Fiona Taylor, of Christopher Piper Wines, discusses Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau

Sidmouth Herald: Chateau de Vaux labelChateau de Vaux label (Image: Archant)

“GAAAAA” I hear you cry, “ I remember that stuff from the 1970s.”

If this is the case I would politely like to point out that things have changed since then. For a start, it’s got a lot more serious and if you haven’t tried Nouveau for that long, it’s definitely worth trying now.

Chris Piper has been making Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau for over 30 years and it’s THAT GOOD that he sells out pretty much before it graces the CPW doorway.

This year he is offering Château de Vaux Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, which is a joint collaboration between himself and winemaker/owner Yannick de Vermont.

Sidmouth Herald: BeaujolaisBeaujolais (Image: Archant)

Yannick was spotted last month as one of the region’s rising young stars by Gault Millau and the ‘Guide Hachette’.

He took over his family vineyards in 2014 and Chris accepted his invitation to become his consultant wine-maker and has worked on re-instating artisan wine-making techniques for the production of his Nouveau.

An added bonus is that this year, with very high temperatures and long sunshine hours, the high-altitude vineyards of Vaux-en-Beaujolais have produced fresher, more vibrant wines than those at a lower altitude.

Yannick and his team of pickers started work about a week later than many of their friends in neighbouring villages, so as to be sure that the grapes were perfectly ripe.

Sidmouth Herald: Yannick de VermontYannick de Vermont (Image: Archant)

The run of wonderful harvests in the Beaujolais region continues with what is likely to be one of the truly great vintages in the region’s recent history.

The wet start to the year and hot summer have resulted in deep-coloured wines with an aromatic profile that is definitely leaning towards black fruit. There will be some simply delicious wines this year, which due to the early harvest, will have longer in the bottle before release, ensuring wines of great depth and complexity.

For those who would love to try a bottle, please remember that under EC law, the wine may not be opened until 00.01am, on Thursday, November 15, 2018. For more info please do, of course, contact CPW or pop into the shop.