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Cote de Beaune Villages 1996 L. Jadot

8/2000. Bought locally Aug-2000 for $26.
If you search all of my 700-something tasting notes you will only find a handful Village wines, let alone anything below that level! As I've said many times, (for me at least) life's too short to waste it on low-end wines. Yet, here I am going to tell you about a wine whose pedigree is just a tad above that of generic Bourgogne...['Cote de Beaune Villages' is wine made from grapes that come from any of the communes in the Cote de Beaune that are not even entitled to their own appellation]
A few weeks ago I was invited to take part in a blind tasting of some 23 (B) wines that are imported to Israel. All are sold here at outrageous prices, about as much as three times their real cost. The tasting and the scoring was not done in the most appropriate way, but this wine rated really high among all four tasters (me included).
I thought I should buy a bottle and try it later at leisure, with a proper meal etc. And so I did.
COLOR: Normal Burgundy ruby-red. Not particularly, dark neither a lot of paling around the rim.
NOSE: Very forward and most pleasing. Ample red fruits with a light 'Bourgogne Nose' for added complexity. Nothing deep or really captivating here, but nothing faulty or off balanced on the nose.
TASTE: Nothing complicated about this wine, yet smooth light and quite charming. No big concentration but far from being watery. Leaves an all-around pleasant feel on the palate.
LENGTH: Not lacking in pleasant and not-too-short finish either.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-light bodied. Very pleasant straight-forward fruit, surprisingly good winyness, soft tannins and good acidity. Very nicely balanced. Obviously this wine is at its absolute peak now.
OVERALL: Good. A very well made wine of humble origin. Should be a terrific value at its real cost (I believe something around $10).
MARK: 16/20.BUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.