Chateau de Lavernette, Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 2009

 The commercial success of large-production Beaujolais has always left me rather mystified, as I can always point to lots of other wines that offer more pleasure and interest for the same price.  However, this criticism does not apply to small-production wines like this, which show that conscientious vintners can produce wines of indisputable excellence from the Gamay grape in Beaujolais.  This bottling is not quite as complex as its 2009 stablemate Beaujolais-Leynes “Le Clos,” but it shows a winning softness and textural breadth that is nearly irresistible.  Although it is soft, it is nevertheless nicely structured with fresh acidity and a little fine-grained tannin, and consequently can perform well either on its own or with a wide range of foods like poultry, pork or veal.