Beaujolais
🇫🇷 France
AOCGamay's granite playground with 10 distinctive Crus
3 venues 0 trails 10 subregions & appellations
Region profile
History
Romans planted Brulliacus vineyard on Mont Brouilly. In 1395, Duke Philip the Bold banned Gamay from Burgundy as "vile," pushing it south to granite soils where it thrived. Crus established 1936-1988. Jules Chauvet pioneered carbonic maceration 1930s; Georges Duboeuf made Beaujolais Nouveau a global phenomenon 1970s.
- Climate
- Warmer, closer to Rhône climate; granite soils create unique terroir for Gamay; hand-harvest mandated by law
- Signature wines
- Moulin-à-Vent - the "King of Beaujolais" with manganese-rich granite producing age-worthy Gamay rivaling Pinot Noir
- What sets it apart
- Only major region where Gamay excels; carbonic maceration creates banana/bubble gum aromas; Nouveau released third Thursday of November creates worldwide celebration
Facts
- 10 Crus from north to south: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly
- Morgon largest at 1,100 hectares
Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026