Cru Beaujolais as standby?

Many a times Cru Beaujolais suffers from association with Beaujolais Nouveau, yet it is often a reasonable standby when the direction of a meal is not at all clear. A 2 year old Cru Beaujolais will usually not clash greatly with most things one is likely to eat and can complement many dishes in a typical Chinese meal, with the exception of perhaps the more delicate steamed fishes.

Recently at home over dinner with a few guests, a Cru Beaujolais was opened because the meal was a real mix (like what the Singaporeans would call a pot luck meal). That was not particularly well received. Yet when many a critic would nevertheless call Cru Beaujolais a well kept secret. I know for certain that some years ago, a well made example (Regnie) was on the wine list of the Peninsula Hotel as a house red.