Looking out over the Moulin-À-Vent wine region within Beaujolais, France

This is a supplement to the regular Vino Voices blog, and complements a Forbes piece I wrote about tasting several Crus du Beaujolais wines.

For a background on Crus du Beaujolais wines (which are generally excellent), you should read the above article.

The following are brief tasting notes regarding several additional Crus du Beaujolais wines, in addition to those mentioned in the other article. All of these wines, in my humble opinion, score above 90 points on a 100 point scale. These are generally excellent value wines, many of which will age for several years, if not decades.

Jeff Kralik and Charlotte Perrachon at the Moulin-À-Vent (windmill)

Cave du Château de Chénas. Moulin-À-Vent Coeur de Granit. 2015.

Light plums on the nose which turn slightly smoky after a minute in the glass. Opens in the mouth to a taste of luscious and light raspberries; delicate like a Fleurie. Very mild tannins.

Château de Bellevue. Moulin-À-Vent La Roche. 2015.

Mildly pungent on the nose. Gorgeous black fruits in the mouth. Slightly layered. Weak to medium tannins.

Château de La Terrière. Moulin-À-Vent Le Moulin. 2015.

Luscious and opulent black fruit and cherries on the nose. Slight citrus in the mouth. Medium tannins.

Château de La Terrière. Moulin-À-Vent Le Moulin. 2016.

Similar to the 2015 (above), but bigger black cherries on the nose. Rounded and elegant.

Château des Gimarets. Moulin-À-Vent Espirit de Ma Terre. 2014.

Black fruit, earth and blueberries on the nose. Light to medium structure. Slightly gravelly and fruit full beauty in the mouth.

Château des Gimarets. Moulin-À-Vent Tradition. 2015. [91.5 points]

Deliciously soft raspberries on the nose and additional violets in the mouth. Luscious with subtle tannins.

Édouard Pârinet of Château Moulin-À-Vent, Beaujolais

 

Château des Jacques. Moulin-À-Vent Clos de Grand Carquelin. 2014. [91.5 points]

Huge bouquet of focused black fruit, tar and cherries on the nose. Soft and nuanced in the mouth with mild tannins.

Domaine Anita. Moulin-À-Vent Coeur de Vigneronne. 2015.

Mild earth, truffle and blackberries on the nose. Luscious cherries with medium complexity in the mouth.

Domaine Bourdon. Moulin-À-Vent. 2014.

Distinct on the nose and mildly pungent—similar aromas to Cabernet Franc. Deep dark fruit. In the mouth raspberries; medium tannins.

Domaine Bourdon. Moulin-À-Vent. 2015.

Raspberries and dark plums on the nose. A hefty and commanding mouthful with black cherries and black pepper. Well balanced with medium tannins.

Domaine Cédric Vincent. Moulin-À-Vent Les Merizes. 2015.

Beautifully soft and elegant on the nose with violets and truffles. This is a gorgeous fruit filled mouthful. Slightly acidic. Low to medium tannins.

Domaine Cédric Vincent. Moulin-À-Vent L’Harmonie. 2016.

Deeply beautiful Pinot Noir like aromas on the nose, though mildly acidic. Opens to red fruit in the mouth, with soft tannins.

Guarding the terroir

Domaine de Bel-Air. Moulin-À-Vent Granit & Manganèse. 2015.

Raspberries and Play-Doh on the nose. Bright cherries in the mouth. Smooth, well-balanced easy to drink wine. Deliciously delicate.

Domaine Céline & Nicolas Hirsch. Moulin-À-Vent. 2016.

Bright raspberries on the nose, slight citrus in the mouth. Crisp, slightly pungent.

Domaine de Colette. Moulin-À-Vent. 2015.

Plum and tar on the nose, gorgeous black cherries and raspberries in the mouth. Delicate, weak tannins. This is an easy drinking beauty.

Domaine de Gry-Sablon. Moulin-À-Vent Vieilles Vignes. 2015.

Hefty black fruit on the nose. In the mouth—focused florals and black cherries. This is a commanding wine: fruit forward, balanced and firm with medium tannins.

Domaine de La Chèvre Bleue. Moulin-À-Vent Réserve Philibert. 2015.

Red fruit on the nose. Fine chocolate and cherries and slight tarragon in the mouth. Layered and somewhat complex. Mild tannins.

Domaine de La Paillardière. Moulin-À-Vent Cuvée 12M. 2014.

Black fruit and beef on the nose. Orange rind, pepper and red fruit in the mouth. A well rounded mouthful with medium tannins.

A range of cru wines from Moulin-À-Vent, Beaujolais

Domaine de L’Iris. Moulin-À-Vent Domaine de L’Iris. 2016.

Light, barely distinct fruit on the nose. Bright lavender and mandarin in the mouth. Mildly tannic. Mildly distinct minerality.

Domaine Des Caves. Moulin-À-Vent Cuvée Étalon. 2014.

Mildly pungent aroma. Mingles with black cherry to provide a commanding, balanced nose. Gorgeous full fruit mouthful.

Domaine des Caves. Moulin-À-Vent Cuvée Étalon. 2015.

Nose includes hibiscus and pear—pleasant and also floral. Full and hearty mouthful of fruit with slight minerality.

Domaine des Fontaines. Moulin-À-Vent. 2015.

Mild blackberries on the nose. Slightly citric and round in the mouth. Will go well with fish or game.

Domaine des Pierres Roses. Moulin-À-Vent Champ de Cour. 2015.

Gorgeous Burgundian like nose. Violets and acorns and slight tar. A full mouthful with tangerines and red fruit.

Domaine de Rochegrès. Moulin-À-Vent Domaine de Rochegrès. 2016.

Light raspberries, mild lemon rind and caramel on the nose. In the mouth the same. This is a well-balanced basket of fruit.

Cellars below Château Moulin-À-Vent, Beaujolais

Domaine des Rosiers. Moulin-À-Vent Vieilles Vignes. 2015.

Nose is light with mild scent of plum. Balanced cherries and nuts in the mouth. Mildly, and nicely, crunchy in the mouth.

Domaine des Rosiers. Moulin-À-Vent Vieilles Vignes 2016.

Bright and powerful plumbs on the nose. In the mouth—raspberry, pleasant and full taste of plumb and graphite. This is an easy drinking wine, far more fruit than minerality.

Domaine du Penlois. Moulin-À-Vent Sous L’Aile du Moulin. 2014.

Bright fruit and florals on the nose and in the mouth. Beautifully easy drinking wine.

Domaine Labruyère. Moulin-À-Vent Coeur de Terroir. 2015.

Gorgeously soft and supply black pepper on the nose. Rounded, mineral and very approachable in the mouth. Perfect for fish or light game.

Domaine Labruyère. Moulin-À-Vent Le Carquelin. 2015.

Spice and black fruit on the nose. Rounded, well-balanced and includes a fully approachable fruit mélange in the mouth.

Domaine Louis Boillot & Fils. Moulin-À-Vent Les Brussellions. 2015.

Black pepper and green pepper on the nose. Rounded and full in the mouth.

On a clear day, you can see the Sâone River and beyond

Domaine Merlin. Moulin-À-Vent La Rochelle. 2014.

Simple raspberries and mushrooms on the nose, creamy minestrone and spice in the mouth. Slightly tart, easy drinking.

Domaine Jean-Pierre Mortet. Moulin-À-Vent. 2014.

Peaches and caramel on the nose. Rounded raspberry rodeo in the mouth. Supple, satisfying. Low tannins.

Domaine Richard Rottiers. Moulin-À-Vent Champ de Cour. 2015.

Light fruit, mild tannins, easy drinking.

Juillard Wolkowicki. Moulin-À-Vent Éole. 2015. [91.75 points]

Light and beautiful florals. Lavender and black cherries in the mouth.

Maison Jean Loron. Moulin-À-Vent Champ de Cour. 2015.

Less than distinct nose, but full and gorgeous rounded tropical fruits in the mouth. Mild tannins.

An array of colorful Beaujolais tastes

Maison Le Nid. Moulin-À-Vent Tradition. 2015.

Mild on the nose. An attractive raspberry and pepper package in the mouth.

Maison Mommessin. Moulin-À-Vent Domain de Champ de Cour. 2015.

Bright, light and fruity mouthful. Light tannins and low complexity. Subdued, but easy drinking.

Manoir du Carra. Moulin-À-Vent Famille Sambardier. 2015.

Bright plumb and pepper on the nose. Raspberry and plums in the mouth. Fruit forward, few discernible tannins.

 

 

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