2011 Beaujolais


Juliénas 2011 - 18

Côte de Brouilly 2011 - 17+

Morgon 2011 - 17

Régnié "Château des Reyssiers" 2011 - 16.5

Chiroubles 2011 - 16.5

Beaujolais-Villages 2011 - 16+

2011 Henry Fessy


Henry Fessy 2011 Brouilly 16 Drink 2013-2015
Purplish crimson. Lots of fine crunchy Gamay fruit. Juicy and sweet and fresh. Delicious. (JH)

Henry Fessy 2011 Côte de Brouilly 16.5 Drink 2014-2016
Hint of oak on the nose taking away slightly from the brightness of the Gamay fruit on the nose but it re-emerges on the palate. Deep fruit, generous and lightly but well structured. Moreish. (JH)

Henry Fessy, Ch des Labourons 2011 Fleurie 16 Drink 2014-2017
Property recently bought. Less expressive than the Reyssiers Regnié. A little more peppery. Light bodied, correct, fragrant and just fresh on the finish. (JH)

Henry Fessy, Ch de Reyssiers 2011 Régnié 16 Drink 2014-2017
Intensely fruity on the nose, very expressive already. Pretty soft on the palate. Gently satisfying but not terribly long. (JH)

Henry Fessy Côte de Brouilly 2010 - 88

Henry Fessy Fleurie 2010 - 88

Henry Fessy Régnié Château des Reyssiers 2010 - 88

Henry Fessy Moulin à Vent 2010 - 88

Quick Bites: Bounteous Beaujolais


Henry Fessy Morgon 2009 France

From 50-year-old-vines, this Cru wine offers a bouquet of delicious cassis and other black fruits. Supple and mellow tannins with good balance and an intense palate with a long finish. Pair with beef and other grilled meats, wild games, mushrooms and rich cheeses.

90 HENRY FESSY Morgon 2010

Rich and smoky, with layers of black cherry puree, grilled plum, gumdrop and black currant. This is well-integrated and fresh, with a hint of coffee liqueur on the finish. Drink now through 2017. - By Alison Napjus

Wines of the Week
Henry Fessy Brouilly 2010:
Ignore the ludicrous hype that is Beaujolais Nouveau Day this month and instead stock up on this generously discounted example of the best the area can offer. A world away from frothy Ribena-style Nouveau, this is medium- to full-bodied, mellow and slightly spicy, yet full of the characteristic vibrancy of the Gamay grape. Good with grilled meats and hard cheeses.

Henry Fessy Moulin-a-Vent 2010


Beaujolais, France

From an exceptional vintage, this juicy cru Beaujolais is a delightful sipping wine for fall, with cherry flavors and a hint of autumn leaves. Or maybe that was because I was raking leaves just before tasting it. Serve slightly chilled to bring out the fruit.

Beaujolais-Villages 2011 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal:
‘...firm fruits, lively acidity, touch of animal. well-balanced.'

Morgon 2011 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal:
‘A sensual mineral style showing blackberry. Fine ripe acidity and a long tapered textured finish.'

Fleurie 2010 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal:
"Very aromatic with delicate notes of rose petal and raspberry, this is tight on the palate with mineral notes, sour cherry and savoury tannins. Will pair well with food,' said Angus Macnab, formerly The Lanesborough."

Moulin-à-Vent 2009 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal:
"Classic red berry fruit bolstered by some lovely juicy acids and good grippy tannins. This is a clean, well-made wine at a very good price."

Wine of the week:

Never mind the expense, my wine of this first week of the Olympics is Henry Fessy Brouilly 2010. It is a gorgeously juicy and ripe Beaujolais, combining the unique vigour and freshness of this highly distinctive red-wine style with a thoughtfully complex quiverful of flavours suggesting summer fruits from raspberries through cherries and on to redcurrants. For lunchtime drinking outdoors, give it an hour in the fridge to bring out the crispness.

Henry Fessy Brouilly 2010:
Brouilly is the most southerly of the Beaujolais crus of villages, which brings a little more warmth and ripeness to the wines. Beneath the flavour of redcurrants and red plums are undertones of spice and dried herbs, and a slightly meaty texture. It's a mighty leap up from bog-standard Beaujolais.

The Discerning drinker: Beaujolais
By Andrew Neather

Henry Fessy Morgon 2010
Morgon is traditionally the fullest-bodied Beaujolais cru. This is fresh and sweet but bigger, richer and more structured than many lesser Burgundies.

Fessy's Moulin-a-Vent 2010, another cru for bigger wines, also has pleasing weight and depth underlying its fruitiness.

Henry Fessy Saint-Amour2009: 92 points - Cellar Selection
Ripe, rounded and generous, a warm plum juice-flavored wine. There is power and concentration. It is a very complete, ageworthy wine, although accesible now.

TOP 100 WINE LIST : Best of the Year 2011:
Henry Fessy Fleurie 2009: 92 points
A richly aromatic wine, with swathes of sweet fruit, ripe tannins and a juicy, jammy feel. This is so generous, open, welcoming. There is strucutre as well, cushioned by sweet fruits.

Henry Fessy Morgon 2009: 91 Cellar Selection
A really ripe wine, rich and with generous feel to it. The sweet cherry fruit is powered with plum juice, dense tannins and structure. A wine for aging.

Henry Fessy Moulin-à-Vent 2010: 92 points
A very structured wine, as befits this normally powerful cru. It is packed with dark tannins and minerality. The wine is angular, and you can taste the granite and schist soil. This edge of austerity is balanced by delicious fruit.

Moulin-à-Vent 2009 - 90 points
Black and smoky up front, this wine turns gen¬tler in the end, appealing in its supple texture and fine tannic underpinning. A juicy Beaujolais to serve with grilled sirloin burgers.

Savvy Shopper


90 Fleurie 2009
Black cherry, boysenberry, cassis, licorice, vanilla.

Buying Guide


89 Morgon 2009
A chewy red, with floral and ripe fruit aromatics leading to black cherry, blackberry coulis and green plum flavors. Plush and smoky, with a subtle juiciness, this should open up more with a little age. Drink now through 2015. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

88 Régnié Chateau des Reyssiers 2009
A light- to medium-bodied red, with a lightly fleshy texture and flavors of black cherry, violet, tea leaf and black licorice. There's a bit of tannins and plump, juicy acidity for structure, with a modest finish. Drink now.

France - Beaujolais:


90 points - HENRY FESSY Fleurie 2009
Attractive boysenberry, black cherry and cassis flavors mix with light licorice and vanilla notes. A tangy minerality drives this light- to medium-bodied red and lingers on the herb-tinged finish. Drink now through 2014.—A.N.

Spectator Selection : Smart Buys


90 points - HENRY FESSY Juliénas 2009
The silky texture displays ripe, aromatic flavors of griotte and blackberry fruit, with layers of cream, anise, mocha and smoke. There's fine balance to this elegant red, with a lingering, smoke-tinged finish. Drink now through 2013. A.N.

90 points - HENRY FESSY Moulin-à-Vent 2009
A lovely, dark and smoky red, displaying brambly blackberry, ripe plum and crème de cassis fruit flavors. Lush and velvety, with fine balance and dusty tannins on the dark chocolate-tinged finish. Drink now through 2015. A.N.

France - Beaujolais


86 points - HENRY FESSY Beaujolais-Villages 2009
A tangy red, featuring macerated cherry, plum preserve and hints of spice and smoke. Well-structured and juicy , with lightly chewis tannins and a medium-bodied build. Drink now through 2011. A.N.

85 points - HENRY FESSY Brouilly 2009
An elegant Brouilly, showing good integration to the light tannins and juicy acidity. Sandalwood and spice notes accent the pretty wild strawberry and black cherry fruit flavors, with a modest finish. Drink now. A.N.

86 points - HENRY FESSY Chiroubles 2009
Ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, blueberry and plum tart drive this spice-tinged, aromatic red, which shows good balance, fresh, juicy acidity and a floral finish. Drink now. A.N.

85 points - HENRY FESSY Chénas 2009
Sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit flavors mix with damson plum, rose petal and ripe cherry notes. This is a clean, blanced wine, with a tobacco-tinged finish. Drink now. N.A.

86 points - HENRY FESSY Saint-Amour 2009
A bright, spicy red, offering pretty black cherry and plum notes, and a creamy texture throughout. The juicy finish is tinged qith a hint of mocha and violet. Drink now. A.N.

Wines of the month

Henry Fessy, Fleurie, Beaujolais 2009
16.5/20

From a domaine founded in 1888, this is a deliciously expressive Gamay, packed with ripe, concentrated, succulent cherry and forest fruit perfume. In the mouth it's similarly lithe and sleek, with mouthwatering acidity, elegantly pure fruit, fantastic purity and a long but light finish.

2009 Henry Fessy Brouilly - 89 points
The 2009 reds from the Beaujolais region are amazing: some of the juiciest reds I've ever tasted from this under-valued corner of rural France. This one comes from one of the top villages, or "crus", in the northern part of the appellation and it's a stunner. Vibrant and unoaked with notes of raspberry and plum and a refreshing, tangy finish.

Brouilly 2009 Henry Fessy - Silver Medal
Bright aromas of cherry and spice, well-balanced on the palate, with dense attack, rich core of fruit and fresh acidity. Very attractive.

Fleurie 2009 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal
Attractive, juicy and fresh nose. Harmonious, silky and nicely balanced palate, with a long finish.

Moulin-à-Vent 2009 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal
Dark cherry and kirsch aromas on the nose. Full-bodied style; elegant, rich and ripe.

Beaujolais: Remarkable Riches and 2009 Richness by David Schildknecht


Henry Fessy tasting notes:

2009 Fleurie - 88 Points
A lovely nose of very ripe fresh white peaches and red raspberries that could almost have come from a Riesling rises from the glass of Fessy 2009 Fleurie, which proceeds to invigorate and refresh, with its bright, faintly tart acidity well-woven into the wine's fruit character rather than detached as was the case with other wines in the new Fessy collection. What's more, there is no significant bitterness blocking the finish, which is lip-smackingly generous, if not notably complex. Hints of peony perfume and underlying wet stone do, however, add to the interest and allure of a wine

2009 Morgon - 87 Points
"A Fessy 2009 Morgon is scented with boysenberry preserves and a hint of cherry candy that evolves into a somewhat sweet-tart palate impression. Roasted red meats, crushed stone, toasted nuts, and hints of nut husk bitterness are all suggested by way of some complexity, although the finish is slightly warm, bitter and tart rather than mouth-wateringly lingering."

2009 Régnié Château des Reyssiers - 87 Points
"The darkly-hued Fessy 2009 Regnie Chateau des Reyssiers smells of fresh blackberries and black raspberries backed by a bracing hint of the sea. Salinity and slightly tart acidity make for an invigorating impression on a palate that is amply juicy. A rather aggressively tactile note in the finish combines with persistent tartness and faint bitterness."

2009 Beaujolais Villages - 86 Points

2009 Mouilin-à-Vent - 86 Points

2009 Brouilly - 85 Points

My taste by Carol Emmas, Senior reporter Harpers Wine and Spirit

Henry Fessy Beaujolais Rouge 2009

This wine had a colour you'd want on your palette as well as your palate. Red-purple in the glass, it has a lovely nose of raspberry and violets, with upbeat, redberry fruits to taste.

Henry Fessy Awarded IWC 2010 Beaujolais Trophy

Beaujolais producer Henry Fessy picked up the prestigious International Wine Challenge Beaujolais Trophy for their 2009 Brouilly yesterday, 30th June 2010. The wine was initially awarded a Gold Medal and has now been singled out as the best in its class.
According to two of the competition's co-chairs, Sam Harrop MW and Charles Metcalfe, standards for Beaujolais were particularly high at this year's competition in part due to the fantastic 2009 vintage.
Fifty Beaujolais wines have been awarded medals. Out of this there are 2 Golds (including our Brouilly 2009), 12 Silvers (including our Morgon 2009), 14 Bronzes (including our Beaujolais Villages 2009) and 9 were commended.

Tasting note
With an intense colour this wine has red fruit aromas which dominate the bouquet along with notes of wild strawberries. On the finish, blackcurrant and chocolate aromas reveal themselves. In the mouth this Beaujolais Cru is meaty whilst being rounded and has an impressively long finish. This is a great Brouilly in keeping with the Fessy tradition.

Beaujolais 2009 - buy, buy!


I can't tell you how enthusiastic I am about these wines - the perfect antidote to Bordeaux 2009 madness. The picture gives some idea of the gentle hills of the best Beaujolais villages, the crus.

Henry Fessy 2009 Fleurie 16

Henry Fessy 2009 Chiroubles 16

Henry Fessy 2009 Chénas 15.5+

Henry Fessy 2009 Brouilly 15.5

Henry Fessy 2009 Beaujolais 15

Putting Beaujolais back on the map

The beautiful French region Beaujolais has emerged from the bad old nouveau days with a new image and fine credit-crunch wines .
By Jonathan Ray

I had forgotten how pretty Beaujolais is. The rolling hills, the first ripple of the Massif Central, are a vibrant green at this time of year, blanketed with vines and forests and dotted with ancient villages and the occasional elegant but discreet château. I've driven past the region several times recently - as most of us do, whizzing between Lyons and Beaune on the A6 - but I haven't stopped here for ages.
I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered, though. Despite being June, it's sheeting with rain in Villié-Morgon and the consoling bottle of Fleurie I've just ordered in the village's Café des Sports tastes decidedly ropy. It's not "off" exactly, just thin, weedy, tired and acidic. My second choice is little better.
I feel quite despondent.
It wasn't meant to be like this. The British wine trade is currently all atwitter about the quality of the 2009 beaujolais, eulogising its drinkability and the fact that serious wines are now made here, with the dreaded beaujolais nouveau but a memory. It's time to take beaujolais seriously again, they chorus. On this evidence I'd say they were bonkers.
The waitress feels my pain and goes away to consult the boss. She returns with a 2007 Fleurie from Lucien Lardy that, she explains, I might prefer. The wines I'd chosen were made without sulphur, she says, something of a vogue in these parts, and although this might mean the wine is more "natural" the result can be a bit hit and miss. The proffered substitute, though, is a corker, full of fresh, ripe, juicy, damson-like fruit and silky tannins. It's delightful.
Equilibrium firmly restored, I head off to visit Domaine Henry Fessy, producer of wines from all 10 of the beaujolais crus, namely Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié and Saint Amour. Fessy also makes the more basic Beaujolais-Villages, the most basic beaujolais, and a really tasty and quite rare beaujolais blanc.
"2009 was a marvellous vintage and the perfect way to put beaujolais back on the map," says winemaker Laurent Chevalier. "Forget all about beaujolais nouveau. That was then and this is now. It was a great marketing tool in the Seventies and a golden river for producers: pick in September, sell in October, drink in November. But as a region we've outgrown it, concentrating instead on making the best we can at the top end."
This top end - the aforementioned 10 crus - often gets dismissed as being rather lightweight and not in the same league as the great wines of Burgundy and the Rhône, the two regions that abut Beaujolais, north and south. They're certainly not so expensive, with a top Fleurie around half the price of a top Beaune, say, or half-decent Hermitage. But, as I discover at Henry Fessy, that's no reason to take them lightly.
"The pleasure in well-made beaujolais is the instant delight it gives you, especially with food," says Chevalier. "It's all about fruit and freshness and, above all, drinkability. We always speak of the plaisir of beaujolais." I taste my way through the 2009 range and the wines are indeed hugely appealing with luscious juicy red and black fruit, soft tannins and gentle acidity. Although all are from the same vintage and the same grape (100 per cent gamay), they do differ. The Fleurie, for example, is round and generous; the Juliénas more tannic and complex, even a little rhône-like, and the Chiroubles elegant and fine. We're often told that beaujolais can be drunk young, when it's vibrant and refreshing, but what I hadn't appreciated was how well the wines can age.
As a reward for my diligent tasting, Chevalier uncorks a magnum of 2002 Morgon, followed by one from 1992. They are revelatory: smoky, mellow, slightly vegetal but still fresh and elegant with smooth red berry fruit. If I'd had them blind I would have sworn they were burgundies, an old Volnay perhaps or Beaune.
There was a time when top beaujolais was the same price as top burgundy and Chevalier shows me old price lists and menus to prove this. Today, burgundy is too pricey and beaujolais too cheap and it strikes me that fine beaujolais is an ideal credit crunch wine. Instead of spending £30 on a bottle of cru classé claret, top rhône or burgundy, one could spend the same on three bottles of Juliénas, say, and enjoy its rhône-like youth or let it mature into something slightly burgundian.
"There are indeed elements of both Burgundy and the Rhône in the wines of Beaujolais," Chevalier says. "But we make gamay here, with around 90 per cent of the world's plantings, and we value our independence. We see ourselves as a proud little Gaulois village holding out against outsiders thanks to our magic potion."
I can't vouch for its magical properties, but on this evidence the potion's an extremely drinkable one.

Hot picks: Valued red

2008 Henry Fessy Morgon, Beaujolais, France

Dark ruby in color. the nose has a powerful fruity character all its own, ranging from strawberry to blueberry to plum, along with some interesting violet notes and judicious alcohol. There's a wonderful repetition of the same fruits on the palate, followed by a juicy midpalate and great length.

Wines of the week - Tim Atkin
Ripe, juicy and under £20: it's time to get excited by beaujolais not-nouveau

2009 Brouilly, Henry Fessy
Brouilly can vary in quality but this unoaked example is spot-on. It's a little closed, so make sure you decant it before serving to allow its cherry and strawberry fruit to strut its stuff.

Brouilly 2009 Henry Fessy - Gold Medal:
IWC 2010 Beaujolais Trophy
Dense, taut and intense with lovely vibrant fruit.

Morgon 2009 Henry Fessy - Silver Medal:
Rich, juicy, earthy and fresh blueberry and blackcurrant. Long, very fragrant and tangy. Lovely finish.

Beaujolais Villages 2009 Henry Fessy - Bronze Medal:
Mid deep ruby, right cheerful berry nose. Lovely structured style with good concentration mid palate. Elegant finish.

Video review: wine of the week


Henry Fessy, Brouilly 2008, France

Beaujolais Nouveau may have had its day, but there's a new-found respect for quality Beaujolais from the top Villages, especially the 'Crus' like Morgon, St Moulin-à-Vent and, this one, Brouilly. Henry Fessy is now owned by Burgundy's Louis Latour and this has a robust, tight, powerful aromas of dark cherries and spice, and a touch of earthy grip. On the palate there's a depth of black fruit here, with a real focus of cherry and a backbone of tight, savoury tannins. This is a real food wine, which would be good with duck and wild mushroom dishes, as well as hard cheeses.

See the Henry Fessy Brouilly video wine review on wine-pages.com:
http://www.wine-pages.com/temp/fessy2.htm

With year-end holiday meals and parties ahead, an opportune time has arrived to stock up on red wines. Avoid annoying year-end lines by shopping now for good values offering
versatility with food.
Moving northward in France, try the 2007 Domaine Henry Fessy Morgon, Cru Beaujolais, France from a long established producer in Saint-Jean-d'Ardières, a hamlet of 2,500 souls in southern Burgundy. The Burgundian house, Maison Louis Latour, purchased the
domain in 2008 and made this tasty wine available through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's ever-popular Chairman's Selection program.

Domaine Fessy's vin de terroir admirably reflects the Morgon appellation, one of the Beaujolais' outstanding "cru" area. Morgon's stony, granite-based soils give gamay grapes distinctive character and depth of flavor. The wine's light-ruby color offers enticing blueberry, cherry and violet aromas with light, pleasant earthy notes. Bright red and blue fruit flavors with dashes of refreshing acidity and soft tannins balance nicely through the fruity, but dry finish. Aging in bottles for a year at the winery makes the wine ready for immediate drinking. Enjoy the wine with either a relaxing holiday lunch of baguettes, cheese, potent Dijon mustard and cornichon pickles or eclectic holiday party hors d'oeuvres.
Highly Recommended.

By Dave DeSimone

HENRY FESSY 2008 Brouilly
~ 16 ~

Drink 2009-10

Very sweet and mellifluous with real lightness of touch. A light, soft, fruity drink with a great label. 13%

Bronze.

Régnié Château des Reyssiers 2008,
Henry Fessy Red
Floral violet nose, with a good uncomplicated finish and decent balance.

Beaujolais

Although nouveau is a very successful marketing gimmick, it's the 50 percent of beaujolais consumed during the rest of the year that deserves the attention. Immensely interesting, was the Henry Fessy beaujolais cru wine that we tasted. Last year Louis Latour purchased Henry Fessy, a producer of wines from all 10 of the beaujolais crus as well as a beaujolais villages wine.
The Henry Fessy Fleurie 2007 is very pinot noir-like with a cherry/berry nose and flavors along with interesting, earthy, mocha notes.

By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr

Regional Trophies

COMMENDED (Red)
Henry Fessy

Château des Reyssiers
Régnié 2008

Henry Fessy
2007 Moulin-A-Vent

Deep red. Cherry and dark berries on the nose. Juicy,
pliant blackberry and cherry flavors are on the simple
side but provide good palate coverage. Picks up a bitter
chocolate note with air and finishes with solid grip and
an echo of cherry.
87 points

Other wines tasted: 2008 Brouilly*.
Also recommended: 2008 Regnie (85).

Josh Raynolds

FRANCE - BEAUJOLAIS

MOULIN-À-VENT
90/ Henry Fessy 2007 Moulin-à-Vent

Big, firm, dense wine, a classic structured Moulin-à-Vent, designed for ageing. The tannins are solid, dark, the wine layered with acidity, black plum juice, dried raisins and final acidity.
Imported by Louis Latour Inc. —R.V.

CÔTE DE BROUILLY
88/ Henry Fessy 2008 Côte de Brouilly

A firm, tannic style, a real step up from the Brouilly from the same producer. The wine is tight, with red berry and raspberry fruit flavors, and a mineral, terroir-driven character. Imported by Louis Latour
Inc. —R.V.

BROUILLY
86/ Henry Fessy 2008 Brouilly

A soft, rounded wine with attractive spice layered with some light tannins. The wine has delicious, open fresh red fruit flavors, spiced with cinnamon on black cherries. Imported by Louis Latour Inc.
—R.V.

RÉGNIÉ
85/ Henry Fessy 2008 Château des Reyssiers (Régnié)

Sweet strawberry fruit with an edge of crispness and soft tannins. This is a fruity, juicy style, full of easy, attractive red berry and plum flavors. To drink soon.
Imported by Louis Latour Inc. — R.V.

BEAUJOLAIS BLANC
84/ Henry Fessy 2007 Beaujolais Blanc

A ripe, warm style of wine with light acidity. It has weight and spice, followed by a rich, caramel character. The vines are planted at high altitude, helping keep the freshness in the fruit. Imported by
Louis Latour Inc. —R.V.

Henry Fessy Côte de Brouilly 2008
87/ 100
Côte de Brouilly (Beaujolais), France
Dry Red (Cork), 13.0% abv

A relatively light style of Côte de Brouilly, but true to its origins and with a clarity to the flavours. Lively perfumed berry nose matched by juicy, cherry fruit and a mineral note. Drink it cool with fish or light meat dishes or on its own.