There is so much strong wine out there. I am regularly drinking wine over 14% ABV and my tongue feels like an old mattress accidentally discarded into a petrol station storage tank. I need to air it somewhat to give it a break.

This bottle of Georges Duboeuf Chiroubles is hopefully the perfect antidote. At only 12.5% and from a Cru Beaujolais region it should be easy drinking and palatable.

The bottle is gently sloped sealed with a screw cap. Dressed in white livery, it is an 80's sports car not quite over its hay day (Beaujolais Nouveau was a big hit back then). This is 'Cru Beaujolais' not 'Nouveau' which means it is some of the best stuff the Gamay grape can offer.

It is hard to make anything out on the label through all of the painted flowers. Looking more closely, they are violets. This is a major clue to one of the aromas you are supposed to derive from this region. If you look up Beaujolais and the Gamay grape, the word 'violets' is plastered everywhere (partnered with the usual over flowery, complimentary superlatives).

Hang on a second....

What do violets smell like? I cannot recall ever walking through a field of violets, and my only taste experience is my childhood with 'Parma Violet' sweets (which do not appear to contain any violet in them, just artificial flavourings and sugar).

Do all these wine critics scribbling tasting notes live in a violet infused 'other' world?

Maybe one day I too will wake up and smell the imaginary violets...

To add insult to injury the Viola plant (from which Violet derives) has a chemical in the scent which (I quote Wikipedia at this point) -

"temporarily desensitises the receptors of the nose, thus preventing any further scent being detected from the flower until the nerves recover"

I would say it is the last thing I want to 'not smell' in wine. Why is the violet aroma so ubiquitous in descriptors of wine when is it almost impossible to experience and therefore recognise anyway?

So a twist of the cap and the wine flows into my glass, looking bright and lively. It was drunk with chicken and was like a breath of fresh air, not sending my head into a spin after a couple of glasses.

A subtle wine, delicate and delicious.

Have your say

Name (optional):
Email (optional):
Website (optional):
Message: