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Everyday Burgundy Wines from Louis Jadot
We don’t usually expect to see “Burgundy” and “Affordable” in the same sentence. Wines from Domaine Romanée-Conti often sell for upwards of $1500/bottle. Know what? If you know where to look, there are some lovely wines from the region that won’t break the bank. In fact, they are affordable enough for everyday and they’ll complement dinner nicely.

Maison Louis Jadot is a long time producer of wines from Burgundy. The business was built on a combination of their own vineyards and a negociant operation in which they bought wines from growers, then aged, bottled and sold them. Louis Jadot stresses that they care for each individual plot that they represent, from the Grand Cru to the humblest village wine. At the most affordable end, you’ll notice on the label that the wine was “élevé et mise en bouteilles par Louis Jadot”, meaning the grapes were grown and made into a base wine by someone else, but aged and bottled at Louis Jadot. Today, they work very closely with their winegrowers, so you can be well assured of a high quality product.

The Mâconnais is the home of some affordable and delicious white wines. Conveniently, Louis Jadot tells you it’s a Chardonnay, as are nearly all white wines from Burgundy.

Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2014 ($15 suggested, online)
Eye: Clear, medium lemon yellow
Nose: Clean, ripe lemons and white flowers
Mouth: Dry, medium+ acidity, medium- alcohol, medium- body, medium+flavor intensity. Fresh ripe lemons, very strong fruit gives an impression of almost sweet (but it isn’t). Clean lemony flavors, medium finish. A very nice wine, no oak influence at all.

Beaujolais is the Rodney Dangerfield of Burgundy (don’t get no respect). Officially, the Beaujolais wine growing region is in the larger geographic region of Burgundy, although it’s left off the Burgundy wine region maps and guides.  Louis Jadot, however, definitely considers Beaujolais a worthy winegrowing area and they produce some very nice examples.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2014 ($14 suggested, online)
Eye: Clear, pale purple-ruby in color. Bright and clear.
Nose: Clean,  medium+ intensity, bright red fruit with a bit of earthiness underneath.
Mouth: Bone dry with lively acidity and low tannins, just as Gamay should be. Nice fruit finish, bright and fresh. Great lighter weight red and excellent with roast chicken. I liked this wine a lot!

roast a chicken on the grill

Wine Pairing with Oven or Grill Roasted Chicken
Both these wines were fine choices to pair with roast chicken.  In the summer, why not try roasting on the grill? In the winter, the oven works fine.  Even rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would be a great choice.  Both wines were dry with lively acidity, they had sufficient body to stand up to the grilled flavors.  It really boils down to whether you feel like drinking a white or red that day.  One note: Beaujolais is a great choice for a warmer weather red and it takes a bit of a chill nicely.

Disclosure: These wines were provided as complimentary samples by the US Importer. All opinions expressed are my own.