The Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2017 is sourced from grapes grown in the Côte-Mâconnais district in the south of Burgundy centered around the village of Mâcon in eastern central France. The Beaujolais district is just south of Mâcon. The Louis Jardot Chardonnay is AOC wine and the Mâcon-Villages classification is step up from the entry-level Mâcon wines. In Burgundy the different villages are important, there are wide differences from area to area with soil, climate, growing conditions and wines from particular villages are sought after by Burgundy lovers. This Chardonnay is more of a sampling of the various villages than a study in one individual terroir. Lois Jadot has been in business since the middle of the 19th century and for most of their history acted as negotiants, meaning they purchased completed wine from wineries and relabeled them to be sold at a discount. But in recent times Louis Jadot has been purchased by Kobrand Wine and Spirits (they have an impressive portfolio) and now have their own vineyards and produce their own wines. This Chardonnay is not fermented or aged in oak and the vineyards are situated on land that has a good amount of chalk and limestone, so if you ever wondered what they were talking about when describing minerality in the flavor profile, this Chard should be able to showcase that dimension. The alcohol content is 13%.
The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is a mix of citrus, fruit, and flowers, there is melon, apple, pear, lemon, a fresh squeeze of lime, a little grapefruit, and a hint of peach. This is a flavorful Chardonnay with excellent acidity and generally a smooth wine with a few tart flavors popping up. It tastes of peaches with a bit of cream, normally cream arises from vanilla or butter flavors that come from oak barrel aging, but that didn’t occur here, so it must be from stirring the “lees” (the dead yeast that is kept with the juice during aging}, though the tasting notes didn’t mention this. Followed by tart apple, lemon, mild grapefruit, and ripe pear. The mid-palate showcases the minerality, it is subtle, but it does swirl around in the mix, followed by a nutty, salty sensation and some non-sweet lemon/lime. The acidity is in the pocket, Chardonnay from the Burgundy region are known for possessing textbook examples of acidity. The finish is light and lengthy.
To be honest, I always thought the wines of Burgundy, both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, were outside the CheapWineFinder price range, but the Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2017 proved that wrong (I found it for $11). After drinking a good deal of California Chardonnay, which I highly enjoyed, the Louis Jadot was an excellent change of pace. This is a well-made young Chardonnay, balanced, with solid structure, and enough flavor to appeal to a California Chard drinker, kind of best of a both worlds Chardonnay. This is one of those wines that you catch yourself reaching for another sip without really thinking about it, so if my taste buds are telling me this is real good, my brain has no choice but to agree.
