A guy walks into a bar: Beaujo's Wine Bar

The look: Beaujo’s is right in the middle of the action in downtown Edina at the intersection of 50th and France. The saffron interior walls are rustic and inviting, but interrupted by mediocre paintings of flowers and branches. A simple L-shaped bar sits in the middle of the dining room overseeing the casual four-top tables.  And in the back there is a smaller, more private room with darker walls.

The crowd: On a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon Beaujo’s was understandably slow. But there was a small but steady trickle of patrons throughout my visit. Couples young and old stopped in for a glass of wine or a beer and a woman taking her daughters shopping paused from their errands to enjoy coffee and dessert. I have no doubt that the place is quite lively, however, in the evenings with people enjoying a drink before catching a movie at Landmark’s Edina Theater across the street.

The wine: As I have been developing my wine palette I have learned that I prefer red wines, but I also understand that some seasons lend themselves to particular beverages. And summertime is definitely white wine season. As such, I barely even glanced at the reds on Beaujo’s wine list (although I was tempted by the words “big, bold…dark berries” as I flipped to the other side). No, not this time; like Luke Skywalker I resisted the seductive power of the dark side. Instead I committed myself to studying the distilled, crafted quenchability of whites.

I started with Chardonnay because, not only is it one of the most popular white wines, it is also a style of white wine that people are very opinionated about. Many Chardonnays are aged in oak casks, infusing them with a fuller body and a “toasty” flavor. Oak is the polarizing characteristic of Chardonnays that make it either delicious or deplorable, depending on the drinker. So, I wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out what all the fuss was about. The 2006 Alexander Valley Chardonnay was full, round, and creamy with hints of mandarin orange. As for the oak, well, I discovered why the word “toasty” is used incessantly when describing oaked Chardonnays. Not only was there a bready, biscuity undertone to the wine, there was also a slight burnt taste, as if the wine skins had been singed at some point during winemaking process. Not burnt exactly, but…toasty. It made me feel like I was eating a breakfast pastry with my wine.

I discussed my experiment with the bartender and she kindly poured me a taste of another, un-oaked Chardonnay to try. By comparison, the 2007 Foxglove Chardonnay from San Luis Obispo was tart, crisp, and bright on the tongue.  Without the heavy skeleton of oak in the wine’s body, the grapes were allowed to express their fruit more openly. In the Alexander Valley Chardonnay, the oak dominated the flavor profile and suppressed the fruity characteristics. There was a very distinct difference between the two Chardonnays and I can see why people feel so strongly about the use of oak in aging a wine. I’ll take the un-oaked, please.  Free the grapes!

The descriptions on most wine lists are bombastic and unhelpful, but I found Beaujo’s wine list to be a good read and pretty accurate, too. I let it sweet talk me into a glass of 2008 Cono Sur Viognier from Chile. Viogniers are known for being smooth and a little dry with light, peachy notes. The Cono Sur Viognier was a little more acidic than I expected—but in a good way. The taste of apricots, peaches, pears and kiwi twinkled on my tongue before a pleasant, dry finish. If only there had been some Thai food to go with it.

The food: With a smattering of small plates, a few sandwiches, and a couple of entrees, Beaujo’s doesn’t set itself up as a dining destination so much as a café offering food to accompany the wine and beer.

The verdict: They say the secret to a successful business is location, location, location. Speaking in those terms,  Beaujo’s has struck gold. Too small to compete with the popular Edina Grill and Salut Bar Americain down the street, they have found a complimentary niche for themselves catering to people looking for someplace a little more cozy for a drink and a little something to nosh on. For a break between shopping at the obnoxious boutiques in downtown Edina or getting a drink with your date before or after a movie, Beaujo’s is an ideal spot. But for anything more than that, Beaujo’s doesn’t have much to offer. Their wine list represents all the important wine regions in the world and, judging from my experience, they are well chosen. It just didn’t have much personality, nothing that made an impression.

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