity on this wine is really deep though with spiced apple rings (the kind that come in a jar) and a good streak of acidity to keep it alive.  There is some sour cherry character as well and very little earthiness.  This wine definitely tastes good enough to drink too much of it .  Very interesting.  90- pts.