The Truth About Beaujolais (According To Anthony Lynch)
“Once upon a time, Beaujolais was synonymous for light, easy-drinking red. And while this charming wine region just north of Lyon certainly excels at the kind of juicy, fruit-driven quaffer that ice bucket dreams are made of, it’s about time we embrace it for its full diversity. That’s because the Beaujolais runs more than thirty miles long by eight miles wide—about the same size as Napa Valley—and is home to over 33,000 acres of vines split among two thousand producers. The annual production could fill twenty Olympic swimming pools, although sadly such a pool has yet to be created. I will be the first to dive in when it is!”
“Where the Beaujolais lacks diversity is in its grape varieties: Gamay accounts for 96% of plantings, with Chardonnay making up the balance for the rare, but often delightful Beaujolais blancs. Geologists have mapped more than 300 distinct soil types, which equates to quite the bounty of unique terroirs. To pigeonhole the region as a producer of light reds would be ignoring the vast range of wine styles bottled throughout its twelve appellations…Serve them cool!”—Anthony Lynch, Kermit Lynch Imports, November 2025
Even though I love drinking Beaujolais all year long, Fall seems like a special time for Beaujolais, not only because the heartier foods we are about to partake love the fresh flavors of Gamay, but because the berry-like flavors of their wines are so damn delicious to drink.
When Dale and I visited Beaujolais for the first time after spending several days in the heart of Burgundy, we had a chance to experience the joy of these wines and the warmth of their winemakers. The following week in Lyon, Beaujolais was all we wanted to drink.
Our Recommended Beaujolais:
2024 Château Thivin Beaujolais-Villages Rosé $21.99
This bottle of Beaujolais rosé from Thivin was quickly becoming empty. The other wines sat and waited for our contemplative comments and in the meantime this Beaujolais rosé just seemed to disappear. A Kermit Lynch import.
2023 Dominique Piron Beaujolais-Villages $13.99
How can such a modest price bring so much joy? Each vintage Piron gives us quintessential Beaujolais produced in a style that makes a bid for house wine of the year.
2024 Paul Durdilly Beaujolais La Carrière “Les Grandes Coasses” $16.99
We’ve featured Durdilly Beaujolais as Wine of the Month several times since we discovered it in the 1990s. Generous, nearly plush texture gives one the feeling of a velvet blanket.
2024 Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais $17.99
Kermit Lynch’s stalwart Beaujolais, and the only producer we buy Nouveau Beaujolais from each November. This is the classic bottling, structured, proper and gulpable.
2024 Michel Guignier Beaujolais “Les Améthysts” $23.99
Super crunchy fruit cracked black pepper, floral, stems and all, with a light body and the kind of snap that makes your mouth water. Wee bit of funk for those that are into that too. Organic and biodynamic.
2024 Domaine Chignard Fleurie “Les Moriers” $26.99
Cedric Chignard’s magical Gamay has been on The Wine Country shelves since our founding, and his newest vintage is just as charming as ever. A Kermit Lynch import.
2024 Domaine Diochon Moulin-à-Vent “Cuvée Vieilles Vignes” $25.99
The old vines in the title of Diochon's bottling is for real: 50 to 85 years old! That gives the Gamay in this bottle a special depth and intensity without losing any of its considerable charm. A Kermit Lynch import.
2024 Nicole Chanrion Côte de Brouilly $26.99
Plump with bursting purple fruit and fresh smashed wild strawberries, along with flint, some cracked pepper and just a touch of pomegranate. This is a wine sturdy enough for a wide array of foods due to its freshness and softer tannic structure. From Kermit Lynch.
2024 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly $32.99
Prepare to be beguiled by the mastery in this bottle. Thivin is legendary for its hospitality and for its full-flavored, beautifully realized Beaujolais. (Their rosé and rare Beaujolais blanc are exceptional, when we can get them.)
2024 Domaine de Fa Fleurie Roche Guillon $34.99
You get violets and plums, a wild, gamey note and a good scrape of cracked black pepper. A bold and round Fleurie that wants braised, grilled and roasted foods.
2022 Domaine Paul Janin Moulin-à-Vent “Heritage” $54.99
So graceful on the palate with a length that is haunting. Drinking well now but this will cellar for years to come. Very rare, only one case allocated.
2022 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Moulin-à-Vent $71.99
First vintage of Beaujolais from famed Burgundian Nicolas Rossignol, whose wines from Volnay and Pommard are highly allocated. Here you get Gamay that is treated just as Nicolas treats his estate wines from Burgundy,