A Lucky ‘13 for Beaujolais Lovers

The last decade has witnessed some of the best Beaujolais vintages in history. Two thousand thirteen is proving more than qualified to stake its claim among them. The products of a late growing season and a prolonged harvest, the 2013s possess the freshness and fruit intensity that are classic attributes of the region’s wines, plus the depth and structure to ensure positive development in the cellar. Simply put, I can’t imagine any wine lover who enjoys great Beaujolais not being thrilled to have a healthy stash of these wines in their cellar.

Les Charmes, the highest vineyard in Morgon, produces some of the appellation's most elegant wines

A Quick Recap of the 2013 Growing Season

The wines reviewed here represent later releases from the 2013 vintage, mostly from the region’s top producers. For notes on many earlier 2013 releases, please refer to my coverage published early last year. As I wrote then, the 2013 growing season began with a cool, rainy spring and early summer, but then benefited from dry, warm conditions from mid-July on through a true Indian summer. The harvest occurred late and under ideal conditions. The slow growing season resulted in small grapes, with a high skin-to-juice ratio, which meant plenty of tannins, but it’s the rare 2013 that shows a hard edge. On the contrary: these concentrated wines have a robustness that makes them quite appealing from the outset, which is when the vast majority of Beaujolais is consumed. But with their concentration, healthy acidity and solid skin tannins, the 2013s also have the depth and structure to evolve positively in bottle for at least several more years.