INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 LAURENT PERRACHON MOULIN-A-VENT 'TERRES ROSES' $20.99

Today is Beaujolais Nouveau release day, and of course there will be plenty of attention paid to that in a lot of places. We're in the mood to let people taste on the 'true' Beaujolais, the Beaujolais that you should be thinking about the other 364 days of the year, the Cru Beaujolais. Each of the ten Beaujolais Cru sites have their own distinct soils and characters to them, but Moulin-A Vent (named for the iconic old windmill that stands above the vineyards) is probably the most famous. The perfectly situated vineyards have a distinct soil heavy with pink granite and manganese that seem to infuse the Gamay grapes with a bit more intensity and structure than those around them. This is the Cru that has the best reputation for being age-worthy, and has been the home for many of the legendary producers over the last 40+ years of the region's renaissance. This bottling plays a fine tribute to the legendary pink soil ('Terres Roses'), and with a few vintages already in the bottle is in a prime drinking window right now. A Burgundian looking deep ruby color in the glass, the aromas are of dusty cherry and rose petals that gain a little bit of juiciness and game as it's opened. In other words, quintessential Beaujolais. The palate is fairly full with a tangy, almost racy note and surprisingly firm dusty tannins that stay persistent all the way through the finish. There's no banana and bubble gum here found in all the commercial Beaujolais, this tastes all of the place and of the grape, A true food wine, at its best with a charcuterie plate, salty meats in general, and of course your Thanksgiving dinner.   

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