A lot of emphasis is being given to George Duboeuf's role in the creation and development of the Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon. Whilst this is true, I consider that his part in raising the overall standards in Beaujolais, including the
crus, is much more important.
When I started taking an interest in wine in the 60s, superb Beaujolais could be found in Paris bistrots and brasseries (undoubtedly in Lyon too but I hardly knew that city) where the
patron had a personal relationship with a good producer. However, it was hard to find such wines as a private retail consumer.
Georges Duboeuf changed all that by his skill in choosing grapes and small producers' wines to fashion into good cuvées which became widely available. For at least two decades, he was a quality leader in the Beaujolais region. His flower label
crus were reliable and his estate named cuvées sometimes exceptional. Since then he has been overtaken quality-wise by other producers, he has tended to become a bit despised in geek communities like ours and we forget his part in the raising of standards. Furthermore Duboeuf wines remain a reliable pick in places like la Brasserie de l'Île Saint-Louis, where I was a regular 55 years ago and enjoyed his Côtes de Brouilly as recently last May.
Thank you Georges Duboeuf for your fruitful career.
