Liquid Assets

In a few weeks, we'll start hearing from the marketing forces behind France's famous Beaujolais Nouveau. I always cringe when the ads hit because I know that, again, this year, thousands of people will taste it and decide that the people of Beaujolais make lousy wine (merde, as one French magazine named it). Nothing could be further from the truth. True, Beaujolais Nouveau is generally characterless, but the wines you hardly ever see, the Beaujolais Crus, are the real reasons to fall in love with the Beaujolais. Unfortunately, since most folks don't know about the Crus, they never buy them, and since they never buy them, no stores carry them. It's a viciously circular problem that has caused the people of Beaujolais a constant headache.

There are three great reasons to take the time and trouble to find the good stuff. First, it is an incredible bargain for the quality -- the finest Beaujolais run under $15 and many come in under $10. Second, it is a perfect Texas wine, because it is meant to be drunk at a cool temperature (I like it between 50 and 55 degrees). Finally, few wines go as well with the broad spectrum of classic Texas cuisine, whether it's barbecue, Gulf Coast fish, or Tex-Mex.

One of the reasons that you don't hear a lot about the Crus is because the whole system is so confusing. Take the names. Besides Beaujolais Nouveau, you can also find wines labeled Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages or named simply for the area of Beaujolais that they come from. Even though all Beaujolais are made with one grape, the Gamay, all have different characteristics. The less expensive Beaujolais and Beaujolais Village have aromas and flavors of bright red fruits (like cherries and strawberries). The next step up the ladder, and the wines I hope you'll seek out, are a good deal more complex with floral and peach/apricot aromas and rich long-lasting flavors. These wines will carry one of the following names: Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Moulin-a-Vent, Chénas, Saint-Amour, or Régnié.

The three largest producers of these wines are George DuBoeuf, Joseph Drouhin, and Louis Jadot. All three make fine versions of most of the wines listed above. I think the most dependable is George DuBoeuf, whose floral labels are easy to recognize and whose distribution is sufficiently large that any good store should be able to order some for you. I recently had a chance to taste through all of their 2002 Beaujolais wines and found a line full of winners. My favorite was their Fleurie ($12), a wine that should age nicely over the next year or two. It has delicious acidity that would match nicely with roast chicken. I also loved their Régnié, which I recently found for $8.99 a bottle and went like a dream with barbecued pork ribs. My other choice was their Juliénas ($12), which had peppery flavors that harmonized with wild Coho salmon over a bed of kale.

Those of you interested in supporting smaller wineries should try Louis Tête wines. Their Beaujolais Villages ($10) is fruity in the style the French adore and goes great on a picnic with cold cuts and crusty bread. Step up to their Brouilly ($13) for a big, intense, cherry flavored wine that's a great match with a curried chicken salad.