Wine of the Week: 2016 Château de Saint-Amour

Any good bottle of wine can enhance a romantic occasion like Valentine’s Day. But there are also wines whose very names evoke romance.

In France’s Beaujolais region, there’s an entire cru for lovers: Saint-Amour. Saint-Amour is the northernmost of Beaujolais’ 10 best sub-regions, or crus. Like all Beaujolais, the wines are made from the gamay noir grape. The entire northern part of Beaujolais, where all the crus hail from, is replete with beauty and charm, but for Valentine’s Day purposes, it’s hard to beat the romance of Saint-Amour, whose name speaks of love.

The 2016 Château de Saint-Amour ($22) is from a property that works in partnership with Georges Duboeuf, the largest producer of Beaujolais. The wine is bright and fruity, with red cherry, notes of rose petals and dried thyme, and a smooth, supple finish.

Duboeuf also produces a very good 2016 Saint-Amour under its well-known Flower Label ($20).