2018 Louis Jadot Grand Cru Burgundy Wine Tasting

"Drinking is a very demanding profession and I can't hold down two jobs at once"
Morgan Freidman

I totally agree with that as I have only been able to do one job for the last 23 years here at Wine Watch and drinking is my job. 

Next week you have three chances to come out and drink with me!  And the Wine Bar is still only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night for our wine tasting events.  But we do have the table in the Wine Cave available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for a private dining experience however next week we are already booked all three nights! 

We have a minimum of 6 people to reserve the table in the Cave but we will take up to 15 people for a curated dinner by Chef Toni.  We must know in advance what food items you want so you will have to coordinate the menu with Toni ahead of time, but she can put together any of your favorites from past Wine Bar menus or whatever you want if she has enough notice. The best thing about this table is the view of the wine, we have the largest selection of vintage wine in South Florida and everything is available at a retail price!!  You may want to bring a sweater it is 64 degrees in the wine cave.

We have already hosted several tastings with great wines from Burgundy’s outstanding 2018 vintage, but this will be the first to feature exclusively Grand Cru wines.  So before these gems disappear, we decided to steal a bottle for this “Once in a Lifetime” Grand Cru Burgundy tasting.

Join us as we offer our Burgundy lovers in South Florida the first opportunity to taste through a selection of Burgundy’s most sought-after Grand Crus from the outstanding 2018 vintage.  Some of these wines we only receive 6 bottles a vintage!  In the name of wine science, we will take down a bottle to see just how grand these top wines are from Burgundy’s biggest and most important producer- Louis Jadot.  Chef Toni will be making a special three-course menu to accompany the tasting wines.  The price for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

The Domaines of Louis Jadot – 2018 Vintage Grand Cru BurgundyTasting  
Friday, June 11th
7:30pm

2018 Louis Jadot Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Batard Montrachet Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Chambertin Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Clos De La Roche Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Echezeaux Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Grand Echezeaux Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru
2018 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie Selection
King Salmon Carpaccio with Candied Grapefruit Citrus Segments, Pink Peppercorn Aioli and Fresh Chiffonade of Mint
Duck Confit and mushroom Ragout Served over Orange Scented Israeli Cous Cous
Cherry BBQ Beef Shortrib with Parmesan Truffle Steak Fries

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + 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."