Georges Duboeuf Julienas Selection 2016 - Cru Beaujolais, France

91/100 James Suckling
16/20 Jancis Robinson
Bronze - Wine Enthusiast
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
90/100 James Suckling (2015 vintage)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast (2015 vintage)
90/100 Wine Spectator (2015 vintage)
Bronze - CellarTracker (2015 vintage)

Gold - Concours des Grands Vins de France Macon (2015 vintage)

James Suckling "All very bright, pretty and floral with an attractive array of ripe strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. A crunchy palate"

Wine Enthusiast "This wine is soft for a Juliénas, with perfumed juicy, jammy red fruits and attractive acidity. It is rounded and generous, packed with fruit and only a hint of tannin."

James Suckling "Fresh and fragrant with lovely perfumes and brightness. Medium-bodied, clean and delicious. Hints of dried flowers on the finish." (2015 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "This is one of several estates in this cru appellation where Georges Duboeuf makes and markets the wine. It is lightly wood aged to smooth out the ebullient fruits. Rich and with some firm tannins that will develop, it has concentration and a dense texture. " (2015 vintage)

The Winemaker “A deep crimson with purplish tints, this wine reveals complex, delicate aromas of dark berries and flowers (peonies and violets) with hints of pepper. Clean and fruity, well-balanced, quite full and aromatic, the wine has a fine structure.” (2015 vintage)

Other vintages of the Julienas Winemaker Selection have scored very well, for example the 2019, 2017 and 2015 all received a 90/100 from Wine Enthusiast with similar scores for other vintages from Wine Spectator and Decanter.

One of the oldest producing areas within the ten Beaujolais Cru appellations, Julienas is named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, the area has a 2000-year history of grape production. Its varied soil composition of sedimentary alluvial soils near the Saone River and the sandy granite of the sloping vineyards on the Beaujolais hills make for wines can range from light and fruity, to densely concentrated and powerful. The appellation has a continental climate with cool nights and warm days, and an extended ripening season thanks to the long summers providing optimum conditions for growing quality fruit. Typically Julienas wines are earthy and weighty, with a deep ruby-red colour and strawberry, violet, cinnamon, redcurrant and peony aromas. The wines can be powerful, and flavours of vanilla and spices can also emerge

This wine is produced by Les Vins Georges Duboeuf which is one of the largest wine producers in France founded by the late Georges Duboeuf who was affectionately known as 'le roi du Beaujolais' (the king of Beaujolais) or sometimes pape du Beaujolais (Pope of Beaujolais). Les Vins Georges Duboeuf produces a staggering 3 million cases of wine annually. The company is most well-known for its popularization and production of Beaujolais wines. In 2018 Georges’ passed control of his company to his son Franck Duboeuf, who is considered to be one of the key specialists in Beaujolais, its terroir and its wine, and has shifted production to focus more on Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais is an important wine region of eastern France in the southern part of Burgundy, famous for its vibrant, fruity red wines made from Gamay. The widespread plantings of Gamay here make Beaujolais one of the few regions of the world to be so focused on a single grape variety.

In some vintages, Beaujolais produces more wine than the Burgundy wine regions of Chablis, Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais put together.

Gamay is a grape variety that is most famous for producing the light, fruit-driven red wines of Beaujolais. While the variety offers fresh, red-fruit and candied aromas, it typically delivers little in the way of flavour concentration and body weight, giving light, simple wines.