Beaujolais Nouveau and B. Villages Nouveau

[quijote]

This question occurred to me as I was looking at another thread: Are the Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Villages Nouveau drinkable within just months of their bottling? This is what I've been led to believe, but....

How is plain old Beaujolais different from B.N. and B.V.N? It was stated on another (the Novice) thread that regular Beaujolais from 2001 is a good bet now; why wouldn't that vintage be past its prime at this point?

None of my books really gives a good answer for this. I recently tried a 1999 Beaujolais, and it was darker and more tannic than the BVN I've been drinking. Is its longer drinkability related to the tannins in the liquid?

[Innkeeper]

Nouveau "gets picked, processed, and sold within about three weeks, start to finish, adds up to serious cash flow. As they say, it ages on the boat [or plane]." (Andrea Immer, "Great Wine Made Simple" P. 180).

"Regular" Beaujolais or Beaujloais Villages or the Beaujolais Crus get picked, processed, and sold in the same way as any other wine you would want to buy. Believe me, it takes a lot longer than three weeks.

[Thomas]

Nouveau wines are fermented in a manner specifically designed to extract fruitiness--FAST. Longevity is not in the equation, as it is with most other wines.

[quijote]

OK, these replies help, and I've been looking info up on the net, too. I had been under the impression that Beaujolais (and all gamay wine) was made for quick consumption, as in B. Nouveau, but it seems that there is quite a bit of use of gamay in France, Oz, and elsewhere to make more complex and longer-lasting wines.

[mrdutton]

The Nouveau comes out in November. I would not recommend anyone try drinking it if it is older than the following April.

That's 6 months..........

[wondersofwine]

Some of the cru Beaujolais are better at 3-5 years of age than when first bottled. Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon develop some complexity. Fleurie stays delightfully flowery for several years.