Beaujolais is a region with a long history of winemaking but is often underestimated thanks to the light and naughty Beaujolais Nouveau that takes up more than one quarter of the total output. It is also overshadowed by the halo of Cote d’Or, despite also being historically connected to Burgundy.

James and Nick are Beaujolais lovers and they try to go every year. James Suckling Wine Central, James’ wine bar in Hong Kong, always has Bojo ready for James and his guests.

The Beaujolais story dates back to the late 14th Century when gamay grapes were still planted throughout Burgundy. Cherished for its yield and sturdiness, gamay (a cross between pinot noir and gouais blanc) was a practical and down-to-earth choice after the Black Death left extensive vineyards untended. Soon enough, the rustic and rugged gamay started to endanger the status of the fine-quality pinot noir until it finally irritated Philip the Bold, the famous Duke of Burgundy, who issued an edict to force the vignerons to pull up all the gamay in Burgundy.

Although banned in Burgundy, in the south gamay continued to flourish in the granite-rich soil of the warmer and drier Beaujolais, probably one of the most unpretentious wine regions in the world today. The fine examples of gamay here makes hearty and authentic wines, and some very old vines triumph with more concentration and dimensions on top of the winning fruitiness and drinkability that a good Beaujolais can offer.

While I love the fresh, fruit-coated acidity accentuated by the crunchy dark cherry and sour berry characters from some of Beaujolais-Villages, more serious wines from some of the fine Beaujolais crus like Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent tend to deliver more firmness and depth that grow on the palate. Moreover, it is really the committed producers who matter here, constantly driving up quality. And many tend their vineyards organically and bio-dynamically.

With the international swing to natural wine, Beaujolais is at the frontline of this movement with some leading producers like Jean Foillard, Marcel Lapierre and Jean-Paul Thevenet delivering the most authentic renditions of gamay, some showing quite airy, wild-berry fruit with a seductive decadence in the glass.

We have selected the following six wines that retail around $15 a bottle, a sweet spot where quality and value connect. These wines are all from 2018, an excellent vintage that made fleshy wines and ticks the boxes of both richness and freshness. I won’t rave about the approachability of these wines, as they are all quite drinkable now. But as an alternative to the fun yet frivolous Beaujolais Nouveau, these Beaujolais will put the region in a new light.

James’ favorite producers like Jean Foillard, who he calls the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti of Beaujolais, is normally double the price but look out for them. Also check out Nick’s report on Bojo earlier this year.