My first exposure to Beaujolais Nouveau was a couple of years ago, listening to a customer complain to me about how popular it had become, which is ironic considering I had never heard of it. People always assume you know more than them when you’re the one pouring the wine. This particular customer was upset that her secret wine, the one that gave her hipster cred, was now so widely recognized and sought after. So, in the same way Groucho Marx refused to be a part of any organization that would have someone like him as a member, it seemed as though this woman was declaring Beaujolais Nouveau had peaked because now even louts like me were engaged in conversations about it. God forbid if the unwashed masses want to enjoy a nice glass of wine.
For me, Beaujolais Nouveau is just another of those wines I always enjoy figuratively, but rarely make the time to enjoy literally. I’ve never had a bad experience with it, but there always seems to be another wine demanding my attention. When I saw this bottle sitting on the shelf at Gene’s Sausage Shop, I decided it was time treat myself, and write a review about one of those tragically fashionable Beaujolais wines.
Founded in 1865, Mommessin is a négociant winery that produces a variety of Beaujolais wines. Their website doesn’t have a lot of information in general, I could find almost nothing about this particular Beaujolais Nouveau, outside of a press release crediting the artist behind the label, Jeanne Saint-Clair, an illustrator from Lyon. I was unable to find more work from the artist online, not even an Instagram page. If anyone finds anything, let me know, I thought the label was very fun and would love to see more of their work.
This was pretty much everything you would expect from a Beaujolais Nouveau, it was light, fruity, had a refreshing acidity, and was easy to drink. Made from 100% Gamay, it possessed a nice assortment of raspberry and cranberry flavors, but was uncomplicated. So, it’s not the kind of wine to sit and ponder over, but rather the glass of wine that makes the troubles of the day seem like a distant memory. It is the personification of carefree youth. It was the perfect wine to sip on while taking photos on an free afternoon.
Despite what my customer thought, I have yet to find a flood of Beaujolais on the market, nouveau or otherwise. To be honest I would welcome it. While this wine was certainly uncomplicated, it possessed more character than the domestically produced, light-bodied wines it would be competing with, and I’m always one to welcome greater variety. Wines like this should be shared and enjoyed, not horded and used as some artifact to demonstrate how cultured of a wine drinker you are. Besides, Beaujolais is hardly obscure.