The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 is a $8.99 Trader Joe’s French import wine. L’Authentigue Is a French wine company that includes wineries from 12 different French growing regions.
The Story
The Beaujolais region has 12 appellations and 10 Crus; the main grape is Gamay, with a small amount of Chardonnay also farmed.
Beaujolais is located south of Burgundy, while Champagne is north of Burgundy.
There are several different classifications of Beaujolais. The first is Beaujolais AOP, which covers grapes taken from the whole region that encompasses 96 villages, the next is Beaujolais Villages AOP, which includes grapes from up to 39 particular villages. There are 10 Cru regions and those wines use the name of the village rather than Beaujolais on the label.
The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 are sourced from two or more villages.
A check of the L’Authentigue website showed most of their wines had wine domains as the producer; this wine is not shown on the website.
While Beaujolais wines tend to be affordable, even the Cru wines are less expensive than other Cru wines; the Beaujolais Villages is the sweet spot for price to quality.
The Gamay grape produces a lighter-bodied wine that may remind you of Pinot noir. The Alcohol content is 13%.
The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 Tasting Notes
The color is a see-through strawberry red with black highlights. The nose is slightly candied cherry, baking spice, and soft herbs. The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 has a touch of sweetness, but this is a dry wine.
This Beaujolais tastes like cherry, spice, plum, licorice, tart cranberry, pomegranate, with a little stone fruit.
The tannins are soft and the acidity does its job well.
The Summary
- The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 is a well-priced and fun wine.
- While Beaujolais are comparatively inexpensive, $8.99 is a very good price.
- This is a wine that a beginner can understand, and a seasoned drinker can enjoy.
