By the Glass - 2006 Beaujolais Edition

I'm a big fan of the 2006 vintage in Beaujolais. What I love about the '06s so far, aside from their sheer deliciousness, is their transparency - they are so clearly and unmistakably Beaujolais. The more experienced among us (not me in this case) would probably take this a step further and say "that wine is unmistakably Morgon," or Fleurie, or Chiroubles, or what have you.

I don't know enough to be able to say things like that. But when I say unmistakably Beaujolais, I mean that the wines are ripe and vibrant with fruit, spicy, there is a fleeting sense of soil underneath everything, the acidity is refreshing but not the most prominent aspect of the wine, and there is that something, that unique Beaujolais aroma and flavor, that young, loaded with potential energy, just graduated from college, about to take over the world quality. Hard to describe - taste them yourself and you'll see.

Here are a few notes on the 2006 Beaujolais that I've had so far. I'm only including the wines that I've had with dinner, nothing from tastings:

2006 Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Traditionnelle, $15, Weygandt-Metzler. Lean, taught, racy. Ripe fruit competes with lively acidity and spicy mouth aromas. This is, to me, the essence of Beaujolais, and it's a pleasure to drink. Although it's certainly lovely on its own, a meal induces this beauty to slip into something more comfortable.

2006 Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes, $15, Louis/Dressner selections. What I'm about to say might make some of you angry, although that is definitely not my aim. I actually prefer this wine to the 2005. YES, it's true - this wine is so completely wonderful, it's hard to describe by typing keys on a computer. I know you love the 05, and I liked it too, but it was almost too intense for me. This is lean, pure, quiet and soft Beaujolais beauty. But it's powerful too, like one of those skinny Sumo wrestlers. Fruity and floral with lip smacking acidity, there is excellent length, and it's a bit spicy. It feels energetic in the mouth. It goes with anything - I had it recently with spaghetti with clam sauce and everyone was happy. Maybe in its prime drinking window right now, too. And get it while you can, because only a third of Brun's 2007's can be labeled as Beaujolais, according to the wise folks at the French INAO. And changing the name of the wine will most assuredly change your perception of it's flavor and quality.

2006 Guy Breton Morgon Vieille Vignes, $21, Kermit Lynch Imports. My first Breton, one of the 'Gang of Four' natural wine producers of Morgon. This one, to me, was a case of too natural for its own good. I kept waiting for the brett to blow off, but it never did, really. There was some pretty red berry fruit and baking spices, but not a whole lot else going on other than the funk. Not something I would re-buy.

2006 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette, $22, Louis/Dressner Selections. Incredibly floral and fresh smelling, with plenty of freshly crushed strawberries. Just a wonderful nose. Tannins still a bit prominent on the palate - this will benefit from a few months in the bottle. Delicious nonetheless, with a great balance of fresh fruit, apple skins, flowers, and earth. In terms of immediate and hedonistic pleasure, this is my favorite of the vintage so far. Although I haven't yet tasted the Coudert Cuvée Tardive...

2006 George Descombes Régnié, $18, Louis/Dressner Selections. 6 months ago in my end-of-the-year 2007 best-of post I said this was my favorite Cru Beaujolais of the year. Most '06s hadn't been released at that point, but I'll stand by calling this a fantastic bottle of wine. Ripe red and black fruit, flowers, fine grained tannins, this is deep and excellent wine that improves with time in the glass. There is more than meets the eye to this one.

2006 George Descombes Chiroubles Vieilles Vignes, $28, Louis/Dressner Selections. Yes, folks, we are in the age of $28 Beaujolais. In the case of the top bottles, anyway. Lyle loves this wine. I'm not sure yet where I stand on this. It's clearly delicious wine, with deeply pitched and well structured fruit, many layers to reveal. Even on the nose, the wine has layers of complexity. In a way it feels more like drinking Burgundy than Beaujolais. I'm not sure that's what I want when I drink Beaujolais. I need to drink another bottle of this, maybe decant next time.