You say Rioja and oak comes to my mind, before anything else. Too much oak. There are exceptions but you know what I’m talking about. I’m not a fan of wines tasting like coconut extract.
I read many times over the years that carbonic maceration is a traditional method in Rioja, which sounds surprising. I’ve never tasted such a wine – even though I absolutely love Beaujolais. The time has come, though, I recently tried the entry level wine from Artadi, made in this fashion. It’s fantastic.
It probably wouldn’t be easy to pick this as an outlier in a beaujolais cru blind tasting, it’s so similar. But it would be amongst the best wines I reckon. It’s full of primary energy, with tart black cherries leading the aromatics. Some banana notes from the carbonic maceration add a twist. It’s bright but moderately acidic, with that lovely crunchy, chewy texture of whole bunch reds. Amazing fruit concentration and freshness, it’s delicious, fun but also structured. Great wine, 90 points (in its class: 10/10). Try a bottle now, in this fruity phase, but this can be aged for a few years or probably in the mid-term.