In Fleurie, Looking Beyond the Clichés of Beaujolais

Fleurie is one of the more important crus, with quite a few good producers. The three wines I suggest are:

Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Cuvée Tardive 2019 (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York) $29

Domaine Chapel Fleurie Charbonnières Vieilles Vignes 2018 (Grand Cru Selections, New York) $37

Jean-Louis Dutraive Fleurie Domaine de la Grand’Cour Clos de la Grand’Cour 2019 (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.) $39

No, these are not Mr. Prial’s Fleuries. The prices do reflect the rise in demand for these sorts of wines, the labor-intensive practices of the producers and the effect of the 25 percent tariffs the Trump administration imposed on many wines from the European Union in the fall of 2019 in a trade dispute over airplane production.

If you can’t find Fleuries from these producers, don’t hesitate to look for bottles from Domaine des Terres Dorées, Julien Sunier, Yohan Lardy, Georges Descombes, Jean Foillard, Domaine Chignard, Lafarge-Vial, Domaine du Vissoux, Anne-Sophie Dubois and Julie Balagny.

Please drink these wines cool — not icy out of the fridge, but slightly cooler than room temperature, unless you have no heat in your room, in which case room temperature is perfect.

I’m not going to suggest any particular dishes. But Beaujolais is pretty versatile, so maybe you can suggest to me what you enjoyed with these wines.

Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.

source: nytimes.com