Louis Jadot En Primeur 2011 Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting at Bafta in London

Monday 14th January 2013

Yesterday, Monday 14th January 2013, I attended the Louis Jadot En Primeur 2011 Wine Tasting at Bafta in London. As usual, everything ran smoothly and was very well organised by Hatch Mansfield Agencies.
2011 is a difficult vintage for Burgundy. In general the wines seem quite immediate and I can see them drinking before the 2009s and 2011s. The whites were probably a little bit stronger than the reds up to the 1er Cru level, unfortunately I found the Grand Cru whites a little bit disappointing. The red wines were fairly light in style (both colour and palate) but if you choose carefully there are some good wines to be had. The other problem is the 2012 – there is not going to be much wine around for the 2012 vintage and this will probably see a price increase too, so really, from a purchasing point of view, one needs to look at the fact that the 2011s might have to see us through a couple of years!

The Louis Jadot wines we have chosen to buy for the 2011 vintage are the following,

Louis Jadot 2011 White Wines

Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Guettes, Domaine Gagey
Always a good 1er Cru from Savigny, lifted with gentle oak and a floral nose. Fruity and with great lime / citrus acidity. Bit of creamy oak on the finish. Stylish.

Beaune Bressandes 1er Cru, Domaine Gagey
Good 1er Cru from the top of the Beaune slope, located next door to Beaune Greve. Domaine Gagey has about a hectare of vines here. Quite generous and ripe, relatively rich and full for the vintage I thought.

Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Chenevottes
After fermentation, Chevenottes is aged for 14 months in oak barrels. Good depth and complexity, quite full with a toasty nose and a good, long finish.

Louis Jadot 2011 Red Wines

Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode, Domaine Louis Jadot
Another very dependable Savigny vineyard. Quite pale in colour but plenty of sweet red fruit on the palate. Savoury and quite structured with very good balance. And biodynamic to boot!

Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Clos de la Croix de Pierre, Domaine Louis Jadot
The famous vineyard that takes its name from the imposing old cross that marks the site. Very pale in colour, good, sweet strawberry nose, medium to full-bodied with good structure and soft tannins. Biodynamically farmed.

Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules, Domaine des Heritiers Louis Jadot
This single plot was purchased by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1826 and it has remained in the sole ownership of Louis Jadot ever since. Quite full on the palate but beautifully balanced if a little lean in this vintage. Good grip and acidity.

Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
Vosne Romanee is situated to the north of Nuits Saint George, Les Beaux Monts really outperforms the its 1er Cru status. Loads of coffee and milk chocolate on the nose, full-bodied and sophisticated, Concentrated, savoury palate. Perhaps my favourite red wine from the wine tasting.

Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Very good and affordable Grand Cru. Quite forward with good depth and concentration. Lots of berry flavours and underlying oak.

I was interested to see that Phillip Tuck MW of Hatch Mansfield, who represent Louis Jadot in the UK, picked his favourite three wines of the vintage as the Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode, the Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts and the Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle – it is good to know we agreed on two out of the three wines!