Is Chiroubles the future of Beaujolais? As the highest-elevation cru, it’s certainly the best-positioned, literally, to make wines which keep their freshness in this time of global warming. And in many places it has steep, granitic soils that are ideal for making wines with genuine depth.

Chiroubles is also a great source of value; despite being a ‘cru’, the wines typically cost only slightly more than your average Beaujolais-Villages – or even plain ol' Beaujolais. Indeed, when compared to more famous crus like Morgon or Fleurie, Chiroubles is almost laughably inexpensive.

But if you like your Bojo pretty, floral, red-fruited and fresh, Chiroubles is the way to go – especially when coming from a really good producer, like Ruet. The domaine consistently makes delicious wines that are utterly Beaujolais in style: juicy, fresh and charming, with fine threads of savory complexity (iodine, smoke) running throughout.

Though they make many excellent wines, Ruet’s Chiroubles, ‘La Fontenelle,’ is perhaps the best of their 2018s. It’s composed of 40-60 year-old, organically farmed vines from a single, south-facing site. Like the best wines of the AOC, it’s planted on soils made of fine, sandy granite, providing plenty of character and detail to go along with all that fun, joyous red fruit. On the shelf at less than $25, it’s one the best deals in our Beaujolais section.