A $15 Cru Beaujolais, Money Well Spent



I love the old-fashioned label. Luckily, there's good juice inside.

As my palate has changed over the years and I've fallen in love with a different wines and regions, one of the mainstays has always been Cru Beaujolais. I love the freshness and ripe fruit of the gamay grape, but also the structure and complexity that comes through in a lot of Beaujolais made from the cru villages. I recently popped a 2007 Henry Fessy Moulin-à-Vent, which cost me a whopping $15, and was surprised yet again by how much this wine delivers for its price point.

Beautiful, bright purple color. Aromas of fresh cherries, a little bit of brown sugar, and rose petals. The aromas have the depth of a great flower. This wine shows a perfect mix of lipsmacking acid and ripe fruit. The wine is so balanced, with medium tannins, and that acid carries through the whole time. Flavors of violets, red cherries, and just a bit of black cherry as well. Long finish. At five years old, this wine has found a great place for itself. It's very expressive and delicious, although it has the strength of acid, tannins and fruit to evolve for at least another five years.

87 points IJB