Henry Fessy 2017 Château des Reyssiers Régnié ($16.99)

This is a clear, dark, reddish-violet wine shading to a thin clear edge. Its aroma offers pleasant red berries, strawberries and raspberries with a whiff of black-cherry liqueur, and a hint of the high-toned volatile acidity that’s typical of Beaujolais. On the palate it’s fresh, juicy, and tart, balanced if somewhat rustic cherry-berry fruit framed by crisp acidity, light scratchy tannins, and subtle red-clay minerality joining red fruit in the finish. Very good Régnié, good with food, a moderate 13% alcohol claimed. U.S. importer: Louis Latour Inc., San Rafael, Calif. (April 30, 2020)

FOOD MATCH: Producer Henry Fessy suggests an eclectic list of pairings including white meats, grilled entrecote steaks, barbecued ribs and, broadly, “appetizers and cheese.” I found it an enjoyable match with a grilled fennel risotto.

WHEN TO DRINK: The Gamay-based wines from the named villages of Beaujolais, like Régnié, are generally capable of improving with time in a temperature-controlled cellar. If the synthetic stopper can be trusted, it should be good and could improve over the next three to five years.

VALUE:
My local price isn’t out of line with Wine-Searcher.com’s $16 average U.S. retail. It’s a good value at this price.

WEB LINK
Here’s a fact sheet on the importer’s website. For more detail, download this detailed PDF document from producer Henry Fessy.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Henry Fessy Château des Reyssiers Régnié on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read about Régnié at this Wine-Searcher link, and scroll down to find vendor and price listings for dozens of other wines from the village.

TALK ABOUT GAMAY:
Join this month’s Wine Focus conversation, GaMAY, in our WineLovers Discussion Group.