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The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is sourced from vineyards in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy in France. Chardonnay is THE grape of this area in southern Burgundy. For reference, Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy and Champagne in the north.
Loius Jadot has been in the wine business since the 1850s. They traditionally purchased grapes from some of the finest vineyards and now also own their own high-end vineyards. While they purchase grapes, they also produce the wine at their own facilities.
This Chardonnay is designated a Mâcon-Villages wine which means Louis Jadot took the grapes from vineyards surrounding 26 villages in the area that have been identified as having exceptional grapes. This is a step up in classification from plain Mâcon wines. The next step up is named single village wines.
On a side note, Louis Jadot is famous for adding a portion of wine from a higher classification into their wines. It is a practice referred to as réplis and is one of the reasons Jadot has been in business for so long.
The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is un-oaked and, as a 2020 vintage, is a young wine made to drink now and not to age. One unique thing about Burgundy is the soil; in the southern part, the vineyard soils are rich in limestone and chalk, and these minerals make their way into the flavor profile of the wine.
The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is a wine produced in large quantities that should be found in wine shops and supermarkets. It lists for $13 but can often be found on sale.
The majority of California Chardonnay producers make their wines in the Burgundian style. High-end, expensive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy set the world standard for these wines. While the Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is not in that category, it is a wine from a region and a producer known for Chardonnay.
This is a slightly upscale, everyday French Chardonnay. The alcohol content is 13%, less than typical California Alcohol of 13.5% to 14% or more. This represents the difference in climate between California and the Måconais region in Burgundy.
Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay Tasting Notes
The color is pale butter yellow; there is no oak barrel aging, so you would not expect a deeper shade of yellow. The nose is delicate and floral. There are scents of peach, apple, pear, soft lemon, faint lime, a little melon, and spring flowers.
The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is crisp and clean with a nice bit of weight on the palate; it has the flavor you can sink your teeth in.
This Chardonnay is long on flavor, but the flavors are subtle and balanced; nothing jumps out at you. It tastes like crisp, slightly sour Green apple, lemon/lime (not sweet), melon, peach, tart grapefruit, and pear. The mid-palate brings that salty, nutty, “on-lees” sensation, soft minerality, and tart tangerine.
This is a well-balanced Chardonnay.
The Summary
- The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is an easy-to-drink wine with the best meaning of the phrase. It is full of flavor, with excellent balance, and solid acidity.
- If you drink California Chardonnay you owe it to yourself to give the Chardonnay from Burgundy a try. Yes, the best wines are rediculously expensive, but there are many quality value-priced Chards to be had.
- Louis Jadot has 160 years of experience bring quality well-priced wines to cunsumers, you do not get that reputation by accident.
