John Wilson | Finding the best value in Beaujolais crus

One of my personal favourites 

"For many years, I argued that the two best-value wines you could buy were Muscadet and Beaujolais. Both were underappreciated and therefore under-priced. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Prices for both have been steadily rising for the last few years. I shouldn't be unhappy as I believe that wine producers should receive a fair price for their work, but some of the Beaujolais crus are now selling for over €50 a bottle. 

Over the last few months I have sought out some slightly less expensive crus and todayI feature four wines that, while not cheap, do offer value for money. All red Beaujolais is made from the gamay grape. The most basic quality level is simply labelled Beaujolais, followed by Beaujolais-Villages, a step up. I covered these earlier this year. Then there are l0 crus, the top tier of villages that produce the best wines. Each wine is said to have a unique character due to variations in the granitic soils in each commune. Usually this holds true: Fleurie is generally smooth and elegant, Moulin-à-Vent powerful and structured. These are probably the best-known crus; the others are Morgon, Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Régnié, Chiroubles Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Ilist them as they are worth remembering. None of the crus will have the name Beaujolais on the label. 

When eating out, I frequently order a Beaujolais cru. They go well with just about every kind of savoury food, from fish to red meats. They are usually low in alcohol, although levels are increasing due to climate change, and despite the hikes some are still reasonably priced."

Domaine du Vieux Bourg, Morgon, "Javernieres", 2023 - 13.5%

"Delicious plump fresh plum and dark cherry fruits with real concentration and length. Try with roast pork, roast chicken or mushroom dishes." 

€33