Cote de Brouilly & Cru Beaujolais

Last Wednesday we once again went to CanCan to take advantage of the half price wine night. The weather was lovely, so we decided to dine outside. We choose a 2004 Cote de Brouilly Chateau Thivin (regularly, $29; on this night $14.50). This Cru Beaujolais was light with a ton of fruit, but complex enough to hold our interest throughout the evening. We enjoyed it with Moules Frites (in a chorizo & tomato broth) and Steamed Clams (in a light garlic broth). The meal was served with fresh bread infused with lavender and thyme. We finished the evening with sorbet (kiwi and passionfruit) and Chocolat Chaud.

In reasearching the wine I ran across some additional information on Cru Beaujolais from The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia. There are 10 Cru villages:

Brouilly
Chenas
Chiroubles
Cote de Brouilly
Fleurie
Julienas
Morgon
Moulin-a-Vent
Regnie
Saint-Amour

All of these villages use Gamay grapes. The Cote de Brouilly can also use Pinot Noir grapes. Good Beaujolais years make for more enticing and complex Cru Beaujolais. The lighter style can pair with a huge variety of food from fish and seafood to burgers and fries. A great red wine choice for the summer.