2015 Beaujolais: Monumental But Often Atypical

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | DECEMBER 14, 2017

The 2015 vintage in Beaujolais has attracted more attention from both consumers and the trade than any vintage in my experience. While I tasted a higher percentage of outstanding wines from 2015 than ever before, many of them aren’t exactly what I would call classic renditions of the region.

Many Beaujolais fans who would describe themselves as purists when it comes to their stylistic preferences have been by turns impressed, puzzled and even turned off by the density, richness and often opulent character of many the 2015s. The unusually warm growing season ensured high sugar levels and atypically ripe fruit, while cooler nights and well-timed precipitation kept acidity levels healthy. The result is a collection of wines that, to my taste, deliver the best of both worlds – depth as well as energy. Unlike other hot vintages in Beaujolais, especially 2003 and to some extent 2009, the 2015s mostly avoid coming off as cooked or pruney in character. Yes, most of the wines are robust, but they also show liveliness and delineation, if not quite to the extent of cooler, more classic vintages like 2014, 2013 or 2011.