Playing Now:

03 The Ten CRU Wines of Beaujolais Provide Strong Personalities and Thirst-Quenching Freshness - Jean Bourjade
Wine retailers prefer selling their clients a case of wine versus one bottle but how about ordering 12, no, make that 13 different Beaujolais wines for a deliciously tangible lesson in terroir: variations in soil composition and profile, geology, and climate. The Beaujolais region is divided up into ten different Crus or growths. Each wine comes from a different set of village vineyards. In alphabetical order they are: Brouilly, Chenas, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-A-Vent, Regnie, and Saint-Amour. Wines labeled as Beaujolais-Villages are from better vineyard sites than wines simply labeled Beaujolais (from largest area of all) and thus have slightly more body, structure, and intensity. Last, but far from least, is the white sheep of the region: Beaujolais Blanc--100 percent Chardonnay, grown on calcaire soils, with natural acidity on the palate, and a FANTASTIC BUY for aperitif or table. There you have it in a nutshell. Enjoy the interview.