[WTN] Louis Jadot 2007 Beaujolais Villages

My first encounter with Gamay (an Anjou Gamay) was so awful that I've always believed it was a spoiled bottle - but it was still bad enough to keep me from trying it again. Until I spotted this on a supermarket discount. Jancis Robinson has claimed that Louis Jadot is one of the better negociants so I figured I'd be on pretty safe ground.

For interest, the wine has the legend "Combe aux Jacques" on the label which I assume is the precise village it hails from.

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Interesting colour - very strong red-purple but still somehow light and translucent.

To be frank the wine smells mainly of oak, which isn't the most appetising start.

Pretty good on the palate though - strong fruit flavours, particularly cherry, mix with liquorice, spicy oak and some barnyard funk into an interesting combination. The whole is well supported by some strong, but not excessive, acidity.

4/5

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Better. But not enough to convince me to go seeking specifically for more Gamay samples to try.

Which Anjou Gamay, if I might ask? (I have a bottle of "natural" Anjou Gamay in my collection that I have read mixed reviews about from "beautiful natural wine" to "funky, foul monster") so I am curious. I just need to open the damn bottle! !

The "solution" is to try the single appellation Beaujolais. I love Morgon (Cote de Py!), for example, although Brouilly and Moulins-a-Vent can be nice, too.

Brian,

At one time Wal-Mart was carrying the Jadot B.V. for less than 4 USD. We drank quite a bit of it during that summer and it was a nice quaffer. The price has gone up, so we don't drink as much as we did, but I wouldn't turn a glass down.

For interest, the wine has the legend "Combe aux Jacques" on the label which I assume is the precise village it hails from..

No, it is the name of a new winery for Jadot. It is located in Beaujolais (near the village of Brouilly if I am not mistaken) which allows them to purchase grapes, rather than must or juice, to produce a Beaujolais Villages.

I have not tasted this wine, but I imagine it is a relatively textbook example of Beaujolais gamay. That said, before writing off the grape/region you should probably try some of the better examples. Especially as they are not very expensive.

A little surprised by the oaky nose, though I havn't had this wine.
I'm pretty geeky, and love Gamay. But I'm seldom crazy over Touraine Gamay, due to a aroma (I call it potted plant) that I find in it often.
I do, however, love Beaujolais. I'm curious what your favorite types of wine are? If you're more partial to beefier Pinot Noir or Cabernet or Syrah, you might try Morgon or Moulin-a-Vent. If your tastes are towards lighter more delicate wines, then maybe try a Chiroubles or St Amour. If you don't like then, cool- no one likes every grape. But I'd hope you'd give Beaujolais a chance. The great thing about Beaujolais is the best wines in the region top out pricewise where other regions have their base wines!

Good counsel Dale. One of the things about a lot of Beaujolais is that it is so easy to like. There is a directness to the grape that I find wonderful without being simplistic. Gamay is indeed well worth exploring, particularly the Cru Beaujolais, but there are some examples of plain Beaujolais (supposedly a step below BV) that shine as well. I'm thinking specifically of Pierre Chermette which I liked enough to buy a case of to drink and give away. And for contrast, by all means try a bottle of Edmund St. John Gamay Noir (from CA).

Which Anjou Gamay, if I might ask? (I have a bottle of "natural" Anjou Gamay in my collection that I have read mixed reviews about from "beautiful natural wine" to "funky, foul monster") so I am curious. I just need to open the damn bottle! ! .

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A little surprised by the oaky nose, though I havn't had this wine.

So was I. In fairness I'm not "good" at wine scents - I invariably find the palate much more expressive - so I might have missed something. But I'm confident that oak is the major ingredient in the nose.

I'm curious what your favorite types of wine are?

With reds I tend to go for middle-of-the-road wines which offer both some lush fruit and some sterner character - I usually find Bordeaux (particularly left-bank), Rioja and better examples of Australian Cabernet/Merlot tend to give me what I want.

I'm not "writing off" Gamay by any stretch of the imagination. Rather I meant that I was not instantly inspired to go out and drink more widely from this region/grape as I was the first time I tried Riesling or Dolcetto. I shall certainly come back to it in time.

With reds I tend to go for middle-of-the-road wines which offer both some lush fruit and some sterner character - I usually find Bordeaux (particularly left-bank), Rioja and better examples of Australian Cabernet/Merlot tend to give me what I want..

Sounds like you like a firm tannic structure to your red wines, which is not really gamay's strength. But, of all the Beaujolais wines, Moulin a Vent is likely to provide the most tannic structure, as Dale said.

Sounds like you like a firm tannic structure to your red wines, which is not really gamay's strength. But, of all the Beaujolais wines, Moulin a Vent is likely to provide the most tannic structure, as Dale said.

Thanks - as luck would have it my local specialist do stock a Moulin a Vent (Le Vieux Domaine) so I'll add that to my shopping list for the next trip.

Thanks - as luck would have it my local specialist do stock a Moulin a Vent (Le Vieux Domaine) so I'll add that to my shopping list for the next trip.

Ok. Not heard of them, let us know how it is.

Some famous names from MaV that you might look out for include Jacky Janodet, Vissoux, Jadot's 'Chateau des Jacques' line, JP Brun..

For interest, the wine has the legend "Combe aux Jacques" on the label which I assume is the precise village it hails from..

No, it is the name of a new winery for Jadot. It is located in Beaujolais (near the village of Brouilly if I am not mistaken) which allows them to purchase grapes, rather than must or juice, to produce a Beaujolais Villages.

Yes, near Brouilly. Not to be confused (as I nearly did) with Chateaux des Jacques in Moulin-à-Vents. Too many Jacques!