I can't tell you how enthusiastic I am about these wines – the perfect antidote to Bordeaux 2009 madness. See some background here and do think seriously about getting in the lighter of these wines for immediate enjoyment.
The picture gives some idea of the gentle hills of the best Beaujolais villages, the crus. It's of some of the vineyards around the village of Fleurie that the Henriot family (owners of Bouchard Père et Fils) have been working on in their conversion of the Ch Poncié into Villa Ponciago, a slightly unfortunate name for English-speakers perhaps.
RED
Very mineral, cool wet granite. A wonderful juxtaposition of...
Mineral. A baritone of a wine. Deep and booming and solid with...
Young, slightly aggressive tannins but good intensity of fruit...
Smells of rust and dried blood. Chewy and metallic. (TC)
Attractively smoky nose. Rather smooth and polished. Lively...
Quite closed with just a soft hint of strawberry perfume. Lots...
A quiet nose. Then lots of angles and energy. Full of lovely red...
Bright crimson. Very light nose. Pleasant, light, easy palate...
Dark crimson. Full, open and floral (Pinot Noir-like?) on the...
Softer and more floral on the nose than the other Chiroubles...
Cherry cough-mixture nose. Sweet, squashed, slightly bruised...
Smells like straight strawberry jam but on the palate there...
Fresh herb-garden aromas of mint and sorrel. Earthy with rich...
Dark crimson – vibrant colour. Polished, dense, mineral-scented...
Dark crimson. Lacy, racy, polished. Smooth and juicy. Hint of...
From Coudert Appert of Fleurie. Minerals on the nose and real...
Relatively pale crimson. Rather dull nose. Nothing desperately...
Firm and spicy with masculine, muscular length. Cinnamon and...
Dark purplish crimson. Very meaty nose with lovely lift...
Fruits of the forest, crushed raspberries. Beautiful lines and...
Very herbal – oreganum and thyme. Tight-weave tannin and...
It takes time to reach Alain Chatoux’s hideaway in Ste-Paule...
Cédric Chignard continues his father’s good work with their 8.5...
Sweet cherry jam on the nose. Sweet fruit with pretty sharp acid...
To begin with, the nose was all liquorice and charcoal with the...
Unusually light and round and forward and charming for a Morgon...
Mid ruby/crimson. Another rather light nose from Depagneux...
The domaine is now run by Louis-Claude’s daughter Claude...
Cask sample. Deep crimson. Really rich and gorgeous. Very dark...
Bright mid crimson. Light, sweetish nose with a rather more...
Smells of parma violets and grape-flavoured soda. Dominant...
Bubblegum aromas here. A noticeable step up in tannin density...
Emphatic crimson. Notably ripe nose. Smooth and succulent...
Deep crimson. Fresh and straightforward on the nose...
Mid to light crimson. Lively and well balanced. Quite evolved on...
Mid crimson. Firm and dense. Quite a spine of acidity and ripe...
Quite dark crimson. Light nose that's just a little indistinct...
Light, bright crimson. Very appetising acidity and fresh...
Mid crimson. Very polished nose – perhaps a little tame?...
Dark crimson. Polished nose. Very well balanced and rather...
Dark crimson. Embryonic nose. Meaty scents and lots of very...
Notably dark crimson. Very appetising nose – really gouleyant a...
Bottled by Georges Duboeuf. Confession: I have a sentimental...
Tar and sweets and then drying tannins. Lovely red fruit but it...
Bright crimson. Very fine and delicate. Like the brush of a...
The domaine is situated in the hamlet of Le Tracot, near Regnié...
Sleek and polished. Just a light dusting of tannins. Solid stuff...
Mid crimson. Smells quite maceration carbonique. A little bit...
Smells like wine gums and jelly beans. Quite grapey. Juicy...
Dark crimson. Easy, sweet fruit. A little industrial and...
Fruits-of-the-forest cordial on the nose, bitter-sweet cherry...
Very primary aromas – fruit drops, and a little awkward. Chalky...
Apple and blackberry cordial on the nose. Smudgy soft tannins...
Pretty, feminine roundedness with a good shot of acidity...
Dark crimson. No sign of a Depagneux connection here. Meaty racy...
Really good, mouthfilling concentration. Lots of expression...
Mid crimson. Crackling, lively, very recognisably Beaujolais...
Deep crimson. Opulent and very ripe. Polished tannins. A Musigny...
Dark crimson. Scented and sophisticated on the nose. Very...
Utterly lip smacking. This delightfully splits the difference...
No alcohol level on the label of this wine! Mid crimson. Fresh...
Cask sample. Very dark crimson. Almost severe on the nose. Thick...
James and Sarah Wilding have abandoned St Albans for the charms...
Smells of marshmallows and cherry lozenges. But the palate is...
Firm, vibrant crimson from the appellation to the immediate...
Slightly harsh and hard, with bitterness on the finish. Not...
Dark crimson. Scented and rather lusciously fruited. Easy and...
Perfumed and compact. A touch of wild herbs and absolutely...
Very dark crimson. Sappy and succulent on the nose. Sweet...
Looks dark and brooding. Lots of juice and extract here. And...
Very dark crimson. Fragrant and rather more evolved aromatically...
Very dark crimson indeed. Very mineral and sweet (an unusual...
Light purplish crimson. Low-key nose (The Wine Society source...
Mid to light purplish crimson with a slightly industrial nose...
Sappy raspberry fruit with really mouthfilling but still...
Light and pure and fresh – a complete contrast to the Vieilles...
Rich, satin smooth, very seductive. Sweeter and more polished...
This, perhaps surprisingly, was the only 2009 Beaujolais on the...
Mid to dark crimson. Very mineral nose really gets the saliva...
Pale, rather grey crimson. Light and tart. None of the density...
Cask sample. Dark crimson. Succulent and racy. Sinewy. Very firm...
Cask sample. Burgundian vintage. Mid crimson. Solid. Dense. Lots...
Thibault, installed in Nuits St Georges since 2002, finished his...
Dark crimson. Quite firm and concentrated – far more so than...
Dark crimson and rather industrial on the nose. Really rather...
Mid crimson, even a little pale at the rim. Really meaty and...
Mid crimson. From vines belonging to the owners of Loron...
Greyish crimson. Bursting with easy, very slightly rubbery...
Quite dense. Liquorice and pretty bloody. Herbs and cayenne...
Extremely dark crimson. Very intense indeed – an interesting...
A very sweet nose – loganberry coulis, even liqueur like...
Roasted, baked fruit on the nose, some cinnamon. Sweet and hot...
Dark crimson. Light but very appetising nose. Sweet fruit on the...
Mid crimson and lots of acidity. Sweet but rather simple fruit...
Quite an alcohol level! And a naughty heavy bottle too, even...
Raspberry and cinnamon on the nose. Quite jammy with a lemony...
Cask sample. Mineral scented. Polished. Rather Bordelais...
Cask sample. 2006 was his first vintage here. Transparent...
Pale crimson. Bone dry and very nervy and electric. Lots of...
Cask sample. Relatively light nose. Lots of acidity. Penetrating...
Deep crimson. Very lively and fresh and mineral. Great balance –...
Floral, as scented as a garden in the early morning... dew on...
Scented, a bouquet of peonies, and underneath redcurrant and...
Strawberries and tangy redcurrant. Very very smooth finely...
Sweeties, cherry candy nose. Almost plummy in the mouth, it...
Dark crimson. Lightly smoky nose, even a suggestion of bacon fat...
46-year-old very densely planted vines. Dark crimson. Already...
Berry fruit gums and grapetizer aromas, verging on caricature...
Liquorice all-sorts aroma. Very minerally, charcoal overlay and...
Cask sample. Unusually modern label for Beaujolais. Light and...
Simple but straight, honest, dancing fruit. No specious...
Liqueur and then the aroma of damp clay, dill and blackberries...
Mid crimson. Light vital rather smoky nose. Very beguiling and...
Lots of refreshing, mouthwatering acidity on the nose. Silky...
Lightish ruby. Introvert and minerally then very sweet. I don't...
Even this humble wine is deeper coloured than usual in 2009...
Cask sample. Healthy crimson. This wine has withstood the...
Cask sample. Light crimson. No sulphur so it has deteriorated...
Soft and sweet on the nose with mineral, almost slatey notes on...
Light crimson. Light minerally nose. Firm and sinewy. Really...
Mid crimson. Meaty, alluring nose with lots of chew. Crunchy...
Vibrant crimson. Succulent. Polished, very seductive. Lovely...
Mid crimson. Scented, succulent fruit. Lovely polished fruit on...
Mid crimson. Very fragrant. Then substantial. Much chewier than...
Lovely depth and savour and pull. Raspberry notes overlaid with...
Cherry candy, cinnamon and liqueur. Very, very spicy – even a...
A blend. Very lively and slightly earthy in a good way. Lots of...
The home vineyard. More juice than the Sept Vignes. Round at the...
Smells a bit stagnant. Metallic and not very approachable. There...
Dark crimson. Fairly light and soft for a Juliénas (though it...
Darkish crimson. Less open than La Reserve bottling but equally...
Now that the Ch de Poncié belongs to Henriot, it has been...
Quite dark crimson. Relatively firm and youthful though with...
Mid crimson. Rather more complex nose than most – not so...
Smells like Turkish Delight and sweeties melting in the hot sun...
Nicole Chanrion. Dark crimson. Luscious ripe fruit with real...
Another Depagneux wine, this time with The Wine Society's own...
WHITE
Quite intense, sharp and sherbet-dabbed nose; some white blossom...
A Terroirs et Talents property. Glimpses of Chablis on the nose...
Full, succulent super-juicy nose with hints of overripe...
