Château des Tours Brouilly, Beaujolais

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The Chateau des Tours Brouilly is fruit-forward, made with Gamay grapes. It’s light but well-balanced, and easy to drink.

You open this bottle of Brouilly and are immediately greeted with a lovely bouquet of florals, red berries, and bergamot spice. Medium to full-bodied, this smooth wine is round and silky on the palate, with notes of red currant, cherry, and raspberry, and hints of oak.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

This is a very good wine to pair with red meat. Enjoy a glass of this Brouilly with a well-cooked steak, lamb, or venison. It will go great with any choice from our Rangers Valley collection, or our Roaring Forties line-up.

This also pairs well with poultry dishes, like harissa chicken, or roast duck. Try it also with a pasta with red sauce. For dessert, have a glass with a pecan pie, or an almond cake.

A POLITICAL PUSH

The Gamay grape became associated with Beaujolais purely by politics. It was a grape that brought helped growers after the Black Death, and ripened two weeks earlier than the pinot noir grape, and was less difficult to cultivate. It also produced large quantities of strong, fruitier wine.

Duke of Burgundy, Philippe the Bold, called the Gamay a bad and disloyal plant, and banned its cultivation, as it was apparently occupying land that he thought could be used for pinot noir, which he considered more elegant. Some decades later, Philippe the Good reinforced this edict, citing a need to maintain the reputation of the Dukes of Burgundy as lords of the best wines. This pushed the cultivation of the Gamay grape south, onto the soils of Beaujolais, where it thrived.

Storage Instructions

Store unopened red wines in a cool, dry, and dark place safe from constant vibration. Keep your bottle horizontal in a wine rack or cellar to retain the moistness of the cork. The ideal temperature for storage is between 16 to 18°C. Once opened, a bottle will be good for 3 to 5 days standing upright in the refrigerator.