Juliénas is an appellation covering wines produced from vineyards in the northern Beaujolais region of eastern France. The red wines of Juliénas, made from Gamay grapes, often have Spicy, Floral">floral and red fruit characters. They tend to be heavier than those of the neighboring appellation of Saint-Amour and some of its southern counterparts. Despite this, Julienas wines tend to have a shorter shelf life, and are best drunk no later than two or three years after the Vintage.
As with most Beaujolais appellation laws, a small amount of white wine is allowed in the Julienas blend. The Village of Juliénas is named after the Roman leader Julius Caesar. Vineyards have been established here for over 2000 years. In 2019, the appellation has 568 hectares of vines.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
red wines from the region of Juliénas go well with generally quite well with dishes of pasta, veal or pork such as recipes of meat and goat pie, homemade marengo veal or stuffed mushrooms.
On the nose in the region of Juliénas often reveals types of flavors of plum, earth or oak and sometimes also flavors of red fruit, black fruit or cherry. In the mouth in the region of Juliénas is a with a nice freshness.
