With Thanksgiving next week and December holidays only a few weeks after, entertaining season is upon us. Whether host or guest, it’s always handy to have an inexpensive, crowd-pleasing red around. Today we suggest the a 2016 Juliénas from Jean-Marc Monnet.
We work with many winemakers with low profiles, but Jean-Marc Monnet might be the least visible. He has no roadside, no website, and no other American importer. Jean-Marc himself is as humble as his winery is hidden, but the wines themselves are a wholly different story.
Monnet’s reds are intense and perfectly extracted — the fruit is inky and dense, but with no hint of bitterness. They look and feel like syrah in the mouth, but the gamay fruit is red and juicy. They embody Jancis Robinson’s dictum on Beaujolais, a wine that’s “meant to be drunk, not contemplated.”
Monnet’s Juliénas 2016 is classic — from 35+ year old vines and a low-yield vintage, this is packed with juicy mouthfeel and excellent freshness. The color is inky purple, with a dark nose showing raspberry and pure wild cherry. The mouthfeel is intense and smooth with a long, dense finish of cranberry, minerals and violets.
Beaujolais is the perfect crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving red — but if there’s any left over after next week, it won’t last December.
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Monnet Juliénas 2016
bottle price: $18
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES