A mesmerisingly delicious white Beaujolais

2016 Beaujolais-Villages BlancThis unique white Beaujolais is a delicate succulent chardonnay dressed in a diaphanous shift of subtle oak, says Matthew Jukes.

Matthew Jukes
By Matthew Jukes
published

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2016 Beaujolais-Villages Blanc, Grande Lamure, Chteau de Ponci, Burgundy, France.£15.99, Banstead Vintners, 01737-350168.

Coming from a vineyard situated at the foot of the Montgenas hill in Burgundy, France, and facing north-east, this chardonnay is a unique expression of Beaujolais, not least because it is white, from the village of Fleurie. The wine is also mesmerisingly delicious.

Its position is all this vineyard's exposition means that, while the grapes ripen fully, from an organoleptic or taste point of view, the acidity that would melt away in a warmer site and leave the wine heavy and unctuous is guarded beautifully by the vines' limited time gazing at the sun.

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In short, this is the recipe for success in an age where global warming is certainly changing the flavours of many wines markedly. Grande Lamure further augments its delicacy and succulence by cradling the fruit in older barrels on its fine lees for eight months. This is the perfect length delicate, succulentof time for the wine to exhaust the lees of their enviable powers while dressing its form in a diaphanous shift of subtle oak.

Classic red from the same estate

It will not come as a surprise to you to hear that the classic red wine from this estate is also a gem. The 2016 Fleurie, La Salomine (£20.50, Vin-Est, 01367-252861), also experiences a touch of older oak, rendering it calm, deeply fruited and classy. This red and white duo is as attractive as it gets in Beaujolais and the value afforded by this wondrous region makes them even more appealing.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

Matthew Jukes
Matthew Jukes

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.  

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’.  He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner. 

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy.  His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.

 

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