I’m taking a break from Star Trek TNG for a little bit to work on a Ham Radio side project. While I fiddle with my new transceiver to see how far I can talk over the air, I decided to try another Beaujolais-Villages, this one the Louis Jadot 2014. If you’ve been to the French wine section of your local supermarket you have probably seen a few of Louis Jadot offerings at a range of prices. This one was listed at $13 but was on sale for $8 so I picked up a bottle.
Nerd Alert: The Beaujolais region is riddled with scandals throughout history. Because the grape matures fast and can be processed quickly, winemakers overproduced a bunch of low end wine in 2001. They were eventually forced to destroy or distill their remaining product following a public backlash against the cheap wine. In 2007 several producers were caught adding sugar to their grapes before fermentation which boosts the alcohol yield while sacrificing every other aspect of the wine.
This wine has a medium purple color with an aroma of fresh red berries and candy. The taste is nice and bright; lots of fresh cherry and strawberry flavors, a good amount of acid and almost no tannin. The wine is light-bodied with a smooth finish of lingering fruit and some minerals. Well balanced light red wine, very refreshing.
Winemaker: Louis Jadot
Wine: Beaujolais-Villages
Year: 2014
Region: Beaujolais, France
Grape: Gamay
Price: $13 (on sale for $8)
Rating: 8/10