Beaujolais Nouveau does not cause the stir it used to, but it still manages to kick off the holidays in a fresh and fruity way.
The 2012 vintage in Beaujolais was a roller-coaster ride of weather events that led to a smaller crop — and if the 2012 Georges Duboeuf Nouveau is any measure of the quality, the acidity is pretty high and the Gamay fruit not quite the showoff it was in previous vintages.
Yes, do give the bottle a slight chill. And though it lacks the smack of fruit of previous years, it’s still fun to drink and a great match with turkey. The Duboeuf will cost you about ten bucks and you can’t miss the orange label.
MORE FROM GEORGES DUBOEUF
Georges Duboeuf Chateau de Nervers Brouilly Beaujolais 2011. $16: This Gamay has good body, mouth texture, complexity. It’s made off a key estate in Brouilly that consists of 116 acres farmed by five vintners. Yield per acre is relatively low, which gives a boost to the fruit. Gamays can be very acidic, but this one has good balance, dusty tannins and dark fruits — cherries, currants and plums — that do quite the dance on the palate. It’s got substance. It would be ever so lovely with a juicy steak or hearty stew.
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