For decades Beaujolais meant November banana-scented nouveau. The ten crus in the north tell a different story: Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent and their neighbours sit on decomposed pink granite and produce Gamay of real depth, capable of ten years in bottle. Semi-carbonic maceration keeps the fruit vivid without sacrificing structure.
Appellations to know
For each one: the bottle that defines it, and the bottle that over-delivers. Indicative retail prices, not an offer to sell.
Morgon
Côte du Py schist: cherry kirsch, firm, ages like Pinot
Best wine
€90
Marcel Lapierre Morgon Cuvée Camille
Old-vine Côte du Py, whole-bunch and unsulphured; Gamay as grand cru.
Best value
€35
Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py
The Gang of Four benchmark; kirsch, schist and silk.
Fleurie
The most floral cru — iris, violet, weightless charm
Best wine
€90
Yvon Métras Fleurie Vieilles Vignes
Cult natural Fleurie; iris, violet, weightless.
Best value
€22
Domaine Chignard Les Moriers
Granite Fleurie with structure, priced like a village wine.
Moulin-à-Vent
Manganese-rich granite gives the most structured Gamay
Best wine
€45
Château des Jacques Clos du Grand Carquelin
Manganese granite; the most structured, longest-lived Gamay.
Best value
€28
Domaine Labruyère Le Carquelin
Same slope, same ambition, lower profile.
Brouilly
Broad and juicy, the largest and most approachable cru
Best wine
€35
Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly La Chapelle
Blue-stone slopes above the cru; peppery and precise.
Best value
€14
Domaine Dubost Brouilly Vieilles Vignes
Juicy, broad Gamay; the best-value red in France.
The most expensive areas
Typical retail
Where land, scarcity and reputation push prices highest in Beaujolais. Indicative bottle prices for benchmark producers, not an offer to sell.
- 01
Moulin-à-Vent (Clos du Tremblay, Château des Jacques)
€25–80
The cru with the most expensive land and longest ageing.
- 02
Morgon Côte du Py
€20–70
Foillard, Lapierre and the Gang of Four's home slope.
- 03
Fleurie Poncié & Grille-Midi
€20–60
Lapierre and Métras single-climat bottlings.
- 04
Saint-Amour / Chénas old vines
€18–45
Small crus where old-vine parcels command a premium.
What's produced
At the table
- Charcuterie
- Roast pork
- Lyonnaise salad
- Andouillette