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By Manos Angelakis
Le Beaujolais Nuveau 2010 Those wine lovers that missed their chance to the stellar 2009 red Beaujolais, they can now redeem themselves with another “vintage of a lifetime” as described by numerous Beaujolais producers, the 2010 vintage. There is still some of the excellent 2009 Beaujolais in wine stores, and most of those wines, especially the Brouilly, the Morgon, the Nuits-Saint-Georges and the Juliénas will be very good to drink 8 to 10 years from now. But the new 2010 vintage is considered by many as good as the 2009.
The 2010 wines seem to be smoother and slightly more aromatic than the 2009. I’ll have to admit that enjoying Beaujolais Nouveau, just bottled with no time in barrel, is an acquired taste. The winemakers use a technique called carbonic maceration, in which whole grape clusters are put into a tank. The tank is then sealed, trapping the carbon dioxide from the fermentation process inside. After a few weeks in the tank, the free-run juice is collected, filtered and bottled. The resulting red wine is light- to mid- bodied, with a fresh, fruity nose and cherry and berry flavors and At the lunch we were presented with two Georges Duboeuf nouveau wines, the Beaujolais Nouveau and the Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, with a slightly more defined-body. In addition, I was also sent a bottle of Labouré-Roi Beaujolais Nouveau 2010, from Nuits-Saint-Georges. So, I had the chance to taste three different versions of the wine. Both George Duboeuf’s wines were very deep ruby colored, with bright kirsch and strawberry aromas, though as I mentioned above, the Beaujolais Villages wine has a bit more defined body and very soft and light tannins. The Labouré-Roi was light and tangy, with cherries and red raspberry and a hint of banana flavor, with a pretty floral note on the finish. All these wines should be drunk now. Serve with pâté, roast turkey or roast chicken, sausages, light game and duck. To your health!
© January 2011 The Oenophile Blog. All rights reserved.
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The 2010 vintage, introduced on November 18 to the US market as the quintessential Beaujolais Nouveau, was presented in a lunch sponsored by Les Vins Georges Duboeuf and their importer W. J. Deutsch and Sons. The yearly celebration of the delivery of Beaujolais Nouveau, a tradition that started in France 50 years ago and has spread around the world, always takes place the third Thursday of November with extravagant lunches in New York as well as other major East Coast cities. This year’s theme “Nouveau Cirque 2010” was another very enjoyable event where 
acrobats, stilt-walkers, contortionists and other circus performers were called upon to introduce the new vintage when delivered to Frank Duboeuf, the son and general manager of Vins Georges Duboeuf. 
minimal tannins. To me, the first gulp always tastes like barely fermented red grape juice.