Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 in Paris

The Beaujolais crowd at Le Garde Robe (rue de L'Arbre Sec) Paris, november 17
The weather had turned unexpectedly cold a few days before the 3rd thursday of november, which is Day One for the simultaneous release of Beaujolais Nouveau around the globe. The temperature was not that cold in comparison with the deep winter, but for some reason, the humidity or something like that, it was feeling very cold, and I was thinking that touring the bars for the Bojo might not be fun. But when thursday november 17th came, it was again the mild autumn that we've been enjoying so far. I thought I might hop from wine bar to wine spot with my bike and see how was the mood. B. was spending the day in Rouen with a group of Japanese and she would be home late, leaving me free rein to scour the streets of Paris looking for wine fun.
Scouring the streets of Paris is an exageration of course, I made a plan of 5 or 6 wine bars & wine shops where I knew there would be an enjoyable scene and went there after work. Doing more would have been feasible but traffic is not getting better in Paris (even on a motorcycle) and also 6 wine places are beyond my own resistance, especially when you know how wine is being poured on this occasion... I had planned initially to go to Les Pipos in the 5th, but I called there and the owner told me that he had received a letter from the Prefecture ordering him to refrain from any particular event, the neighboors having probably complained about the noise. This is too bad because Les Pipos has been for years a golden spot for Beaujolais Nouveau (and anti Beaujolais-Nouveau) craze...

Triple-A rating for natural wines With my desire not to miss anything and spend some time at each wine place I had planned to visit, I arrived a bit early at La Contre Etiquette at 31 rue Sainte Marthe near Colonel Fabien, La Contre Etiquette being the wine shop managed by Christophe Guitar and his associates. Two of them were preparing the charcuterie and the bottles, but I was the first to show up and the chain opening of Beaujolais Nouveau hadn't begun yet. I jumped on the opportunity to buy two bottles for Marise, who had asked me to take two bottles of Beaujolais made by a vigneron named Xavier Benier, a guy whom we had met in this very place a few months ago (3rd story on this page), tasting very interesting wines in the way. Marise wanted the Beaujolais Nouveau of Xavier Benier, plus his Beaujolais Blanc. As one of the guys there offered me to taste this Beaujolais white, I accepted with intense curiosity. This wasn't a Nouveau wine (it's a 2010) but it was a great opening for my evening. This white Beaujolais is quite incredible, a full, vibrant mouth whith a sensual gliding feel when you swallow it. This page in French says that it's made from 4-year old vines (of Chardonnay) and that it's a 1200-bottle cuvée with no sulphur added during the vinification, only a bit at bottling. This beauty costs 12 € at the shop, and the Beaujolais Nouveau by the same guy costs 8 €. There are other cuvées from this small winery at the shop. I alas didn't taste his Nouveau because I left, thinking I would come back when things would have heated up, but it turned out that I was engulfed into the other wine-bars action and missed this wine...

I shot this picture above in the wine shop, this drawing makes a good counterpart to the triple-A debate about the endebted French state which begins to put the spotlight on the ever-increasing spending by the government, the regions and the major cities in France. Here at least, we're sure that the debt-free, additives-free wines will keep their triple-A rating in the hearts of the happy consumers (AAA for Artisanal, Amable and Appetizing)... The drawing was made by some one I didn't note the name of, and who works for the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo (I hope they'll not get a fatwa for this one).

Speaking of triple-A rating and credibility, there's a major scandal on its way in the world of wine, with this Jay Miller/Pancho Campo story involving large sums of money extorted from the wineries for organizing winery visits and bottle tastings by the wine critic in Spain. This is all well explained by wine writer Jim Budd (read this page, also this page and also this page) and this will probably durably impair the credibility of Robert Parker's people in Spain, even though Parker may not condone such schemes himself.

[Edit] Read about further developments on this Jay Miller/Pancho Campo-gate story in this post and this one.
[re-Edit] Other rounds of developments of the Campo/Miller-gate on this post. Seems like a triple-A downgrade for Jay Miller.
[Edit again] Another post by Jim Budd.
[Edit] Further light, more figures on this story by Jim Budd.
[Edit] Wine scandal swirls around Baltimore critic, story.
[Edit] Another post on this affair, here.
[Edit] More on Wine Business International.

Tasting Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 at Le Vin en Tête My next stop was Le Vin en Tête at 30 rue des Batignolles in the 17th, this is the main shop of this major natural-wine retailer, which has now three shops around Paris. Going there was a bit tricky, with a traffic jam at Place Clichy which I could pass only by riding on the sidewalk. I had called the shop to see what they were pouring that evening, as a couple years ago I had tasted a very nice Bojo there, made by Nicolas Testard with the help of Fred Cossard, this was a gorgeous Beaujolais. They told me that they were pouring for free 5 different Beaujolais Nouveau and I thought I couldn't miss going there.
The guy there was very friendly, there was already someone tasting the wines, which made the place roomy and easy. Parisians are spoiled or grossly misinformed, I tell you : 5 Bojos from some of the best winemakers for free and still some room around the table ?!? All right, it was maybe 6:30 or 7 but still, this is mind boggling... So I tasted the wines along with eatings bits of the artisan saucisson and baguette offered by the wine shop. The pours were generous, not really what I call a tasting, this was a nice drink of each wine.
__ Beaujolais Nouveau by Michel Guignier (pictured on right). The man pouring the wine says that there are two guys with this name in Beaujolais, which may induce mistakes when you order the wines. This one is based in Villié Morgon and works on 8 hectares in biodynamy. The nose of the wine is intense, almost mineral, while quite acidic in the mouth. Very aromatic and pleasant Beaujolais. Costs 8 € at the shop.
__Beaujolais Nouveau 2011, Chateau Cambon Lapierre. Costs 10,5 € No notes, sorry.
__ Beaujolais Nouveau Villages Georges Descombes. Costs 9,6 €. Not the best Beaujolais that I had from Descombes, but still fine. I sting to my cases of Morgon of Descombes and every time I open a bottle, it's an enjoyment.
__ Beaujolais Nouveau Villages 2011, by Lapalu (pictured on left). Costs 8 €. No notes, but interesting wine from what I remember.
__ Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 by Jean Foillard. Costs 10,5 €. No notes but I remember loving this one. Bottling Lapanu at Le Garde Robe As I was leaving, I learnt about the Wine-shop annexe very close from there, it is located 4 rue Bridaine on a dead-end street. It was formerly named¨Ô Bigre but was recently (last august if I remember) taken over by Le Garde Robe, an old-time wine restaurant located near Rue de Rivoli. It was too much work fot the people of Le Vin en Tête to manage the wine bar and all the other wine shops and wine courses activities, so they gave the management to the people of Le Garde Robe, the wine shop keeping providing the wine range.
The guy at the wine shop told me they were bottling Lapalu's wine and selling the bottles, and when I arrived there, there were these two girls joyously filling the bottles and corking them. There were obviously not very familiar with the trade but learning well. A man I believe is the manager was serving onion soup for free on the sidewalk (picture on right) which was enough to salivate and jump to another wine try. I walked into the bar, which bears some of the standards of the wine places nowadays, a Merkel slicing machine for the charcuteries and traditional wooden chairs. The room is still simple and warmful, and the place can be used as a wine shop, I mean you can hop there late in the evening just to buy a bottle and go, there is no cork fee in that case.
I didn't want to taste again Lapalu's wine so I asked for something else than Beaujolais, and I was suggested this gem : a very beautiful Syrah named Mon Ptit Barriot by a winery named Vin de L'Origine, managed by Marc Barriot. Superb wine, with a bright mouth, aromas of dry eucaptus leaves and the likes, ink and stones. They sell the wine for 5 € a glass and you mustr try this if you're around. They served the wine carafed, filled from a bag-in-box to make it affordable by the glass. The bottle is available at Le Vin en Tête, I think the guy told me. On this website, it's sold for 9 € a bottle. Spring, the wine shop My next stop was for Spring near the rue de Rivoli and very close from the eastern wing of the the Louvre, at 52 rue de L'Arbre Sec. It's probably the American-most wine shop in Paris, as it is managed by a team of American vinophiles headed by Josh Adler. The Spring wine shop has been augmented a few months ago by Spring restaurant, where American chef Daniel Rose is said to make wonders. All the wines at Spring wine shop are carefully-selected artisan wines, many being what you could call natural wines. Like for many of these wine shops I'm talking about here and there, you can literally buy anything blind, there's just good stuff here. This special event made the place particularly crowded, with lots of gorgeous American women, they do like wine, don't they... Josh with the Bojo Nouveau of Karim Vionnet Josh offered me a pour of Karim Vionnet's Beaujolais Nouveau, a very nice wine which, added to the previous ones that I had got, helped me socialize with the friendly public. Josh told me that actually, this wine shop was inaugurated officially on a Beaujolais-Nouveau day two years ago (in 2009), so every year they have this opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of the venue simultaneously with the relase of the Beaujolais Nouveau. Spring also serves food every day, so it's more than a wine shop, you can eat excellent dishes as well as buy a selection of non-wine artisan foods. Meg and Barbra I was happy to fall upon Meg Zymbeck and Barbra Austin, among other people that evening, each of them being active bloggers. I met Meg Zymbeck for the first time a little more than a year ago for the opening of Paris by Mouth, a collective blog centered around gastronomy and wine in Paris where you can finds lots of informations and tips. Like I wrote sometime ago, you find sometimes more tips about real-life venues through expats blogs than from locals... We exchanged news and chatted lenghtly, and I couldn't say no when Meg offered me a pour of her bottle of Foillard. By the way, she offered me also a slice from her plate of Tourte au Foie Gras, after which I found myself with a full plate I didn't ordered. Meg, if you payed the bill, I'll pay you a drink next time... Brendan pouring another Beaujolais Brendan is also working at Spring. He's been living in Paris for a few years (his wife is French) and after a few years spent teaching English, he turned to wine and decided to study and invest himself in this field. He's originally from Eugene, Oregon, and I told him how I liked the central and eastern Oregon, from Crater Lake to Bend and beyond, to Hells Canyon... We drove through this backcountry with B. a few years ago and loved it, it's the desert with few tourists and many real-life small communities in the middle of nowhere, so beautiful. When I shot this picture, Brendan had been pouring the 2 other glasses and as I needed another pour just for the picture, I asked him to fill my glass although I had sworn it was enough for me, but can you believe it, I ended up drinking this great wine... I think I'm begining to know the clever tricks and ruses... Jérémie Illouz pouring his Gamay I love when you come for a Beaujolais Nouveau and end up discovering a gem of a Gamay from the Languedoc.... Jérémie Illouz was also present that day in Spring, he was pouring one of his wines, an incredible Gamay from Cahors. Jérémie is a vineyard hunter, he scours the backcountry of Languedoc looking for small plots of vineyards still managed the old way, then, when he finds what he believes is a great potential plot, he looks for the owner in order to convince him to sell him his grapes and let him vinify the wine in the owner's chai. He set up a négoce named Terroir Explorer with an associate. Here, this Gamay comes from a tiny, 50-are plot, the vines being trained in goblets (very unusual in Cahors) at an altitude of 300 meters, and the wine was made in a simple barn, the press being an old vertical press, the very one owned by the grower. The wine has the structure of a Cahors wine but the freshness of Gamay, avery nice wine indeed. It's technically a table wine for the labelling, of course. Jérémie says that he made a semi-carbonic maceration of 12 days, the sugar finishing themselves in the liquid stage. Zero additives including SO2, it will be bottled next spring (he filled a couple of magnums for this tasting). This wine will cost about 10 to 12 € (public price) when released Le Garde Robe' Bojo Nouveau crowd After Spring, I just had to cross the street to (try) enter the other hot wine spot of the area, the Garde Robe, which is the mother wine bar of the one near Le Vin en Tête in the 17th. It's at 41 rue de L'Arbre Sec, also virtually a minute from the eastern tip of the Louvre. This place is now a long-time player on the wine bar scene in Paris. I'm not too familiar with it, although it's a serious venue which also sells bottles to go. There were so many people that evening that the patrons were all over the street, joyously chatting and using the parked cars as tables for the Beaujolais bottles. I found my way inside and asked for a glass. But the staff was only serving full bottles, which is OK when'you're a group of people, but not so easy when you're alone. Happily, the guy up there at the other Garde Robe had given me a small piece of paper saying free wine glass and I could try something in the bar. I chose also a non-Beaujolais-Nouveau : a red Touraine from Nadine & Gérard Marula, here is another artisan winery that I never heard about. The pictures on the linked winery blog makes you also feel that's it's a real place with friendly people, and all the family taking part like in old-time wine farms. The cuvée is named Le Haut Midi, it's a blend of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, gamay and grolleau. Very nice, easy-drinking wine, with a wriggling feel all along the swallowing and lots of freshness. It seems to be already known beyond France, and exported in the UK.
Whilst sipping my glass at the end corner of the bar, I could enjoy the buzz of the place, this was really a hot day for the staff, they were opening bottles all the time, as well as preparing charcuterie plates to go with. On the left when you walk in, you have all the bottles you can choose from, either to drink there with a cork fee, or to go. Very good selection of wines of course here, many outstanding natural wines, some well-known, some coming out of the blue like the one I tasted. Axel Baraquin (left), toasting My last spot I went to was La Cave de L'Insolite in the 11th at 30 rue de La Folie Méricourt. I parked ny motorcycle on the other side of the street, theorically to keep an eye on it as I left 3 bottles on the rear, the 2 I bought for Marise and another one the Beaujolais from Mugnier that I bought at Le Vin en Tête (but I never really checked if it was still there during my stay...). La Vave de L'Insolite is a wine shop/wine restaurant very near from another outstanding wine shop, Le Verre Volé, which is located 38 rue Oberkampf, really 30 seconds from there.
I'm not always keeping up with the last developments on the wine scene, and I thought I'd find Michel Moulherat at the wheel there, but learned that he had left the management of the venue to two brothers, Arnaud & Axel Baraquin, who have been extending the table side of the maison. There'll be less references than under Moulherat (he had more than 200 different wines), but still, they'll keep a good range of 110 wines. They have 80 of them already, and will increase gradually to reach their goal. When they took over the place, there was no stock remaining so they had to reconstruct it from scratch. La Cave de L'Insolite Busy day at la Cave de L'Insolite, the place was crowded, apparently most people were regulars knowing the place. Like AuPassage, it's in a residential neighborhood and many people live around here. As soon as I walked in, one of the two brothers spotted me and offered me a glass, it was a Beaujolais Nouveau from Chateau Cambon (Lapierre). Between busy runs to serve people and take orders, Arnaud Baraquin told me that he worked previously a year at L'Os à Moelle in the 15th with chef Thierry Faucher. He also worked a few years in the UK as well at Le Crillon and La Tour D'Argent in Paris. Here at the Cave de L'Insolite, they hired an Irish chef, named mike.
When they took the management of the Cave, Arnaud and Axel had to figure out how to distribute the tables and sittings, Michel Moulherat had during his time put a high table at the end of the room if you remember, but it was not there anymore, so they designed this other high table near the door, which plays the role of a bar counter for a casual glass or even a couple of plates between friends. Michel Moulhérat had started himself to serve food in addition to wine in here, that was a couple years ago if I'm right. Now it's on a larger scale, which makes an easier business than just selling wine. Plus, when unsuspecting clents come here for dinner, they may discover wines that they wouldn't have the opportunity to come across in a conventional restaurant. Irénée opening another bottle We'll miss Michel Moulhérat who has been for years a friendly and passionate advocate of real wines on the wine shop scene, in this old and worn-looking shop, but this place seems to be on the right track to keep these wines distributed and loved. Michel is not really retiring or starting another business for now, I guess he just wanted to take some distance and relax, this type of job being very intensive and time-consuming.
I think I couldn't have "made" another wine bar this evening, my system was beginning to show its limits and I was also fortunate not to be in the countryside where breath checks on side roads ambush the peaceful and otherwise-law-abiding citizen coming back home after some good time with friends. Here in Paris, I knew I could ride my motorcycle safely back home in that regard...
The wine being decorked on the picture above is a Buzet (Languedoc), cuvée Le Pech Abusé, from the Domaine du Pech, an estate managed in biodynamy. The bottle costs 18 € to go, add a 7 € cork fee to drink it here. Paris japanese paper on Bojo Nouveau Fr Japon, one of the handful of Japanese-language newspapers issued in Paris, had its cover page about the Beaujolais Nouveau, and no doubt that the important Japanese community living in Paris took part here and there to the joyful events...

Comments

[Hunter Goss]

Great article, Bertrand. Wish I could have been there. Unfortunate we don't have the selection of natural wines where I live in the US that you do there. But I managed to have some Nouveau anyway - - a nice bottling of Domaine Rochette. You probably know more about them than I do.

In any case, I got to spend the weekend with some pleasant wine and some good food.

À Votre Santé!

[Tita Evans-Santini]

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark Cooper]

Hi there

I was wondering, did you happen to drink a red Cotes de Provence on your trip to Le Garde Robe? I was there in October and had the best wine i think ive ever drank but cannot remember what it was called.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks
Mark