Kim Uncorked: Welcome to my weekly wine recommendation.
Hi, I’m Kim, a passionate lover of wine, food, and any experience that brings the two together! In this weekly blog post, I share my thoughts on a wine that I’ve recently purchased from one of our local independent wine merchants. If you’d like to know more about me, I’ve included a brief bio following the post.
2020 Christophe Coquard Les 38 Villages
Beaujolais Villages AOC
Liberty Wine Merchants
$30.09
Various locations
With the mercury rising this week, I found myself craving not only something chilled but also a wine that could stand up to the grill. Bring on Gamay Noir, particularly a Beaujolais-Villages!
The 2020 Christophe Coquard Les 38 Villages Beaujolais-Villages offers a vibrant expression of the Beaujolais-Villages appellation. The appellation occupies the middle ground between the light, fruit-forward Beaujolais AOC and the more structured, age-worthy Beaujolais Crus. Produced exclusively from the Gamay grape grown on mineral-rich granite, clay-limestone, and sandy soils, the wines are known for combining freshness and approachability with depth and complexity.
This unique blend sources grapes from all 38 communes (villages), then undergoes a 13-day maceration before aging for more than six months on its fine lees, enhancing its texture and complexity while preserving the purity of the fruit.
Deep ruby in colour, the wine offers crunchy red fruit, raspberry, cherry, and strawberry aromas alongside tart fruit flavours, silky tannins, and a subtle mineral character. Fresh, balanced, and approachable, it provides all the charm that makes Beaujolais-Villages a step up from the region’s classic easy drinking wines.
Pair Beaujolais-Villages with charcuterie, grilled pork or chicken, or seafood dishes such as tuna or salmon tartare.
Kim Mead is a Vancouver-based wine and food writer. She holds the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines with Merit, the French Wine Scholar designation with Honours, and Italian Wine Essentials certification. Kim recently successfully completed the Bordeaux Master’s program with the Wine Scholar Guild. Kim serves as Cellar Master for the Vancouver chapter of the International Wine and Food Society and is a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux. Follow her @agalandaglass