Louis Jadot Burgundy Barrel Tasting 2014 Vintage

Great wines taste like they come from somewhere. Lesser wines taste interchangeable; they could come from anywhere. You can't fake somewhereness. You can't manufacture it ... but when you taste a wine that has it, you know.

MATT KRAMER, Making Sense of Wine

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.
Well- Ask and you shall receive! The Louis Jadot Barrel Tasting will be here again this year and with 10 wines from the tiny 2014 vintage.  It looks like another very good to outstanding vintage in Burgundy- the world’s most famous area for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Here is a review of the 2014 vintage from Louis Jadot but come out and taste these with us and see first-hand how this vintage is showing and if you would like to stock your cellar with some of the current releases we have over 100 wines from the 2014 vintage on this offering and then around 50 other wines from Louis Jadot that we have available in the store on this offering!

2014 BURGUNDY
”The  Vintage”, Season and Yield:
2014 is an excellent vintage with balanced whites and very good reds. Overall quantities slightly higher than 2013.

Fall and winter were particularly mild, with good levels of rainfall. Splendid weather conditions in March led to early, vigorous vine growth. The weather stayed dry, and the few late frosts of March and April caused little damage. Flowering started early. On June 28, a violent hailstorm hit several communes, in the Côte d’Or (Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée). Summer remained unsettled, with heavy periods of rainfall during August. Véraison began at the end of July, and the growth cycle slowed. Fine weather returned in September, dry combined with warm days and cool nights ripened the grapes quickly. Picking started on September 12. No rot, moderate sorting (mostly from hail affected areas) Whites are balanced and intense, the reds show good colors and ripe fruit flavors.

After 2012 and 2013 - vintages that gave wines of high quality but which provided plenty of climatic challenges and in which both the experience and patience of the growers was put to the test - we were hoping for an easier time over the course of the 2014 growing season. But, once again, the unexpected was to set a test for the region’s growers.

Cold weather seemed to arrive with the first fogs to cover the Saône Valley, but winter proved both mild and rainy. The month of March saw neither showers nor rainstorms - it was almost as if summer had already arrived. So the vines grew, and grew faster.  By mid-April the growth of the vines was already three weeks ahead of where it had been the previous year. The summery weather continued, with flowering beginning on 22 May.

The start of summer proper was humid, and cool temperatures slowed the vegetative growth. As summer made its appearance around the 17th of July, its generosity was overabundant. As a result, some bunches were somewhat sunburned, and this led to yields that varied from one parcel to another. While this happenstance may have affected the quantity of the harvest, the quality of the bunches at the end of July was unquestionable. Growth had slowed, and was, by this stage, only slightly ahead of the average.

In August luck was on our side, and gloriously sunny weather and temperatures of between 20°C and 25°C prevailed right up until the start of the harvest, which began on 10 September. All in all, a pretty classic year.

All the musts are crystal clear, incredibly well balanced and concentrated. Alcoholic fermentation was regular and uneventful and, with the arrival of spring, the malolactic fermentations proceeded smoothly. These are wines that are revealing themselves to be full-bodied, fleshy, juicy and intense. While the quality of the 2014 vintage is in little doubt, we will be keeping a careful eye on the wines as they mature in order to ensure that their potential is fulfilled.

The 2014 vintage unfolded in a similar manner to the 2007 and 2011 growing seasons, with a summery springtime and an autumnal summer.  2014 is, therefore, a paradoxical vintage, and one that has avoided the curse of vintages ending in ‘4’. It is absolute proof, if proof were needed, of the old adage that ‘août fait le moût et septembre le vin’  (August ripens the must, and September ripens the wine).

The event will be $85 + Tax for reservation please call 954-523-9463

2014 Vintage Louis Jadot Barrel Tasting at Wine Watch
Wednesday, 27th
7:pm

2014  Whites

1) Pouilly Fuissé Les Perrières Tête de Cru, Domaine Ferret

A vineyard of one hectare in size, located on the ?back side of the rock', les Perrières lies halfway up the slope, just above the les Clos parcel. The slope, which faces south-east, is somewhat steeper than that of les Clos. The median age of the vines is 35 years. The soil, which is derived from alluvial deposits, consists of a mix of deep silt and clay containing few stones. The subsoil features streaks of limestone and limestone marls, while the top layers, which are moderate in depth, are littered with stones on the surface (calcite and flint) over a metre-thick layer of limestone marls.  Vinification: 50% stainless, 50% 2-4 year barrels

2) Meursault Charmes 1er Cru, Maison Louis Jadot

Meursault is the center of four communes that make up the Côte des Blancs, named for the predominantly white wines produced there. The soils of Les Charmes are richer and heavier than the soils of Les Perrières, just above it on the slope, making Les Charmes the more typical, masculine Meursault. The Chardonnay grapes are fermented and matured in oak barrels for a total of 15 to 18 months.

3) Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru, Maison Louis Jadot 

Chablis premiers crus are produced on 40 different  ”lieux-dits”. Fourchaume is a northern extension of the line of Grand Cru, on the right bank of the Serein River. This wine is fermented in wooden barrels and then aged in barrels during 18 months before bottling.

4) Puligny-Montrachet Folatières 1er Cru, Domaine Louis Jadot

The Folatières climate lies near the summit of this slope, above Clos de la Garenne roughly midway between Meursault and Montrachet. The clay and chalk soil, which is very stony, drains well and warms through easily. This wine is vinified and then aged in wooden barrels for 12-15 months before bottling.

5) Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot 1er Cru, Domaine Louis Jadot

“Abbaye de Morgeot” is one of the 1er Crus (climats) of the village, bordering premier cru “Morgeot”. Jadot’s 0.98 acre parcel is situated in the south of the commune, around an Old “Abbaye”. The soil is quite deep, with marl and limestone. The Chardonnay grapes are fermented in oak barrels, and then the wine is barrel matured for 12 to 15 months.

6) Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot

This 4.94 acres parcel adjacent to Les Pougets was acquired in 1914. Direct southern exposure planted on brown marl soil with limestone. The wines are aged for 18 months in barrels and are the benchmark for Corton Charlemagne. Elegance and depth, its aristocratic bouquet and luscious full fruit complexity are completed by a hint of honey, cinnamon and oak and an intense, lasting finish.

2014 Red Burgundy

7) Santenay Clos de Malte Rouge, Domaine Louis Jadot

Located in Santenay, in the southern Côte de Beaune, Clos de Malte is a 7-hectare monopole of Louis Jadot that lies at the foot of the Montagne des Troix Croix. It is planted primarily to Pinot Noir on moist soil of limestone and clay.

8) Beaune Aux Cras 1er Cru, Domaine Gagey

Located above Theurons, this small Climat under 5 ha is located on an old roman quarry. Rich in limestone, it produces structured wines with great minerality. Mr Gagey purchased a small 1.14 ha parcel in 2011.

9) Nuits Saint Georges Les Boudots 1er Cru, Domaine Gagey

Purchased by André Gagey in 1970, the 1.24 acre parcel of “Les Boudots” borders the Premier Cru vineyards of Vosne-Romanée,  at the northern border of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation. The soil is limestone and marl, and an eastern exposure ensures ideal sunlight.

10) Gevrey Chambertin Estournelles Saint-Jacques, Domaine Louis Jadot

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 composition between those premiers crus and the grands crus. The grapes are fermented in vats for up to 4 weeks, and then the wine is matured 15 months in oak barrels before bottling.

11) Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Domaine Louis Jadot

Founded in 1112 by the Cistercian monks, Louis Jadot is one of the 5 or 6 most important producers with 6.36 acres principally assembled from the acquisition of vineyards from Clair Daü and Domaine Champy in the 1980s.

12) Moulin-à-Vent Clos de Rochegrès, Château des Jacques

Planted on the appellation's highest parcel, the Clos de Rochegrès is situated on red sandstone soils. The site is gently sloping, and numerous underground streams keep the vines well irrigated. Picked and sorted by hand, then de-stemmed, the grapes macerate slowly over the course of three or four weeks. Indigenous yeasts are used throughout the fermentation period, and extraction by means of both plunging and pumping over takes place on a regular basis. The wines are aged in our historic cellar for 10 months, a period spent in oak barrels, 100% of which are new. The oak used to make the barrels comes from the forests of Alliers, the Limousin and the Nivernais.

This event is $85 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

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."

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