Louis Jadot 2016 Burgundy Seminar at 11:30am with winemaker Federic Barnier and at 7:30pm without Federic

2016 Vintage Louis Jadot Burgundy Seminar at Wine Watch Wine Bar
Tuesday, January 30th
11:30am or 7:30pm

This sense of somewhereness is most evident in Burgundy and some of the first serious Burgundy tastings that I attended were with the Mason Louis Jadot.  For many years either Jacques Lardière and Pierre-Henry Gagey would come to the South Florida to show a cross section of the newest releases from this great house.  They put over 40 different wines on the table every year and in one day I learned more about burgundy than the rest of the entire year.  This showed me that Burgundy is the ultimate exercise in terroir and how it affects wine.  The same producer, the same varietal and the same vintage- the only thing that is different from one wine to another is the dirt from which they are grown. 
I was disappointed to see Jacques with the 2003 vintage barrel samples in my store in 2004.  I remember it was a difficult year because of the heat and this was also the year that they stopped doing this event in South Florida.  Jacques also indicated that it was a small vintage thus the (375ml) barrel samples and that he would speak with the folks at Kobrand to see if we could set up an event with our Burgundy drinking people to keep them up to date on the quality of the vintage in Burgundy with an abbreviated version of this tasting.  Ask and you shall receive we have conducted a barrel tasting with Louis Jadots wines almost every year since!
Join us as we experience the last release from Burgundy the 2016 vintage with 18 wines on the table and we will be conducting two tastings on this day.  One in the afternoon with the Winemaker for Louis Jadot Federic Barnier at 11:30am and for those of you that have to work in the daytime we have another tasting in the evening at 7:30pm but our winemaker will be off on a plane to his next destination so we will have to conduct the second one with Antione Collet from Kobrand.
The evening event is limited to 16 tasters and the fee for this tasting is $95 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  We have included all the wines from Louis Jadot we have in the store at the end of this offering.

2016 Louis Jadot Tasting Line-up

Domaine Ferret Pouilly Fuisse Clos des Prouges

Domaine Ferret Pouilly Fuisse Clos des Prouges is made from grapes sourced from a 2 hectare specific vineyard site in Domaine Ferret’s vineyards located in the natural amphitheatre that surrounds the village of Fuissé itself. This “Clos” is located on a gentle slope with eastern aspect. One third was planted in 2006, one third in 1986 and one third was planted in 1956.  Domaine Ferret Pouilly Fuisse Clos des Prouges is barrel fermented and aged: 1/3 in new barrels, 1/3 in one year old barrel and 1/3 in 2 years old barrels for 9 months. The wine is then left to rest on the lees in stainless steel tanks on lies for 5 months prior to bottling.

Chateau De Jacques Moulin A Vent Clos Des Thorins

Château des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent Clos des Thorins is a special cuvée from old vines that cover 7.5 acres. The soil of the Clos des Thorins is composed of sand and clay. After a portion of the grapes is destemmed, the wine is vinified in closed vats with pumping over. The wine is then matured in oak barrels for 10 months.

Chateau De Jacques Morgon Cote De Py

The Côte du Py vineyard is situated on the slopes of an extinct volcano over the village of Villié Morgon, benefiting from an ideal terroir of granite and schist. After fermentation, the wine is matured in oak barrels.

Louis Jadot Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru

Chablis  is  located  in  the  northern  part  of  Burgundy,  half  way  between  Dijon and Paris.  The  vineyard  size  is  3  225  ha.  The  Premier  Cru  vineyards  represent  20%  of  the total size of the Burgundy Premiers Crus.  There are 40 "climats" of Premiers Crus among which Fourchaume.  The continental climate (very cold in winter and hot in the summer with frosts in spring) together with the marly limestone soils mould the unique character of Chablis wines

Louis Jadot Chablis Blanchots Grand Cru

Bright color with a hint of pale gold. This wine, which is made from grapes grown on slopes with an eastern orientation, has plenty of weight and rich texture on the palate. The aromas are what you would expect from grapes picked at optimal ripeness, while the palate shows great balance.

Louis Jadot Beaune Greves Le Clos Blanc 1er Cru

Beaune vineyards are the most extensive of the Côte de Beaune, between Savigny to the North, and Pommard to the South. There are no Grands Crus vineyards in this commune, but 36 Premiers Crus.  "Les  Grèves"  is  situated  in  the  North  between  "Les  Toussaints",  "Les  Bressandes" and  "Les  Theurons".  In  French,  "Grèves"  means  sandy,  small  stones,  which describes the soil of these vineyards.

Louis Jadot Puligny Montrachet La Garenne 1er Cru

Puligny  Montrachet,  situated  to  the  south  of  Meursault  and  to  the  north  of Chassagne  Montrachet,  shares  with  Chassagne  a  handful  of  the  greatest  white wine vineyards in the world. The Premier Cru vineyards of Puligny Montrachet, noted for the exceptionally high and consistent quality of the wines they produce, stretch across the upper half of Puligny's slope from Meursault to Chassagne.  «Clos  de La  Garenne »  climate  lies  near  « Les  Folatières »,  and  « Les  Referts » roughly midway between Meursault and Montrachet.  Chalky soil of medium density

Louis Jadot Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

The  Corton  Charlemagne  Grand  Cru  appellation  is  shared  by  the  two  villages Aloxe-Corton  and  Pernand-Vergelesses  in  the  Northern  part  of  the  Côte  de Beaune. The  village  of  Aloxe-Corton  has  the  rare  ability  of  having  over  half  of  its  area covered by Grand Cru vineyards. The exposure ranges from east to south and southwest.  This vineyard is one of the oldest owned by Louis Jadot since the XIXth century.  It  is  located  in  the  very  heart  of  the  appellation    (next  to  the  Corton  Pougets) which  then  expanded  after  1966.  Originally,  it  was  the  only  place  to  be  allowed to bear the Corton-Charlemagne apellation. This vineyard is ideally South oriented.

Louis Jadot Santenay Clos De Malte

The  village  of  Santenay  is  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Côte  de  Beaune, just after Chassagne Montrachet.  The «Clos de Malte» is a 7 ha "Monopole" (Louis Jadot is the sole owner) situated on  the  "climat"  «Sous  la  Fée»  at  the  foot  of  the  Montagne  des  Troix  Croix.  The Santenay  Clos  de  Malte  is  mainly  planted  with  Pinot  Noir  with  a  small  hectare of Chardonnay situated on very damp soil of limestone and clay.

Louis Jadot Monthelie Sous Roche

Monthélie is a small village located between Volnay and Meursault. This vineyard is 1.16 ha big and bought in 2010. It is very well oriented to the East with a rather high altitude and quite difficult to cultivate.  Soil is made of clay and stony on the surface

Louis Jadot Beaune Theurons

Beaune vineyards are the most extensive of the Côte de Beaune, between Savigny to the North, and Pommard to the South. There are no Grands Crus vineyards inthis commune, but there are 36 Premiers Crus.  «Les Theurons» vineyards consist of four parcels descending the slope above the city  of  Beaune,  which  divide  the  northern  Premiers  Crus  from  the  southern ones.  Domaine  des  Héritiers  Jadot  is  proprietor  in  Theurons,  which  was  one  of the earliest acquisitions in the 1830's.

Louis Jadot Pommard clos de la Commaraine

Pommard  is  located  between  Beaune  to  the  north  and  Volnay  to  the  South.  On the slope, most of the vineyards are East and South-East oriented.  Pommard produces only The Clos de la Commaraine is 4 hectares large; it is oriented to the East next to the village. The soil is deep and well drained on the surface. Some springs in the underground bring freshness to the soil. Moreover, the soil is quite stony

Louis Jadot Nuits St. George Les Vaucrains 1er Cru

Nuits  Saint-Georges  is  located  in  the  Côte  de  Nuits,  between  the  villages  of Prémeaux-  Prissey  and  Vosne-Romanée.  Both  these  villages  produce  the  Nuits Saint-Georges appellation.  The soils of the Premiers Crus vineyards are made of limestone and marls. They are ideally East oriented.  « Les Vaucrains » is located in Nuits Saint-Georges, next to "Les Chaînes Carteaux" and above "Les Saint-Georges".

Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny les Drazeys

Chambolle-Musigny  is  one  of  the  most  famous  villages  of  Côte  de  Nuits.  This appellation is rather small.  "Les drazeys" vineyards is located next to Sentiers and Baudes. The very stony soil is composed of limestone with gravels. It is East and South-East oriented

Louis Jadot Gevrey Chambertin Estournelles St Jacques 1er Cru

Gevrey Chambertin is the northernmost of the great communes of the Côte de Nuits. There are 26 Premiers Crus and 8 Grands Crus.  Half of  the  Premiers  Crus  of  Gevrey  lie  scattered  around  the  perimeter  of  the  Grands Crus; the other half occupy a steep, southeast facing slope to the north,  with calcareous clay soils.  The  « Estournelles  Saint  Jacques »  vineyard  is  situated  on  that  Southeast  facing slope, at the begining of the "Combe Lavaux", on top of "Lavaux St Jacques" and near  "Clos  St  Jacques".  There  are  similarities  in  the  soil  comosition  between thoses premiers crus and the grands crus

Louis Jadot Corton Pougets Grand Cru

The commune of Aloxe-Corton has the unusual distinction of having over half its area covered in Grand Cru vineyards.  It has an exposure ranging from east to south and Southwest.  The Grand Cru vineyard of Les Pougets is directly adjacent to Le Charlemagne climat, on the upper and mid-slope.    It’s among the five vineyards of the commune in which the variegated soils, alternating between chalk and iron-rich marl, produce both Corton Pougets and Corton Charlemagne.

Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

The  village  of  Vougeot  is  in  the  centre  of  the  Côte  de  Nuits,  flanked  on  the north by Chambolle Musigny and on the south by Flagey Echezeaux and Vosne Romanée.  The 50 ha vineyard faces the east. The geological composition ranges from chalky stoney  clay,  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  slope,  to  moist,  compact  soil  richer  in humus and with fewer stones on the lower slopes.  Maison Louis Jadot is the second owner of the Clos Vougeot vineyard with a bit more than 2 hectares.

Louis Jadot Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru

Gevrey Chambertin is the most northern of the great communes of the Côte de Nuits. There are 26 Premiers Crus and 8 Grands Crus.   Half  of  the  Premiers  Crus  of  Gevrey  lie  on  the  Grands  Crus  east  facing  slope  ; the  other  half  occupy  a  steep,  southeast  facing  slope  to  the  north,  with calcareous clay soils.  The  « Chapelle Chambertin »  vineyard  is  situated  on  the  east  facing  slope  between Latricières Chambertin Grand Cru and Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru.

Menu
Salmon Tartar with Avocado, Mango and mint aioli
Scallop Carpaccio with Honeydew melon, fig salsa and Lavender Aioli
Coq Au Vin Blanc
Beef Shortrib Bourguignon deconstructed

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

Burgundy 2016 harvest – Decanter Magazine
Burgundy’s 2016 vintage will be remembered as complicated—in every sense.

Hail and then rampant mildew, nourished by a moist Spring, followed on hard the heels of the most severe frost in a generation, devastating much of the region and leaving many growers with few grapes to harvest. In the space of two months, what had promised to be a generous vintage was decimated or worse. When asked how the harvest had gone, Jean-Marc Roulot of Meursault found it easy to summarise: ‘quickly!’

Arriving at Dijon in glorious early-September sunshine, nature’s cruelty was not immediately apparent: only vines devoid of fruit indicated the destruction that had taken place earlier in the season. Like September, July and August were warm, dry and sunny too, and this spell of consistently good weather managed to salvage the vintage. All things considered, spirits were surprisingly buoyant along the Côte d’Or as harvest began, starting with Chardonnay in Meursault around 20 September.

burgundy hot air balloon
A hot air balloon takes off over Pommard 1er cru Les Rugiens during a lull in harvesting. Credit: Gretchen Greer.

Light rain showers in late September gave the vines water they needed, but the good weather held until the beginning of October, when more sustained rainfall created challenging conditions in which to harvest. By then, of course, many growers had finished picking. By mid-October, only a few late-harvesters in the Maçonnais still had fruit on the vine: when I met with the Gauthier Thévenet, irenic amidst the pouring rain, on 13 October, he announced his intention to begin harvesting another parcel two days later.

2016 is such a complicated vintage because the different scourges that beset the vineyards did so remarkably unevenly. Only Chablis—almost entirely denuded of grapes by the worst frost since 1981—can be described, unhappily, as consistent.

Burgundy frost. burgundy 2016 harvest
The morning after frost in Burgundy, April 2016. Fires have been lit around vineyards in an effort to keep buds warm. Credit: Frederic Billet / Twitter

Frost damage in the Côte d’Or was severe too, striking on 26/7 April, the worst there since 1985; but unlike the frost of 1985, which damaged almost exclusively the lower-lying vines, the frost of 2016 also struck higher-elevation sites—all the while in some cases, unaccountably, leaving lower-lying vineyards untouched. Old vignerons along the Côte can remember nothing like it.

The outbreak of mildew that followed also struck vineyards erratically, and much depended on the timing of treatments; in 2016, many growers were forced to leave biodynamic principles in abeyance. ‘Having lost half the harvest to frost’, Jean-Michel Chartron of Puligny-Montrachet told me, ‘I was in no mood to lose what remained to mildew’.

The picture in Gevrey-Chambertin was more complicated: frost and hail struck along the Combe St. Jacques and damaged several of the grand crus too; by contrast, the vineyards abutting Brochon were largely spared. Pierre Durroché, for one, was ‘very happy with the quality of the grapes’, which came in between 12.5-13% potential alcohol, anticipating ‘a good vintage, but not as concentrated as 2015’. Bernard Dugat-Py was similarly jubilant about the year’s potential, despite the year’s challenges.

Like Fixin, Morey-Saint-Denis did well, with yields just a little below average. Chambolle-Musigny, by contrast, was hit hard: regrettably even the Drouhin’s gambit of lighting candles in their parcel of Les Amoureuses failed to ward of the cruel April frosts. Neighbouring Vougeot suffered too, as did Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux. Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges, however, like Morey, did comparatively well.

Burgundy, Clos Vougeot
Brooding early October skies over the Clos Vougeot. Credit: Gretchen Greer.

The hill of Corton was also heterogeneous: the Pernand side was devastated, whereas the vineyards of Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix fared well, with growers including Vincent Guillemot reporting fruit in excellent sanitary conditions and perfect ripeness. To the south, Savigny-les-Beaune and the vineyards of Beaune suffered especially badly.

The situation in Pommard and Volnay was more mixed, with the haphazard nature of the April frosts especially apparent: Fréderic Lafarge’s Volnay 1er crus were largely spared—a blessing after several consecutive years of hail—whereas Dominque Lafon’s Volnay Santenots, to the south of the commune, was badly frosted.

To the south, Meursault was hit hard, Chassagne-Montrachet still worse; Puligny-Montrachet escaped such severe damage, but its grand crus were devastated: the Domaines Comtes Lafon, Leflaive, de la Romanée-Conti, Lamy-Pillot, Guy Amiot and Fleurot Larose have agreed to combine their meagre yields of Montrachet to produce a scant two barrels. Further south, Santenay fared better, as Jean-Marc Vincent happily reported.

Burgundy harvest
Harvesters in Gevrey-Chambertin race to pick before the early October rain. Credit: Gretchen Greer.

It seems certain that the quality of the wines produced in 2016 will be just as heterogeneous, with some producers harvesting ripe, clean fruit while others struggled with rot and were forced to supplement insufficient natural sugar by adding chapitalisation. Buying decisions will need to be made carefully. But one thing is nonetheless certain, even in this complicated vintage: the wines, we can be sure, will be scarce.

Read more at http://www.decanter.com/wine/wine-regions/burgundy-wine/burgundy-2016-harvest-report-337451/#iu6HoqFA25e2ofZO.99
A bit of history on Louis Jadot:

Maison Louis Jadot was founded in 1859 by the man whose name it bears, Louis Henry Denis Jadot - a young man of Belgian ancestry whose family had settled in Beaune near the turn of the century.  At a young age Louis Henry Jadot developed a deep interest in the wines of Burgundy; and by 1826, his father acquired a parcel in the "Clos des Ursules" vineyard in Beaune, which upon his death he bequeathed to his brother, Louis's uncle.  Under his uncle's auspices, the young Jadot greatly broadened his experience - first in the cellars in the art of evaluating the wines and then in the vineyards in the study of viticulture.  As Louis Henry travelled, he acquired a faithful clientele and in 1859 purchased the respected négociant firm of Lemaire-Fouleux.  He gave the firm his name, restructured its operations, and began to expand its business into the export markets of northern France and Belgium.  Belgium, once a province of the Duchy of Burgundy and historically the preeminent market for its wines, was, as the Jadot family's ancestral home, of particular interest to Louis Henry.  It was there that the Jadot name first began to gain renown.

As Maison Louis Jadot grew, its vineyard holdings expanded through the purchase of parcels in Beaune "Theurons" and "Clos des Couchereaux".  After the death of Louis Henry Jadot, his son, Louis Baptiste Jadot, enthusiastically carried on the work his father had begun.  Louis Baptiste expanded his export markets as well as his clientele in France, reinvesting the profits in the further acquisition of vineyards.  He judiciously made purchases in some of the finest and most famous grand and premier cru vineyards of the Côte d'Or - among them an interest in the coveted Chevalier-Montrachet "Les Demoiselles".  In 1939, Louis Baptiste Jadot died and left control of the firm to his eldest son, Louis Auguste Jadot, who had assisted in the direction of the business under his father since 1931.  Louis Auguste opened and greatly developed the new export market of the United States; he also expanded Jadot's activities in Great Britain, Holland, South America, and New Zealand.

In 1954, Andre Gagey joined Maison Louis Jadot as assistant to Louis Auguste Jadot, and this proved to be an important event in the fortunes of the Jadot firm.  The extremely capable and affable Gagey was appointed interim managing director of the firm in 1962 when Louis Auguste Jadot died, survived by his wife and a seventeen-year-old son, Louis-Alain.  Tragically, Louis-Alain was killed in a car crash at the age of 23 in 1968.  Mademoiselle Jadot then gave Gagey full responsibility for the operations of her firm, which was without heirs to run it.  Gagey placed the policy of maintaining highest quality above all others; and the impeccable reputation for honesty Maison Louis Jadot enjoys today is the reward of that perseverance.  Gagey recently retired and turned the direction of the firm over to his very competent son, Pierre-Henry Gagey.

Maison Louis Jadot's headquarters is located in the heart of Beaune.  The most glorious of its three cellars, used for storage of older vintage wines, is situated in the Convent des Jacobins once a convent of the patron Saint Dominique, founder of the Dominican order and built in 1477.  It was acquired by the Tourliere family in 1802 and has been used by Maison Louis Jadot since 1954.  In contrast, the most recent cellar, on the outskirts of Beaune, doubled production and storage capacity as of mid 1986 and is perhaps the most technologically advanced facility in France.  All white wines are fermented in cask and aged one year; red wines are aged on average eighteen months.  The type of wood used is very carefully selected - Limousin, which imparts aggressive tannins more appropriate to Bordeaux wines, is too harsh for the delicate Burgundies Jadot produces.  Wines are fined "the old way," with natural proteins - skim milk for white wines, egg whites for red wines.  The wines are then hand-racked at five intervals before bottling to assure perfect clarity and brightness.  The Jadot estate today includes ownership of parcels in the vineyards of Chevalier-Montrachet "Les Demoiselles," Corton-Charlemagne, Corton-Pougets, Beaune "Clos des Ursules," Beaune "Theurons", Beaune "Bressandes", Beaune "Boucherottes", Beaune "Clos des Couchereaux, Beaune "Les Chouacheux, and Pernand-Vergelesses "Clos de la Croix de Pierre."  In 1986 Jadot acquired the prestigious Clair-Dau Domaine and in 1987 entered into a contract to produce the wines of the renowned Duc de Magenta.  In 1990 Jadot again expanded its holdings with the purchase of the Domaine Champy in Beaune with its fifteen acres of very valuable vineyards.  In 1994 Jadot purchased another 13.26 acres in prime premier cru vineyards.  Since 1986 Jadot has more than doubled the acreage under its domaine, which together with long term contracts, brings over 160 acres of some of the finest vineyards of the Côte d'Or under Maison Louis Jadot's control.  In February of 1985, the négociant firm of Maison Louis Jadot was purchased by the American-owned Kobrand Corporation, the sole United States importer of Jadot Burgundies since 1945.  This prompted outcries in Burgundy, where it was felt that American ownership would signal the end of an era and that Maison Louis Jadot would never again be the same.  A dozen years hence the French now realize that Kobrand has brought nothing but brilliance and capital to this prestigious firm and that Jadot is producing the best wines in the firm's history.  Since 1970 the winemaker at Maison Louis Jadot has been Jacques Lardière, who is widely regarded as one of the best in Burgundy.  In 1995 he was cited by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate as one of the top thirteen "Wine Personalities of 1995."  Parker said: "Lardière continues to go from strength to strength producing an enormous range of wines...that are among the finest from Burgundy.  His flexibility and intelligence in handling diverse vintages makes him a winemaker par excellence."  This appears on top of praise previously showered on the firm by Parker in his book titled BURGUNDY.   There Parker rates Maison Jadot between four and five stars - near the very top of the pyramid of his rating system.  "Most of the red wines from Louis Jadot need 3-4 years in the bottle to round out, but can age for up to 15-20 years, depending on the particular cuvée. The white wines are no less brilliant than the reds."