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CIRCLE WINE & SPIRITS | BEAUJOLAIS—BURGUNDY’S ULTIMAGE VALUE WINES
Beaujolais & Cru Beaujolais 2013 Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly La Croix des Rameau
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List $39.99, Sale Price $31.99
Rated 93 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2012 Brouilly
La Croix des Rameaux comes from a one-hectare west-facing parcel of granite sand over schist, the vines here nudging 80 years old. There is a more Burgundian slant to the vinification with just a small amount of carbonic maceration. It shimmers on the nose with its scents of wild strawberry, cassis, orange blossom and wild heather that are all beautifully defined and focused. The palate is very well-balanced, although given the vintage, there is not the depth that I have found in other vintages. Still, there is a lovely black pepper note toward the finish that remains strict and linear. Apparently there are just 200 cases imported into the United States - make sure one of them is yours. Drink now-2017.”
2013 Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes List $25.99, Sale Price $20.79
Rated 91 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2013 Beaujolais Villages Cuvee Vieilles Vignes, coming from 45-year-old vines, is exemplary. It has a captivating nose that somehow brings to mind the Scottish moorlands, as if skipping over wild heather! It is very well-defined. The palate has supple tannins on the entry and very well-judged acidity. It feels refined with good delineation and body on the finish, hints of orange rind lingering on the aftertaste. This is really quite superb. Drink now -2019.”
2013 Domaine du Clos du Fief (Michel Tete) Julienas List $27.99, Sale Price $22.39
Rated 91 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2013 Julien-
as Tradition comes courtesy of 5.5 hectares of 45-year-old vines. It has a slightly distant, almost aloof but rather captivating bouquet that evokes scents of black currant, briary and granite. The palate is very well-balanced with fleshy ripe red cherry and strawberry fruit. It is very focused, with good persistency, a really great Julienas to savor. Drink now-2019.
2011 Daniel Bouland Morgon Vieilles Vignes Corcelette Vieilles Vignes List $27.99, Sale Price $22.39
Rated 91 Points, The Wine Advocate: “Bouland’s 2011 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes displays dark berry and peat aromas
of surprising discretion considering the intensity of juicy black raspberry fruit, the smoky pungency, and the meaty, subtly gamy animal dimension delivered on its rich palate. A hint of cardamom adds interest to an already multi-faceted, not to mention prolonged, finish. Expect this to perform well through at least 2017. (Game, brown spice, and alkaline elements along with confitured dark berries have come to the fore in the 2009 Corcelette, which like Bouland’s other wines from that very ripe vintage has preserved admirable primary juiciness.)”
2013 Fabien Collonge Chiroubles 1892 L’Aurore des Cotes List $21.99, Sale Price $17.59
Rated 90 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2013 Chiroubles Cuvee 1892 comes from sand and pink granite soils and sees 10 months aging in concrete vats. It has an opulent, glossy, but charming bouquet with scents of creme de cassis and blueberries. The palate is very sweet on the entry with succulent ripe black cherries and blueberry, but the acidity manages to avoid it becoming blowsy. The kind of Beaujolais you would polish off in no time around a barbecue.”
CIRCLE WINE & SPIRITS | BEAUJOLAIS—BURGUNDY’S ULTIMAGE VALUE WINES
2012 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorees Moulin-A-Vent List $31.99, Sale Price $25.59
Rated 91 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2012 Moulin-a-Vent Terres Dorees is also consistent with my previous
note. Aged in 4- to 5-year-old wood and cement foudres, it demonstrates superb detail on the tart red cherry nose, while the palate is supremely well-balanced with refined tannins and a nonchalant, refined finish of cranberry and Morello. Delicious. Drink now-2019.”
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2012 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorees Fleurie List $31.99, Sale Price $25.59
Rated 88 Points, The Wine Advocate: “There is no “Grille Midi” in 2012 and the 2012 Fleurie is not being imported into the United States. Certainly within this line-up I can understand why that might be the case, given the consistent quality of Jean-Paul’s wines – not that the wine is anything to be ashamed of! In any case, it has a slightly pinched bouquet that does not possess the intensity of the 2013. The palate is brisk and taut with a citric line of acidity. The finish feels cohesive, although there is a slight tapering away on the finish. Drink now-2018.”
2013 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorees Beaujolais l’Ancien Vieilles Vignes List $19.99, Sale Price $15.99
Rated 89 Points, The Wine Advocate: “The 2013 Beaujolais L’Ancien is raised in wooden foudres and cement vats. It has a soft and generous nose of baked black cherries, mulberry and wild hedgerow. The palate is well-balanced with charming, edgy, tart red cherry fruit, but then the finish has surprising structure, suggesting it will drink well over two or three years. Drink now-2018.”
2013 Clos de la Roilette (Caudert Pere et Fils) Fleurie List $27.99, Sale Price $22.39
Notes of leather, wood smoke, and forest floor mingling with the ripe cherry and raspberry in the nose signal that something more complex and mysterious is under foot than you will experience in all but a tiny fraction of Gamay-based wine. Generous juiciness on the palate is allied to a slightly grainy, palpable sense of extract and fine-grained tannin, while notes of toasted nut, raw beef, moss, and wet stones well up and add complexity to the wine’s long finish. Considered one of the most admired producers in Fleurie, Clos de la Roilette, in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an eastern exposure, borders the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, and produces wines that are beautiful when young and have the capacity to age for over 10 years. In the 20’s, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which the clos had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette, without mentioning Fleurie. By the mid-1960s, the owner’s heirs had lost interest in the clos and a large portion of the land had gone wild and untended. In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought this poorly maintained estate, and replanted the vineyards. His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since. The Couderts say their particular terroir (mainly clay and manganese), and the age of their vines (25 to 33 years-old) account for the richness of their wine. It has a deep color with a hint of purple, a restrained nose of crème de cassis, a rich, full mouth with aromas of cassis, black cherries, and a nutty character, and finishes with zesty acidity. This is a wine that ages gracefully and takes on the aromatic character of a Pinot Noir. (David Bowler Wines)
2013 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorees Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay List $19.99, Sale Price $15.99
Rated 95 Points, Decanter: “The wine's appeal is heightened by the fact that Beaujolais Blanc is new to
many wine lovers. Abundant white flower aromas, hints of melon and minerals; the taut, chalky palate has a taste of the soil. Quite serious, and worthy every penny.” “(raised in a combination of stainless steel and concrete tanks): Bright straw. Vibrant citrus fruit and melon aromas are sharpened by a hint of quinine and pick up a smoky nuance with air. Round and seamless on the palate, offering pliant honeydew and nectarine flavors and a refreshingly bitter lemon pith quality that comes up slowly. Clings with good intensity on the finish, leaving a note of sweet butter behind.”
2009 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages List $12.99, Sale Price $10.99
Rated 89 Points, Vinous: “Bright ruby-red. Vibrant red and dark berry aromas, with
hints of white pepper and succulent herbs emerging with air. In the mouth, juicy black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors deepen and gain sweetness with air.” Grapes are sourced from the finest vineyards within the Beaujolais-Villages appellation in northern Beaujolais. Louis Jadot practices the quality-driven “replis” method, whereby grapes of higher classifications from the 10 famed Beaujolais Cru villages are added to elevate the blend. The area’s granite and sandy subsoils contain a high percentage of manganese, which produces an especially deep and rich expression of Gamay. Grapes are handpicked in whole bunches and traditional Burgundian methods are used for vinification.
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CIRCLE’S ULTIMATE WINES OF BURGUNDY: BEAUJOLAIS—PRICES VALID THROUGH AUGUST 2015