2015 Domaine Ruet, Regnie Cru Beaujolais, Les Bois, France.
One of the sleepers at a recent celebration tasting of Beaujolais and Gamay, the Ruet Regnie, is a vibrant and stylish Gamay showing the richness and fruit driven nature of this flamboyant vintage in the region with wonderful delicacy and poise. A new domaine to the market place, imported by Schatzi Wines, Ruet showed some impressive efforts at Boire Beaujolais in San Francisco, a very well attended industry event with a sublime focus on Gamay, the grape, and the various styles of winemaking, with a spotlight mainly on Beaujolais and especially the 10 main Cru sites. Beaujolais is seeing a changing of the guard and with a new generation of winemakers, there is traditional carbonic fruity wines, wild natural wines and Burgundy style fermented and aged wines, along with some that mix all of the mentioned, it’s an interesting time for Beaujolais and there are many intriguing wines to discover, and in particular Domaine Ruet and this Regnie, grown on broken granite and loam, it shows fine tannins, bright acidity and graceful detail in a lighter medium bodied wine. Balanced with tangy earthy elements the Ruet Les Bois Regnie Cru Beaujolais shows classic Gamay character and purity with blackberry, cherry, strawberry and tart plum fruits, baking spices, dusty loam, zesty red peach, blood orange, walnuts and sappy saline/savory notes. This gathers a touch of density with air, but remains vigorous and fresh throughout, a great food wine, an excellent choice for the holiday meals coming this season. Duet’s Brouilly also impressed, this is a fine example of varietal and terroir, not overly complex, exotic or perfumed, but very tasty and performing well now, drink this 2015 Regnie over the next 3 to 5 years, this is well crafted wine, to enjoy in it’s youth.
($24 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive
