Domaine Cheveau Saint-Amour 'Villa Violette'

From the northernmost Beaujolais Cru, where the wines tend to be lighter and fresher, this is deeply colored, full-flavored, and laced with explosive dark fruit. Disregard your preconceived notions of Gamay and Beaujolais, and try this!

This new cuvee is composed of five parcels of vines the estate recently acquired. Average vine age is 60 to 70 years, and these old vines are part of the quality equation here. Cheveau also chooses to de-stem their grapes, and they allow a long cold maceration and cuvaison which extracts more color, body, and flavor. At the end of the day, whatever they are doing to craft this wine get two thumbs up from me.

So what's it like? I think I've gotten the point across that this one is dark, especially for a Beaujolais. That characteristic immediately caught my attention, but it was the aroma that truly enchanted me. Soaring notes of dark and brambly berries, smoky mineral, violet, and spice all show up to the party. The palate is also delightful with a perfect balance of ripe, fresh fruit and firm tannin. This is very different than Beaujolais Nouveau, and it's unlike any Saint-Amour I've ever tried.

It you want to experience the good side of Beaujolais, try this impressive wine. It's like Pinot Noir meets Syrah. There is a terrific elegance/power interplay going on here that is hard to put into words. Get a bottle, and experience this one for yourself.