Across the pond, Jancis Robinson, wine columnist for the Financial Times, thinks 2009 is such an exceptional year for Beaujolais that it will finally change the perception of the region as a source of inexpensive seasonal Beaujolais Nouveau. In 2009 Beaujolais, Jancis finds “delicious” wines, “stuffed full of fruit” that are actually “delicious to drink. Now.” She describes the vintage as “delightfully warm without being too hot” which allowed the defining characteristic of Beaujolais – its relatively high acidity – to evolve into “the most delightful complement to all that ripe, crunchy, mouth-watering fruit.”

The only downside to such an extraordinary vintage is that it finally gave Beaujolais producers the opportunity to raise prices. The wisdom of raising prices in a recession was hotly debated – the low price of Beaujolais had made it a darling in the wine world, driving demand. In the end, however, the opportunity was too good for the producers to pass up. One producer broke ranks and raised his price and one by one, the others soon followed. The average price increase? 30 cents a bottle.

Even with this outrageous example of opportunism, price gouging and greed (ahem), we heartily recommend these wines and were happy to be able to track down five cases of one of Jancis’s top recommendations – Jean-Paul Brun’s Terres Dorees 2009 $17.50/$14.88 a bottle with 15% case discount – for you.

The bright fruit of Terres Dorees pairs perfectly with anything coming off the grill. When you take your chicken out of the fridge to grill it, pop in the bottle of Beaujolais. By the time your chicken is done, the wine should have a slight chill allowing the ripe red fruit to blossom and perfectly match your dish. Summer couldn’t be simpler.