Georges Duboeuf released the 2017 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau around the world yesterday to great fanfare. Indeed, according to French law and tradition, Beaujolais Nouveau, a fresh and fruity wine which is the first wine of the harvest, must be released on the third Thursday of November, a day that has become a festive event in both France and the United States. This year is the 35th vintage of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau to arrive in America to the delight of wine lovers across the country.
World renowned for its Beaujolais Nouveau in addition to many other wines from Chardonnay and Cabernet to Sauvignon Blanc, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf is the premium producer of award-winning French wines from the Beaujolais and Maconnais regions of Burgundy and the South of France.
Georges Duboeuf’s Beaujolais Nouveau has grown in popularity over the years in the United States. Yesterday, there were more than 150 tastings and parties held across the country at restaurants, wine bars, and wine retailers to celebrate the new 2017 vintage. Second generation proprietor, Franck Duboeuf, celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2017 in New York at a reception at the Michelin-starred L’Appart, where Chef Nicolas Abello paired the wine with his award-winning New French Cuisine.
The 2017 vintage is especially good thanks to a warm summer that resulted in an early harvest, which allowed the grapes to achieve their ideal ripeness. The vintage is fuller-bodied than the one released in 2016, with fresh, fruit-forward notes of strawberries and raspberries. It is best served lightly chilled.
The wine has become a staple on Thanksgiving dinner tables as well as at holiday parties because it pairs well with everything from tapas, cheese and charcuterie to poultry and salmon.
Georges Duboeuf and his team tasted more than 5,000 samples over two weeks to craft this cuvee. Harvesting of this wine is done manually, in whole bunches, from vines that are more than 20 years old. Traditional, semi-carbonic maceration lasts from four to eight days, and malolactic fermentation is fully conducted at temperatures ranging from 19 and 21 degrees Celsius in stainless steel tanks.
This year’s vintage features, for the first time in the wine’s history, an artist’s work on its label. The mixed-media piece, “Candy Coated”, was created by Ari Azzopardi-Robinson, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based artist. It was selected from more than 500 artist submissions from around the world.
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is distributed in the U.S. by Napa, Ca.-based Quintessential Wines, a family owned and operated import, marketing and sales company.
The suggested retail price of the 2017 vintage of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is $12.
