Beaujolais a wine for any time, not just now

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, but many wine lovers are looking forward to that special Thursday the week before — for the much-anticipated annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau on Nov. 17. The 7- to 9-week-old wine that is harvested in early September and released in November is designed to be enjoyed young.

While there is excitement every year for its release on the third Thursday in November, there are many other varieties of Beaujolais that do not receive as much hype.

Yann Bourigault, export director for North America for Georges Duboeuf, was in San Antonio in late August to guide a tasting through the upcoming Georges Duboeuf 2010 Crus Beaujolais, wines named for and made from the finest vineyards in the 10 villages in the north Beaujolais region — Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Vineyards in these villages have lower-maximum authorized yields, so their wines have more body and bolder flavors, are more aromatic and can be aged.

Bourigault gave a virtual tour through the region starting with the facts: Beaujolais is the southernmost appellation in France's Burgundy region, stretching approximately 35 miles from north to south and encompassing 54,000 acres. Beaujolais is produced from the south region; Beaujolais-Villages is produced from a collection of 39 villages in the north and central regions; and cru Beaujolais is produced from premiere vineyards in the north.

The appellation is known for growing almost exclusively (98 percent) gamay grapes. The clusters are hand-harvested in early September and then go through carbonic maceration — grape clusters on the bottom of the tank are crushed by the weight of the grapes at the top of the tank, releasing their juice; grapes at the top of the tank undergo ferment in their skins because of the heat produced and carbon dioxide released from the fermentation going on above. The wine is pressed and blended with free-run juice before it undergoes full malolactic fermentation; it's then filtered and bottled.

An early tasting of the 2010 Beaujolais Cru revealed a range in fruit flavors and wines that reflect their terroir.

While there are many Beajolais labels from which to choose, Georges Duboeuf is known as the “King of Beaujolais.” In 1964, heformed Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, which represents more than 400 winegrowers in Beaujolais and sells more than 2.6 million cases of wine per year.