2014 Beaujolais: Another&nbsp;Dream Vintage

Readers who
enjoy Beaujolais need to stock up on the best 2014s for both immediate enjoyment as well as for cellaring. And there are many more of these
top choices than usual in 2014.&nbsp;Stylistically the wines bear comparison to classically proportioned
vintages such as 2010 and 2011, with abundant fresh fruit as well as depth and
structure, all working smoothly together. Simply put, even if one takes into
consideration the recent run of strong vintages—2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and,
almost certainly, 2015—2014 might turn out to have produced the most
consistently outstanding group of Beaujolais since the legendary 2005s, which
is saying something. That’s especially true for readers who&nbsp;prize the classic style of
Beaujolais that&nbsp;emphasizes energetic fruit and mineral character, qualities
the ‘14s possess in spades.

What Makes
the 2014s Special?

A quick start to the growing season and a successful early flowering set
the stage for a healthy crop. A cool summer ensured the preservation of lively
acidity in the grapes. The weather warmed up considerably, but not excessively
so, in early September and the fruit responded with vigor, ripening quickly but
not overnight, as can happen in truly hot years. There were no climatic events
during the harvest other than a bit of scattered hail to stress out the
growers, who were able to pick healthy fruit slowly and methodically.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1470793336138-Claude+Geoffray+in+the+vines+behind+his+family%27s+Chateau+Thivin%2C+in+Cote+de+Brouilly+copy.JPG">

Claude Geoffray in the vines behind his family's Chateau Thivin, in Cote de Brouilly At its best—and I’m hard-pressed to think of a vintage with such a
high percentage of outstanding wines in recent years—the 2014s exhibit lively
berry and floral character punctuated by zesty minerality. The wines are
concentrated yet not heavy, and show good structure without coming off as outsized.
Many producers I visited in June described the wines as a hybrid of the 2010s
and 2011s, combining the structure of the earlier vintage and the fruit
intensity of the latter. As such, the 2014s, as a group, are hugely appealing
right now but I have no doubt that they will reward another three to five years
of aging. Many of the brawniest 2014s have the material to see them through a
decade or more of life but by that point they’ll have little resemblance to
most peoples’ notion of Beaujolais, so I’d advise drinking almost all of the
‘14s before they hit their tenth birthday.

The Current
Market for Beaujolais

Demand for the top wines from the most famous producers is hot right
now. But with 2015 looming, which looks to be another superb vintage, albeit in
a richer, weightier, distinctly riper style, one has to wonder just how much
great Beaujolais the market can absorb. The question on the minds of more than
a few producers right now is “which excellent vintage, 2013, 2014 or 2015, is
going to fall between the cracks?” Granted, many fans of the 2013s and 2014s
will find a high percentage of the 2015s to be too much of a good thing. But I
suspect that many enophiles whose tastes run to fleshy, ample wines will be
chasing the ‘15s, while partisans of more graceful Beaujolais will continue to
snap up the 2014s and 2013s, which might help to smooth out demand. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1470793478496-This+particular%2C+exotically+colored+breed+of+salamander+settles+into+the+cool%2C+damp+cellars+of+Beaujolais+during+hot+weather+copy.JPG">

This particular, exotically colored breed of salamander settles into the cool, damp cellars of Beaujolais during hot weather On the other hand, the Beaujolais region produces a large&nbsp;amount of
wine and while many of the elite producers are able to choose their customers
and play the allocation game, the majority of small Beaujolais vignerons don’t enjoy that luxury. Sales
and prices for much négociant Beaujolais
have slipped in recent years, and numerous growers have seen that outlet for
their fruit and wine begin to dry up. In many cases, their financial situations
have become downright dire. The result? Except for a relative handful of cult
estates, prices for the majority of wines that would interest Vinous
subscribers are often ridiculously low given their cost of production, which is
great news for consumers but not so good for estates that own just a few
hectares of vines.

I tasted the majority of the wines reviewed in this article during my
annual visit to Beaujolais in June and the rest in New York in late spring and
early summer.You Might Also Enjoy Multimedia:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/multimedia/recent-vintages-in-beaujolais-with-josh-raynolds-aug-2016">On Recent Beaujolais Vintages</a>, Josh Raynolds&nbsp;August 2016Article:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/a-lucky-13-for-beaujolais-lovers-jul-2016">A Lucky ‘13 for Beaujolais Lovers</a>,&nbsp;Josh Raynolds July 2016Article:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/current-beaujolais-releases-feb-2015">Current Beaujolais Releases</a>, Josh Raynolds February 2015--Josh Raynolds

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