Beaujolais Nouveau, A Taste of Paradise

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Beaujolais Nouveaus
A Taste of Paradise

By Anne Woodyard, Music and Markets

The vines are bare, the grapes have been pressed, the juice has gone from the fermenting vat to the bottles. This year’s Beaujolais Nouveau is resting; waiting only 60 days to be uncorked on the third Thursday of November. Will Nouveau 2004 be one to remember?

The tiny area of Beaujolais, dense with charming villages and patterned with neat rows of vines, is easy to explore and tempts you to discover for yourself the home of this much-touted early-release wine.

In the tiny town of Denicé, a few kilometers west of the Villefranche-sur-Saone exit on the A6, Bruno and Sylvaine Chevalier welcomed us to their charming chambre d’hôtes (bed and breakfast), part of Domaine de Pouilly-le-Chatel; the wine estate where Bruno’s family has been making Beaujolais for generations. It’s here that Bruno produces 50,000 bottles of Beaujolais by himself. And across the lane from the winery in their farmhouse kitchen, he proves he’s also a fine cook.

Each year Bruno brings home the first drops from the press’s spigot, called Paradis, and uses this luscious ingredient to prepare some of his special recipes. Tonight, Bruno concocted the flavorful Paradis-based glaze drenching the Lyonnaise saucisson (sausage) that was our main course. This early taste of Beaujolais-just days after it was plucked from the vine-was enough to convince us. Skip the hype–the harvest is excellent this year!

Our meal was truly the “bon petits plats” (loosely translated: tasty dishes prepared just-for-you) as described in the Chevalier’s entry on the gites de France website. Just-picked oak leaf lettuce and a local goat cheese made a delicious salad, which was followed by the glazed sausage, garnished with roasted potatoes fresh from the garden. Each course was an opportunity to showcase a red or white Beaujolais from the Domain de Pouilly-le-Chatel.

As we ate, Bruno and Sylvaine answered our questions about their beautifully restored old farmhouse, the unique African-inspired guest quarters, and the making of Beaujolais. They told of Bruno’s part in presenting each year’s product to the Assembly National in Paris; and suggested villages to see while we were in the area.

It’s amazing how well we communicated in a combination of French and English. Not surprising, though, since were all so interested in each other’s stories.

We learned new things about cuisine as well, such as how to enjoy fromage blanc. After serving a quivering pyramid of cheese to each of us, Sylvaine offered bowls of sugar and crème fraiche. “For what?” we asked, and discovered the tasty secret of adding sugar and a dollop of crème fraiche to the refreshing fromage blanc. (Diet? What diet?)

Domaine de Pouilly-le-Chatel is in the heart of the lovely southern end of Beaujolais. Although the most famous “cru” wine villages, home of the rich Beaujolais Villages wine released later in the year, are further north in the region, the most picturesque villages are in this southern part. The area is filled with unspoiled hills, covered in wave after wave of vineyards; impressive chateaux built by 17^th century silk merchants from Lyon, and hamlets that have hardly changed in hundreds of years. Almost everyone is involved either in the growing of grapes or making and selling of wine.

Ready to explore, we awoke to a bountiful breakfast served on a private terrace overlooking gardens and vines touched with the colors of fall. Bruno, getting an early start, was in the winery cleaning the press that only days before had coaxed the juice from the Gamay grapes that were soon to become Beaujolais Nouveau 2000. In his rubber boots and long apron, he walked us through the process, which he learned from his ancestors, of getting the juice from grape to bottle. He works alone most of the year, from the pruning, harvesting, and pressing, to the bottling, corking and labeling. The wine is produced in a fascinating building. History oozes from the ancient stone walls, floors, and beams amid occasional glimpses of shiny new pumps, hoses, and vats. The area where the labels are fixed to the corked bottles is the scene of the Chevalier’s annual Beaujolais Nouveau party, which always features an invited local artist as well as the star of the show, the wine.

Having survived the mega-hoopla in Paris, where their Senator uncorks the first bottle and tastes the first sip, Bruno, weary of the press and hype, hurries back home to Denicé. As at any artists opening, friends and family dress up to enjoy each other and the latest stylings of their local hero. Perhaps some day we can take advantage of Bruno and Sylvaine’s invitation to join them for their annual bash.

The Chevaliers list of “don’t miss” villages took us first to the ancient town of Salles-Arbuissonais-en-Beaujolais. Through an impressive wrought iron gateway, we strolled into the uniquely designed ancient town, stepping into a quiet and spacious green, surrounded by trees and handsome old town houses. The place whispered “Explore!” A tall stone bell tower marked the way toward a lovely cloister, part of a centuries-old priory. The peaceful spot, overflowing with brilliant pink hydrangeas, was edged with beautifully carved arcades, an invitation to just relax and enjoy.

Driving from one village to the next, we’d often pull over and gape at the magnificent countryside, filled with fabulous 360 degree vistas of chateaux, vineyards, tiny hamlets, and fortified farms of ruddy or golden stone. The spectacular turreted fortress chateau of Montmelas dominates the area, beautiful from every angle. It’s a wonder that from this bucolic and peaceful nest hatches France’s most frenetic event of the year.

Leaving the quiet countryside and heading back to the A-6, it’s worth taking time to visit the lively town of Villefranche-sur-Saône, capital of the Beaujolais region. We were enchanted by the fascinating nooks and crannies hidden behind the façades along Rue National, the main street. Because of an ancient tax on street-frontage, many buildings are narrow and deep, with inner courtyards often overlooked by galleries built on vaulted arcades. Don’t miss the ornately carved marble gallery and turret of # 407, now a café. Climb up the gorgeous white marble spiral staircase, and then have a drink under the watchful eye of carved cherubs gazing down from the balcony.

At number 528, if you push the “ouverture” button you can enter a hidden courtyard, surrounded by fine wrought iron galleries and an intricate spiral staircase from the 1300s. Number 561 boasts another beautiful spiral staircase. The hidden courtyards of Villefranche and its other architectural treasures are outlined in a pamphlet (in French) available from the tourist office on rue Thizy, near the imposing, flower-bedecked town hall.

“Beaujolais, where nature has spread its richest gifts in profusion”, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1787, is an easy place to enjoy and appreciate. A turn in the road presents a matchless vista, a meal discloses a unique taste, a local offers a smile and enthusiastic advice…yet all in a low-key, un-self-conscious way. Beaujolais abounds with tastes of paradise–free for the asking.