Among Gamay lovers, Beaujolais Nouveau Day can be a polarizing phenomenon: It’s a matter of fact that Beaujolais Nouveaus are not the most acclaimed bottlings of Beaujolais, a region that has become something of a darling to those with a taste for minerally, “Burgundian” reds free of Burgundy’s price tags, particularly the cru Beaujolais wines from the region’s 10 elite villages.
There is, however, something to be said for these cheerful and unfussy wines. What’s more, Nouveau Day falls on the third Thursday of each November—a week before Thanksgiving in the United States—mirroring harvest traditions around the world.
While American interest in Beaujolais Nouveau has waned a bit since peak excitement in the 1990s, the United States remains the largest buyer of these flash-released wines, with many consumers making room for them at their holiday tables. Beyond their festive charm, these early releases offer a glimpse of what the vintage might hold for the region’s top-tier labels.
What Was the 2024 Vintage Like in Beaujolais?
The 10 just-released Nouveau bottlings included in this year’s tasting reveal a usual mix of quality, from the playful and tutti-frutti to sturdier versions that showcase the region’s signature shades of herb and smoky mineral notes. The 2024s aren’t showing the impressive concentration that the 2022s offered; but the best examples, like the Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, are balanced with enlivening acidity.
“[It was] a vintage of many challenges, but worth every effort," said vintner Philippe Pascal, whose Domaine Mont Bessay in Juliénas debuted with the 2021 vintage. (Pascal also owns Domaine du Cellier Aux Moines in Burgundy’s Givry appellation.) Though the growing season began with normal budbreak and avoided the threat of an April frost, relentless rainfall in late spring and early summer was punctuated at the end of June with episodes of hail that encouraged black rot and mildew growth, demanding careful vineyard management.
At Château du Moulin-à-Vent, a producer of high-scoring lieu-dit wines from the Moulin-à-Vent cru, regular organic treatments were required to keep vines healthy. “The extra work was key to keeping the pressure of disease in check. I can’t recall a season as demanding as this one,” explained Château du Moulin-à-Vent director Edouard Parinet, who indicated that hail damage alone accounted for a 15 percent crop loss. Franck Duboeuf, of domaine and négociant Georges Dubeouf, said growers saw as much as a 30 percent loss of yield due to the season’s difficult weather.
How Is Beaujolais Nouveau Made?
Beaujolais Nouveau is a very young wine that is released just a few weeks after fermentation, and its production began as a celebration of the harvest. Today, it is made with grapes sourced from the region's southern reaches, using vines growing across the sweeping regional Beaujolais AOC as well as those planted around the 38 villages within the Beaujolais-Villages AOC. Harvest typically begins with grapes from the flatter Beaujolais vineyards before progressing to the sloping Beaujolais-Villages sites and concluding with higher-elevation Beaujolais vines.
The fresher, fruitier styles of Beaujolais reds and rosés are typically made using carbonic maceration (or semi-carbonic maceration): That is, rather than actively crushing grapes to release their juices, whole grapes are placed in a vessel where oxygen is displaced by carbon dioxide, and fermentation begins within the berries, on an intracellular level. Meanwhile, the weight of the grapes at the top crushes those on the bottom, releasing juice for yeast to ferment. This technique results in a super juicy, fruity style marked by bright strawberry and cherry flavors.
Nouveau’s fermentation is speedy, lasting only a few days, but it is essential that winemakers maintain meticulous temperature control to strike the ideal balance of freshness and extraction. “Every hour is important,” said Duboeuf, who reported that the brightness of the vintage required a bit more extraction to give the wines structure. Some of the growers Duboeuf works with harvested as late as early October, increasing ripeness, with the wines bottled by October 10.
Wine Spectator website members: Looking for more great wines from Beaujolais? Get our scores and tasting notes for recently rated Beaujolais.
Beaujolais Nouveau: Beloved Around the World
Though some American importers have chosen to step away from Nouveau Day and focus, instead, on promoting cru Beaujolais selections, houses like Georges Duboeuf remain devoted to the tradition. That commitment has kept Georges Duboeuf perennially visible on the U.S. scene. Georges Duboeuf, himself, directed global attention to Beaujolais’ Nouveau tradition in the 1980s, bringing with it an increased interest in Beaujolais’ higher-quality offerings. Over the years, enthusiasm for Nouveau has also spread worldwide: What was once a local harvest wine now travels as far as Japan, a market that has become an important destination for these bottlings.
Unlike the more coveted cru bottlings—the most concentrated and powerful of which benefit from cellaring—Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine with a shorter shelf life, and it’s best enjoyed within a few months, if not a few weeks, after release. But for enthusiasts of the region’s more serious wines, Nouveau can, with a little imagination, be studied as a tank sample–like preview of what to expect from future releases. Parinet described his '24s as “wines that will have density and freshness” and compared the vintage to 2010, which produced crisp, immediately likable versions.
Big Changes Coming to Beaujolais?
Importantly, this year, the Beaujolais region began the formal process of seeking authorization from the French government to recognize identified lieux-dits as official premiers crus within each cru. Many of these names, such as Bessay in Juliénas, Côte du Py in Morgon, La Madone in Fleurie and La Rochelle in Moulin-à-Vent, are likely familiar to fans of the region, as they've been included on labels for years. The move to elevate these and other parcels has the potential to set a new upper benchmark for quality in the region, though it may take years for promotions to be officially approved.
Beaujolais Nouveau for the Holidays
Beaujolais Nouveau Day’s timely arrival just before Thanksgiving is fortunate for those looking for seasonal and easy-drinking wines to serve while entertaining. What’s more, the wines featured below are generally higher in acid with finer, less assertive tannins, which makes them friendly reds (plus one rosé) to serve with a variety of foods, including turkey. But keep in mind that the difficulties of the 2024 vintage mean there is less wine available to U.S. consumers; so if you’re seeking Nouveau for the holidays, it’s better to shop now while the shelves are still full.
Below are our ratings and tasting notes for nine Nouveau wines to enjoy this holiday season!
2024 Beaujolais Nouveau Reviews
DOMAINE DE LA MADONE
Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2024
Score: 88 | $17
WS review: A juicy core of red fruit is detailed with subtle baking spice notes and grounded by shavings of graphite and lavender smoke, with fresh acidity and hints of black peppercorn. This shows nice substance for the style. An impressive Nouveau. Drink now. 3,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.—Kristen Bieler
DOMAINE DUPEUBLE
Beaujolais Nouveau 2024
Score: 87 | $22
WS review: A sturdy premiere release, with hints of tar and earth underscoring fragrant notes of dark fruit and dried rose petal. Juicy and open, this turns firm and focused, with a bitter brush of graphite. Drink now. 1,237 cases imported.—K.B.
DOMAINE DU CLOS DU FIEF
Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau La Roche 2024
Score: 86 | $19
WS review: Graphite and herb notes mix with pomegranate and candied violet flavors, set against bitter mineral hints on a lean, racy finish. Candied violet and herb notes add range. Drink now. 2,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.—K.B.
GEORGES DUBOEUF
Beaujolais Nouveau 2024
Score: 86 | $15
WS review: Fragrant violet and black currant notes reveal some firming graphite details on a delicate palate. Juicy acidity blasts through the modest frame, with hints of lavender and herbs. Drink now. 51,345 cases imported.—K.B.
GEORGES DUBOEUF
Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2024
Score: 86 | $16
WS review: Bouncy cherry and jammy black plum flavors show some nice structure and density, with thyme and mineral hints, while red tea tannins provide framework. Racy and fresh, this should be served with a good chill. Drink now. 2,015 cases imported.—K.B.
PAUL DURDILLY
Beaujolais Nouveau Les Grandes Coasses 2024
Score: 86 | $16
WS review: There's a subtle tug of tar and earth to the licorice and cherry flavors, with banana taffy notes and a little more roundness and depth than some of its peers. Racy acidity pulses through. Drink now. 2,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.—K.B.
JEAN-PAUL BRUN
Beaujolais Nouveau Terres Dorées l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes 2024
Score: 85 | $21
WS review: A delicate, floral version, showing lavender, light forest and loganberry notes, with a mineral backbone that gives presence. Shows rose tea and tarragon details on the light, fresh finish. Drink now. 320 cases imported.—K.B.
GEORGES DUBOEUF
Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé 2024
Score: 85 | $16
WS review: Light, juicy bubble gum and watermelon rind flavors show some plumpness, with a flicker of chalky mineral hints. Drink now. 1,755 cases imported.—K.B.
DOMAINE DES MARRANS
Beaujolais Nouveau 2024
Score: 84 | $20
WS review: Wild red berry and cranberry flavors show green notes and tart acidity, with dried herbs and wafts of smoke. Savory and lean, with mineral hints of crushed stone. Drink now. 2,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.—K.B.
