What’s the oldest cru-bojo you’ve ever had? Pretty sure this is it for me. I don’t really *collect* them–I love drinking them way too much–and while they can be pigeon-holed for their youthful freshness, I have talked to many people who have had them at 10 or 20. To be perfectly honest, I think I have had Beaujolais NOUVEAU older than this, as I regularly find them in people’s cellars FARRRRRRRR past their bedtime and they HAVE to be opened for trainwreck curiosity. That ALWAYS goes badly. But plenty of Cru’s have the chops to age.
Seriously ruddy going almost amber at the wide edge. Weedy and gritty in the nose, a sweetish sort of candied cherry going *almost* cough syrup, but not quite–more sharpness–pausing up in Christmas-spice area, but definitely sprinkled on fruitcake filling. Settles out to somewhat of a dull rubbery, but a quick swirl energizes the polished fruit instantly, arriving with a bit of Ben-Gay.
It’s interesting to drink. The fruit is dull and toasty, dried out and stretched thin over FORTUNATELY what are not incredible acid or tannin. That’s a serious point in its favor. Thankfully the structure has faded with the fruit or was never there, because it is shockingly balanced in the mouth. Watered-down dried currant, spritzed with a bit of grapefruit, and it all heads off rather cheerily down the dusty trail.
This is a blast to drink. But it’s a geeky sort of blast. Science. Not even gonna do the whole bullshit Instagram OMG STUNNING. THIS IS STILL A POWERHOUSE. DECANTED FOR 9 HOURS. GORGEOUS LAYERS OF HEAVEN. DECADES TO GO bullshit you see every day on wines you know for a fuckin FACT are puddles of oxidized mud. Nope. This wine shoulda been dranken 5 years ago. But it’s really interesting. And not horrible. Throw me into some dank little café with no fire exits eating tête de veau and daube with a cigarette and a pretty girl and I would drink this all night long. And I would say, “Remember that 2007 Brouilly we found on that list at that place on Rue Droite? God, wasn’t that good?” And so would you.
2007 LA VOUTE DES CROZES ‘Les Crozes’ Cote-de-Brouilly Cru Beaujolais France 12.5
Stephen McConnell 