Wine of the Week: 2009 Jean-Claude Lapalu Beaujolais Brouilly ‘Cuvee Vieilles Vignes’

2009 Jean-Claude Lapalu Beaujolais Brouilly “Cuvée Vieilles Vignes”

Here’s another early entry from the 2009 Beaujolais vintage, a beautiful Brouilly from Jean-Claude Lapalu, a young vintner who is a proponent of natural wines. All Gamay, his 2009 old-vines Brouilly is earthy and minerally, suffused with the taste of black cherries. I even get a whiff of kirsch on the nose. It has a beautiful, fine-spun texture and soft tannins.

On a warm summer night, serve it slightly chilled, which brings the wine into focus. It’s great with just about anything you’d want to eat in this weather -- a charcuterie spread, grilled sausages or skirt steak, mixed grill or Santa Maria barbecue.

Region: Beaujolais

Price: About $19

Style: Earthy and minerally

What it goes with: Charcuterie, grilled sausages, skirt steak, barbecue

Where to find it: Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454, https://www.winex.com; and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, https://www.winehouse.com. More of the Brouilly will be arriving on the West Coast in September.