This week I was searching my cellar, for a light red Burgundy, to accompany a Duck dish we were having. Louis Jadot is a very consistent producer in this region and I have been stocking their wines,since 1997. Over the years, I have built up a good relationship with Hatch Mansfield, the agent for Louis Jadot in this country. They have put me on to some very good offers over the years. One such offer meant that I had a case of Fleurie 2007, which really needs drinking.
As a rule, Burgundy white's are made with Chardonnay and the red's are made with Pinot Noir. This wine from the South of the region however, is made with Gamay grapes.
Both Gamay and Pinot Noir are very feminine grape varieties, they are soft, fragrant and gentle. Fleurie is often called "the Queen of Beaujolais". They have mass appeal, I have never heard the grapes listed as ones people don't drink, unlike the ABC's (anything but Chardonnay) camp.
This Fleurie is getting on, but it still remains silky and mellow. There are plenty of ripe red cherries and plums on the taste. A hint of tobacco on the edge,gives it a gentle finish.
Having befriended a real expert on Burgundy, Charles Taylor, I now find that my cellar holds more independent and unusual wines from this region. This is not to say that there is no place for Louis Jadot. I think, like their wines, there needs to be a gentle balance.
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