Beaujolais 2018 cru vintage guide: more than 110 wines rated

Individual cru analysis and top-scoring wines for:

Morgon | Moulin-à-Vent | Fleurie | Brouilly & Côte de Brouilly | St-Amour, Régnié, Juliénas and Chénas

The 2018 vintage continues a very fine run for the under-rated crus of Beaujolais.

With a hot, dry, growing season, the Gamay grape has thrived on distinctive granitic soils to create highly appealing, fruit-forward wines which are fine exponents of the concept of terroir. Add the fact that many examples deliver quality and value (the latter particularly in comparison with the Côte d’Or), this makes Beaujolais a region deserving attention. Of 130 wines tasted, more than 50% were awarded 90 points or more.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Andy Howard MW’s top-scoring Beaujolais 2018 cru wines

Location

Beaujolais runs roughly north-south from close to Mâcon to Villefranche-sur-Saône, divided (roughly) into two halves.

The northern sector is the home to the Beaujolais crus, with convex hills of volcanic granite and metamorphic schist, weathered to give thin, generally acidic soils. Physically close to neighbouring Mâconnais, the northern Beaujolais could hardly be more different.

In Burgundy, limestone and clay dominate on largely east-facing sedimentary slopes, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay king and queen.

Within the Beaujolais crus, the vigorous Gamay grape is checked by poor soils, leading to wines balancing early-drinking exuberance with pronounced terroir character and ageing potential.

Many estates are blessed with old-vines – 40, 50 or even 80 years old. Allied to this is a new-wave of younger vignerons, as well as some cult winemakers who have been at the forefront of driving the minimal-intervention, ‘natural’ wine movement.

When all of these factors come together with an excellent growing season – as in 2018 – then the results should be very positive.

Crus

The tasting included wines from across all 10 of the crus.

Cyril Chirouze, winemaker at Château des Jacques, Louis Jadot’s Moulin-à-Vent domaine, is very positive about the vintage: ‘2018 is one of the best of the past 30 years.’

Edouard Parinet, owner of Château du Moulin-à-Vent, agrees: ‘2018 is a rich and powerful vintage that can be compared to the glorious 2015.’ Parinet notes the ‘joviality and immediacy’ of 2018, whereas ‘2015 was more austere and closed in its youth’.

The view among winemakers and merchants, backed up by the wines tasted here, is that 2018 is a vintage delivering high quality and approachability, together with good volumes.

See all 110 Beaujolais 2018 cru wines tasted

2018 vintage conditions

Although 2018 was shaped by extremely hot weather in July and August, a key reason for the success of the vintage lies in the preceding winter – one of the wettest for 60 years.

Water reserves were replenished, enabling vines to cope during the extreme summer heat. After a cold February and early March, budbreak occurred in mid April (much later than 2017) with flowering in mid May.

Nadine Gublin, winemaker at Domaine Labruyère in Moulin-à-Vent, noted the influence of a second period of substantial rainfall – between mid-May and mid-June 70% more rain fell than normal. After the dramatic hail losses in 2016 and 2017, growers were fearful about the threat of mildew, however a new moon on 13 June ushered in a very dry, sunny period which saved the crop.

Virtually no rain fell before harvest and, although the heatwave in July and August was extreme (August was one of the three hottest since 1959), fears of over-ripeness and excessive alcohol levels did not materialise.

Instead, the wines are fresher, with slightly higher acidity and lower alcohol than their counterparts from the renowned 2015 vintage.

They are approachable with vibrant dark fruit, appealing floral perfume and a succulence making many immediately appealing.

Andy Howard MW also tasted 20 Beaujolais cru wines from older vintages:

14 from 2017 | 3 from 2016 | 3 from 2015 | 1 from 2014 

After the hail-reduced yields in 2016 and 2017 (some producers in Chiroubles, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie and Morgon lost more than 80% of their crop), 2018 was a year where volumes were above the average.

Estates and co-operatives have good stocks, which should allow consumers to benefit from attractive, well-priced wines for some time to come.

Cru Beaujolais: vintage guide

2018 Abundant crop of flamboyant, ripe, dark fruit Beaujolais which retain freshness, moderate alcohol and good acidity. A fine vintage where the best wines will age very well.

2017 Fleshy wines with immediate appeal. Heavily affected by hail in July – some producers in Morgon lost 80%. Very dry conditions in the summer. Approachable but not for long-keeping.

2016 Very challenging vintage with frost and several hail storms drastically reducing yields. Fresh and pleasurable wines with much less density than 2015 but do allow terroir character to shine.

2015 Good ripeness of fruit from a dry, hot growing season. Powerful, structured wines with higher alcohol. Seen by some as atypical of Beaujolais.

2014 As in the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, a fresher vintage which often suits the character of Beaujolais. Appealing, crisp wines but certainly no blockbuster.

Particular cru profiles

The crus largely delivered as expected with lighter, fragrant wines from St-Amour and Régnié, with elegant bottles from the higher vineyards of Chiroubles.

Juliénas and Chénas were structured and weighty, with Fleurie and Brouilly – substantial crus in terms of size – giving softer, fragrant and appealing wines, albeit with more variability.

Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent confirmed their claim as the leading crus in terms of terroir character and age-worthiness, with many of the wines from Moulin-à-Vent demonstrating a much glossier and supple character with less of the grippy, tannic and rustic edges seen in earlier years. Côte de Brouilly provided some classy examples and, along with Chiroubles, is a cru to watch.

Vinification-wise, a number of winemakers are changing their approach in the use of whole-bunch, as opposed to destemmed, grapes.

Although many still favour traditional semi-carbonic maceration, some leading estates have moved to a higher proportion of destemmed bunches (in some cases 100%). There is also a trend towards larger wooden maturation vessels and a reduction in the proportion of new wood. One slight concern is that some wines have become a little too polished and Burgundian in approach. While a reduction in rusticity is welcome, Beaujolais needs to combine this with its own vibrant, unique style.

There were also too many heavyweight bottles on show (some more than 1.5kg) which doesn’t sit comfortably with many producers’ drive towards sustainable practices and minimal intervention.

Ageing

2018 is undoubtedly a vintage to enjoy.

With wines attractively priced and available, the 2018 Beaujolais crus can be recommended.

The best wines will age well for five to 10 years, with the potential to develop into some wonderful examples of Gamay from this highly distinctive region.

Few grape varieties manage to deliver early appeal and future ageing potential in the same way as Gamay, so now is a great time to go hunting.

See Andy Howard MW’s top-scoring Beaujolais 2018 cru wines

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