Beaujolais Nuveau
 

So, how did you like the new wine?

We opened a bottle of George Duboeuf at midnight Paris time. It was very nice, but lost its flavor after about 30 min.

Please excuse the misspellings.

If that's the case, Ira, it's a bottle best shared with friends, so it wouldn't hit that 30 minute expiration date?

Our local wine shop had a tasting last night but we missed it. :-<

Yup, it would have been better if there were 8 of us and 4 bottles.

as usual, it is rubbish but the release of BN is always a good excuse to get drunk (as is the tradition in france).

i don't understand a "tasting" of the BN. why? do people stand around saying "...compared to the 2001 BN...". Maybe people feel more sophisticated in certain circles having an opinion on this year's BN.

BN is just bad wine meant to be gulped and not analysed. this is what is done in france.

We tried two. The georges duboeuf was a clear berry tast and the other, a l'Ancient Jean Pierre Brun, was a rougher taste yet fruity.

"i don't understand a "tasting" of the BN. why? do people stand around saying "...compared to the 2001 BN...". Maybe people feel more sophisticated in certain circles having an opinion on this year's BN."

I don't think anybody were standing around, swirling, sniffing, sipping, spitting, and writing notes as you seem to imply. For most people, this is just one time to have a respite and be able to lighten up by indulging in something that is less meditative than a Grand Cru, 1er Cru nor Village-level stuff that most of us drink on most days other than this one day.

BTW, my TN on the Duboeuf BN Village - neither angrily acidic nor tormentedly tannic. Simply frolicky fruity.

I cracked open the Jean Jean Syrrah (in the curvy bottle) and enjoyed 2 glasses of it : One with a roast chicken dinner and one as an aperitif before. It was sweeter than I was expecting.

We have company coming over tomorrow when we plan to try out the Georges Duboeuf with them.

I'm not a huge fan of BN but am happy to partake for a couple of weeks a year, and usually end up buying a case of the one we like best, which gets us through the upcoming Christmas Season with lots of casual wine drinkers dropping by. Best enjoyed no later than Christmas I find.

I'm sort of surprised you could get a bottle of that where you live, Ira, at least not in advance. I actually did like it last year (and I'm not a great fan of Duboeuf wines, although I guess that's their main claim to fame).

I'm going to a BN party tonight with a bunch of expat French people and other Francophones in my city at the Alliance Francaise, so we shall see. There is promise of live accordion music. (8) At our last party we did French karoke which was actually sort of fun.

Hi Christina,

> I'm sort of surprised you could get a bottle of that where you live, Ira,...<

So was I. We have a new wine shop. They have one case.

The Georges Duboeuf was excellent this year. Several couples brought different labels and everyone agreed on the Duboeuf.

Last two years it was sold out when I got there. Yesterday it hit the shelves and I was there! Enjoyable tasting, Ira, you will have to drink faster!
Zee

I haven't tried this wine (I'm a wineaux-in-training and haven't gotten to the French wines yet!). I just picked up a bottle of the Duboeuf. I'm hosting a slew of people for Thanksgiving who don't normally drink wine, and when they do, it's White Zinfandel. Would the Beaujolais Nouveau be a good starter red for them to try? Or should I just pop it open tonight for myself? :D

jocelyn,
i do not recommend serving this wine to people who don't usually drink wine as it is a terrible introduction.

I am far from being a wine snob but BN is meant to be tolerated at best. i had a great time last night in paris celebrating the new wine but the focus is on the event, not the wine.

the only "tasting notes" (i had to laugh at this in ezlivin's post) among all the many drunk french people i was with was "i hate this cr*p).

it is a very fun evening and a nice tradition (even though it is a shameless commercial concoction). but any serious discussion of the wine itself is laughable.

for your guests, you can get a much nicer wine at a much cheaper price.

by the way, what are they charging for a bottle of duboeuf BN in the US these days?

I disagree, I think this years BN By Georges du boeuf, noveau, was ok but it is meant for you to drink in a short few months and is a wine to serve to first timers.

Beaujolais Nouveau is sometimes cited as the closest red wine to white, so it might not be a bad thing to try on some white zinfandel people.

Isn't beaujolais nouveau ALWAYS a wine to drink "in a few short months"? I mean, no one puts it in their cellar, do they? I haven't tried this year's BN, but I don't think I'd serve it for Thanksgiving. I'm not a white Zinfandel fan, but if that's what Jocelyn's friends like, serve them that. The whole point of wine is to try different ones and drink what appeals to you, not drink ones the "experts" tell you to. Jocelyn - open that bottle NOW!

It is NOT a wine to be saved. Drink it as soon as you buy it that day preferably but it's life is below six months. It's pleasant, have tasted some recommended wines twice the price not as good. Go for your own palate as ypu would to travel the different areas of France.

StCirq, in San Francisco, we noted that a popular souvenir shirt slogan was: "Friends don't let friends drink White Zinfandel". ;)

lol Flyboy!