Beaujolais 2021’s Hidden Treasures, plus Andean Seduction: Weekly Tasting Report (Jan 25-31)

One snowy morning last week, two palates loaded with samples landed outside Senior Editor Stuart Pigott’s home near Frankfurt, Germany – the start of his annual deep dive into the wines of Beaujolais, which always begins with Stuart lugging boxes of samples into his home, this time almost 500 of them.

“Although it took me a couple of days to make a real discovery, when I did it was a new first-league producer in this dynamic region, so it was worth the effort,” Stuart said.

Domaine de Vernus is a 12-hectare winery in the village of Regnie-Durette founded in 2019 by Frederic Jametton. That means the 2021 vintage wines Stuart tasted were Jametton’s third-ever vintage.

“For someone previously in the insurance business, making the first league in three years is a major achievement,” Stuart said of Jametton. “Every single wine was impressive, but one of them was the best Beaujolais we tasted so far this year.”

READ MORE TOP 100 WINES OF FRANCE 2022

The Domaine de Vernus Moulin-à-Vent Les Vérillats 2021 combines Burgundian richness with Beaujolais freshness and has a stunningly silky, long finish that seals the deal. “This special personality makes a lot of sense, because the winemaker is Guillaume Rouget, the son of Emmanuel Rouget of the eponymous domaine in Burgundy’s Cotes de Nuits,” Stuart said.

Although 2021 was a challenging vintage in Beaujolais, like most places to the north and west of the Alps there were some other impressive wines.

“Every 2021 Beaujolais cru wine I tasted from Domaine Gilles Copéret rated above 90, and there were a couple of amazing basic Beaujolais from Morel (Domaine des Prévelières), one of which gained the highest rating for a white Beaujolais from the chardonnay grape.

“Making discoveries like these is an important part of what makes this job special. When it happens I feel like a prospector who strikes gold!“ Stuart said.

Stuart’s Beaujolais marathon will last another three and a half weeks as he makes his way through almost 400 more wines, before he heads to the region to taste with about a dozen of the top producers. “I really look forward to being in Beaujolais, but first comes the heavy lifting and hopefully some more discoveries,” he said.

EXPERIENCE STUART PIGOTT'S 'BEAUJOLAIS ZONE'

In Tuscany, Tastings Editor Jo Cooke encountered two distinct faces of the Veneto winery Bussola. One, the Bussola Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Ca’ del Laito 2018, reflects the “Ripasso” handle to a T, a mix between Amarone and regular Valpolicella (the Valpo wine is “re-passed” over Amarone must during the winemaking process). In fact, the heady nose leads you to suspect it’s an Amarone, though the palate turns fresher and fruitier.

But then you try the gorgeous Bussola Vino Rosso d’Italia L’Errante 2014 and you're a bit bowled over. It’s a Bordeaux blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc that gets the full Veneto passimento treatment and gives you something between a ripasso, a recioto and who knows what else! “Errante” means “vagabond,” and this one has definitely strayed from its origins. But it’s delicious and has a unique feel, and if you manage to get hold of one of the 377 bottles made, you can count yourself lucky.

Two more great discoveries this week come from the village of Monforte d’Alba in Piemonte. The Monti Barolo Bussia Riserva 2016 and Monti Barolo Bricco San Pietro 2016 show how modern Barolos meld precision, intensity and vibrancy with a refined twist of savoriness and firmness.

READ MORE TOP 100 WINES OF ITALY 2022

ANDEAN SEDUCTION

In the Hong Kong office, South American wines rose to the top, with quite a few 94-plus pointers, led by Gualtallary, Argentina’s Zorzal Malbec Tupungato Valle de Uco El Barba 2019 – a seductive malbec with excellent drinkability, depth of flavors and broad complexity. What stood out for Senior Editor Zekun Shuai was its expressive fruit, flowers, graphite and grilled herbs, alongside an intense yet quite ethereal palate and melted, sweet tannins. It is  beautifully poised despite having 15 percent alcohol.

A few other Argentine wines from Mendoza impressed us with their Mediterranean expressiveness. Solocontigo Wines delivered some exciting garnacha and monastrell offerings, particularly with the 2020 vintage of their Neelands Rows Selection series.

From the other side of the Andes, Chile also delivered some memorable wines this week, with Cono Sur, Longavi and Casas del Bosque right at the top of our list. The Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon Valle de Maipo Silencio 2018 is a classy expression of the vintage – a little less concentrated and ample than 2017 but carrying more elegance in its layers. It has the gravity and finesse you would expect from a top Chilean cabernet, with its sweet tobacco, cigar box and fine, ashy blackberry and blackcurrant nose following through to a long and well-structured palate with decomposed tannins.

READ MORE TOP 100 WINES OF ARGENTINA 2022

For a meatier and serious red with a full-bodied palate and dense and polished tannins, try the Casas del Bosque Valle de Casablanca La Trampa Private Reserve 2020. This wine shows the potential of the appellation for a great syrah-based blend, in this case with some malbec and a splash of pinot noir. While varietal pinot noir and sauvignon blanc might have suffered in this vintage in Casablanca, the syrahs are very consistent, and Casa del Bosque has produced an excellent example.

We also discovered a few fun Chilean whites this past week, one of the best being the Longavi Valle de Maule Huerta de Maule Cementerio 2021 – a nicely reductive yet creamy and mineral chenin blanc that comes from vines grafted onto very old pais rootstock in Maule. The wine shows impressive intensity and texture with vibrancy and brightness throughout its full-bodied palate.

Scroll down to find out more about all the wines we have enjoyed over a fruitful week of tasting.

– Stuart Pigott, Senior Editor; Jo Cooke, Tastings Editor; Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.