Sandwiched by the Burgundy region to the north and the northern Rhone to the south, Beaujolais can be overlooked by consumers who are busy looking for more ethereal pinot noirs and spicier syrahs. The workhorse gamay grape, with its wild cherry and berry fruit and floral characters, is easily forgotten – as if in a transitional middle ground.

Some consumers are underwhelmed by the easy and quaffable Beaujolais Nouveau with its light and banana-ish character and simple, fruity nose. Even the most accomplished Beaujolais crus can find themselves weighed down by consumers’ low expectations. But while the most serious cru bottlings can be seen as safe cards to play in terms of quality and value, their merits extend far beyond superficial descriptives.

Although the charm of many Beaujolais lies in their “drinkability,” the word is not a euphemistic disguise for simple, dilute wines that lack mid-palate substance. We are talking about the kind of drinkability built on the excellent depth of flavors and concentration that invite drinking, not a meager wine flooded by acid with a very flat, watery finish.

However, in the wine world today, where opulent, voluptuous and hedonistic bottles easily find followings on the market, the more austere, intellectual wines only get tepid applause. There is probably no better wine than a high-quality Beaujolais cru to connect consumers to fresher, brighter and crunchier red styles that make you want to keep filling the empty glass, or even finish the whole bottle.

The fresh, racy, authentic wild berry fruit, with all its airy, floral and undergrowth attractions, is what gamay proposes – something not unlike pinot, although it might come in a richer, more supple and succulent package, with finely knit tannins but never overt in alcohol. It is superb balance that makes for a high-quality Beaujolais and sets the top offerings apart from the generic and the much lighter, lesser renditions from the ephemeral Beaujolais Nouveau.

In our Beaujolais report, which features 377 rated wines, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott points out that the great 2018 and 2019 vintages could be perfect for showcasing how top Beaujolais wines triumphed, with real character and excellent aging potential.

In fact, 2019 is one of the most consistently exciting vintages for Beaujolais since 1976. It was a small year in terms of yield owing to adverse weather – with spring frost, hail, heat waves and even drought – but the resulting quality should leave Bojo fans feeling exhilarated. Wines that show classic, lively acidity and fresh, vibrant aromas with lots of floral, spice and licorice notes suggest that gamay is a grape that copes well in the new climatic conditions.

With a good number of wines rated 95 points and higher, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, and Fleurie were the most successful crus in our latest Beaujolais tasting. Morgon and its superb terroir of “Cote du Py” made some of the top wines in our report. But if you are also looking for tremendous value, availability on the market and current drinkability, many other crus are also worth considering.

Here are our recommendations for 10 bottles of 2019 vintage Bojo crus that you can buy now for under $30 a bottle. They are the epitome of the superb quality and value on offer from Beaujolais, and they deserve drinking and appreciation. Even though they are not the most complex and layered reds in the world, you might be surprised at how quickly and easily a whole bottle can be finished.

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor