I laughed when I saw a couple of Beaujolais Nouveau bottles at my neighborhood wine shop this afternoon, including the familiar Georges Dubeouf flower bottle. But then I noticed that one of the Nouveaux was from Alain Junguenet’s Wines of France, Inc., in Mountainside, N.J. I’ve never had a bad French wine from Junguenet, so I risked $14 and came away happy. It’s a decent table wine, no bananas or bubble-gum, nice complexity and good acid balance. Never mind the “Nouveau” on the label.
Domaine Rochette 2017 Beaujolais Villages Nouveau ($13.99)Dark ruby color, shading to a clear purple edge. Fresh and clean aromas, plums and subtle raspberries, lead into a bright red-fruit flavor, full and ripe for a Nouveau, nicely balanced with crisp fresh-fruit acidity. Really one of the best Nouveaux I’ve tried over the years, enjoyable on its own and good with food, nicely balanced at 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Wines of France, Inc., Mountainside, N.J.; The Beaujolais Selection of Alain Junguenet. (Nov. 17, 2017)
FOOD MATCH: This cousin of red Burgundy is versatile with many food pairings. It sang for us with bowls of linguine
Cacio e Pepe coated in Parmigiano and freshly ground black pepper.
WHEN TO DRINK: Sooner rather than later, but there’s no reason a bottle shouldn’t keep until next year’s Nouveau comes in.
VALUE: This exceptional Nouveau is worth lower-teens price and more.
WEB LINKHere's a fact sheet in English from Domaine Rochette. This page covers all their Beaujolais wines, ranging from Nouveau to some very special single-vineyard Cru Beaujolais.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:Look for vendors and check prices for
Domaine Rochette 2017 Beaujolais Villages Nouveau on Wine-Searcher.com.