Is it global warming or just a coincidence? August has traditionally been ‘les vacances’ for the French, but now those lazy days of summer seem to be replaced by ‘le vendanges’ (at least for some). “This has been a year of unpredictable weather and initially, we thought the harvest would begin even earlier than it did - this is only the fifth time in my life that I witnessed the start of the Beaujolais harvest before September, three in the last decade (2000, 2003 and 2007)” said Georges Duboeuf. “The harvest in Beaujolais officially began on August 25th, thanks to the dry and fresh ‘bise’ (North wind), we didn’t begin to pick in the Pierres Dorées (golden stones) region until a little later on September 5th.” These hillside vineyards are where most of the Beaujolais appellation is harvested. Duboeuf believes that the majority of the harvest will be completed by September 25th.

“While I cannot assess the entire harvest until it is over, it does seem that the yield this year is significantly less than in 2006.” Duboeuf further believes that this is the year of the perfectionist. “This is a harvest that requires a great deal of attention from the vineyards to the vat in order to extract the essence of a vintage that experienced some very capricious climate conditions.”

The colors of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau range from a vibrant crimson red to red tinged with purple. The bouquet is lovely with very floral and fruity aromas that highlight fresh raspberry, red and black currants along with crushed strawberries. “My initial impression on the palate is of fresh grapes with crisp and delicious flavors that touch on boiled sweets and mimic the lighthearted aromatics,” explained Duboeuf. “This is a Beaujolais Nouveau that shows the purity of the Gamay grape and the brilliance of a pleasant and delicious young wine.”

The first wine of this vintage, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 will be in Malta on Thursday, November 15th. For more information on Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau please visit www.winewithoutrules.com.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 is imported, marketed and distributed by Wands Limited, a subsidiary company of The Farsons Group of Companies.