JP Chenet Cabernet-Syrah Review
A non-alcoholic red from the Languedoc, carrying one of France's most recognized wine names and doing what that name has always done: honest everyday reds that never ask too much of you.
Smoke, prune and a line of coffee bean and licorice, dry and medium-bodied, with supple tannins holding it together.
Under 0.5 percent alcohol, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend at a price that makes a weeknight bottle easy.
First Impressions
Some bottles ask you to slow down and savour every sip, and some are simply for a Thursday, and JP Chenet Cabernet-Syrah knows exactly which one it is. It pours a youthful ruby red, bright at the rim, with none of the ceremony its Southern French pedigree might suggest. The nose is more expressive than the price hints at: smoke and prune first, then coffee bean and a curl of licorice underneath. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend from the Languedoc, dealcoholized rather than reinvented, and it smells like a proper red instead of grape juice trying hard.
How it actually tastes
On the palate it holds to that dry, medium-bodied promise, red fruit and cassis up front with the smoky, spiced edge trailing behind. The tannins are supple and the acidity is balanced, which is more than plenty of non-alcoholic reds manage at any price. Rectified grape must rebuilds the body once the alcohol comes out, so there is a soft roundness here rather than a bone-dry snap, and the finish is where the budget shows itself, tidy but short. It will not be mistaken for something cellared, and it is not trying to be. What it earns its place as is the honest house red of the category: pour it without ceremony and it delivers exactly what a weeknight glass should.
A Small Ritual I Like
Chill it lightly before pouring, twenty minutes in the fridge is plenty. Dealcoholized reds can sit heavy and a touch sweet at full room temperature, and a cool edge tightens the fruit and wakes up that smoky, licorice note. I like it on a weeknight with something straight off the pan, grilled chicken or a pork chop, rather than saved for an occasion. Reach for an everyday glass, not the good crystal, and let it be the easy bottle it was built to be.
Things we like
A recognized French wine name at an everyday price, dealcoholized to under 0.5 percent.
An expressive nose of smoke, prune, coffee bean and licorice that punches above the cost.
Dry and medium-bodied with supple tannins and balanced acidity, not a sweet, flat red.
A Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend from the Languedoc, built for the table with grilled chicken and pork chops.
The value pour of the category: an easy house red for a weeknight with a clear morning after.
Frequently asked questions
Is JP Chenet Cabernet-Syrah really alcohol-free?
It is dealcoholized. JP Chenet makes a real red in the Languedoc, then removes the alcohol to leave less than 0.5 percent. That puts it in the same bracket as most dealcoholized wine rather than a true 0.0, so it is best kept out of reach if you are avoiding alcohol entirely. It also contains sulfites.
Is it sweet?
It reads dry and medium-bodied rather than sweet, but it is not bone-dry. The rectified grape must that rebuilds the body after dealcoholization leaves a soft roundness. If you want something genuinely austere, a sugar-free red like Casa Emma Sangiovese Zeero will suit you better. If you want an easy, spiced everyday red, this softness is part of the charm.
Is this a pure Cabernet Sauvignon?
No, it is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, two grapes that suit each other well in Southern France. The Cabernet brings the cassis and structure, the Syrah brings the smoke and spice. If you are after a fuller single-variety pour instead, try Pure Vision Shiraz.