1998 Louis Tete Beaujolais Villages

Notes sourced from Appellation Wines

If the reds of Bordeaux are stern and serious, those of Beaujolais are incurably jovial. They're fun and fruity, the best luncheon wines in the world.The secret of this cheeky fresh grapiness lies in the way Beaujolais' GAMAY grapes are vinified. They go into the vats in whole bunches and the grapes on the bottom break open with the weight. They start a regular fermentation and, after a time, that wine is drawn off. But the grapes on the top have remained unbroken and have begun to ferment within their own skins - MACERATION CARBONIQUE. Here is the key to that taste, for when the cake is finally pressed this wine is blended with the first. Hey presto, BEAUJOLAIS!The Beaujolais region is the southernmost part of Burgundy. It is hilly and very pretty. Wines from its south carry the simple appellation 'Beaujolais'. Wines with a bit more body, from 35 villages to its north, qualify for the BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES appellation. Its most distinctive and most robust wines, however, come from the ten northerly communes that have gained the title of CRUS. LOUIS TÊTE supplies a number of Lyon's leading restaurants and is a foremost -Beaujolais négociant. Now the leading label in Australia, the brand features birds that frequent the vineyards in the various appellations.

Louis Tête Beaujolais-Villages: Distinctive earthy red cherry character. Fruity and clean, with a bit of bite from nicely judged acids and tannins. Moderate length.