The Anti-Nouveau:
Beaujolais for the Long Haul
2012 Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
If I had to reduce my Beaujolais buying to a single wine, it would be Tardive.
And I'm not alone.
Roilette's Tardive is one of the most loved wines that I know of. Everyone from wine geeks to blue chip collectors go deep on the wine.
For me, it's one of the great wines. The confluence of quality, ageability and value is that incredible.
Roilette's 99 Tardive stands out as one of the most memorable wines I've tasted and for sure, the best Beaujolais I've had. And 99 is far from an exception. I've tasted every Roilette Tardive going back to 98 and each year I'm more and more convinced that this is a special wine.
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Roilette's Tardive is without a doubt one of the greatest deals out there, especially when you factor in the ageability. Tardive can easily age for a decade.
Before I go further, I should note that Tardive is going to be much less available in 2012 - yields were down by 50%.
If you want to know how profound, how ageworthy Beaujolais can be, Roilette's Cuvée Tardive is the one to check out. That's always been the intention behind Tardive. Roilette's owner Alain Coudert created Tardive as the anti-nouveau - a statement about the longevity and complexity Beaujolais can achieve when handled with respect and planted in a great terroir.
Tardive is impressive, delivering seriously nuanced and layered complexity. The classic Tardive signature is one of dark fruits (black cherries, mulberries, plums), olives, licorice, smoke, mint, a complex array of flowers and a meaty quality.
Tardive comes from two parcels of eighty-year-old vines (Roilette's oldest) and their age certainly contributes much to the wine's regal grandeur and multifaceted internal architecture. The terroir always lends a hand in the wine's structure and complexity. Clos de la Roilette is situated right on the border of Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent, which produces Beaujolais' deepest, most complex and ageworthy wines. Alain Coudert is eager to point out that the division between Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent begins at the tree line - the soils, however, are exactly the same.
Similar to Burgundy, 2012 in Beaujolais yielded tiny, tiny quantities of what's looking like great wines. There's good ripeness, good brightness and really nice clarity. It seems to share the best of 2010 and 2011 and kicks the concentration up a notch.
Everything seems to be in place for a really beautiful edition of Tardive. The only issue is that it will be in short supply. We suggest that you stock up.
To order, please reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2012 Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive