02 Feb 2021

Excitement around the 2019 Burgundy en primeur releases is building as more critics release their notes and views.  Neal Martin's reviews for Jadot highlight what a winemaking triumph this was for them.  Winemaker Frederic Barnier has produced elegant, complex whites and reds with incredibly fine tannins and vibrant, fresh fruit, despite the warmth of the summer.

The wines were a joy to taste late last year in London.  As we have said previously, no burgundy house is so consistent in delivering benchmark wines which, if you are lucky enough to taste them together, form a liquid atlas of the Côte d'Or. 

 

This solitary winery worker appeared to be the only person doing actual work; punching down the cap on a vat of fermenting 2019 Pommard, one of just three small vats of this wine.

Barnier generally looks for a riper style to the fruit than some domaines and his expertise in judging picking dates shows through in the cask samples.  The palate of aromas and flavours in both reds and whites is generous and opulent, but balanced by very judicious winemaking and moderate use of oak.  

The whites are made largely without undergoing malolactic fermentation, adding freshness and energy to balance the opulence.  The reds are concentrated, but each with a perfume which invariably delineates its terroir perfectly.

 

The extensive cellars beneath the Couvent de Jacobins, Jadot's 15th Century converted convent in the centre of Beaune.

 

Among personal highlights of the 2019 tasting for us were the Beaune reds and whites.  Wines from this appellation can seem a little too ethereal or austere (perhaps we are not refined enough!) but the last two vintages have added a depth and richness to the fruit, allowing the structure and minerality to really shine.  The Beaune 1er Cru "Grèves Le Clos Blanc" is positively tropical and Meursault-like, while the red "Clos des Ursules" (NM 91-93 pts) is fleshed out with lovely, deep fruit, framed by minerality.

For the second vintage running, the Clos Vougeot (93-95 pts NM) struck us a much more ripe, generous and approachable grand cru. From the lower slopes of the Clos, which sometimes ripen later, the 2019 has an inky depth of fruit and profound earthy tones.   

Amongst the whites, the Chassagnes premiers crus really shone, with richness balanced by complex floral aromas and exceptionally pure stone fruits, not at all what you might expect from a hot summer.  The flavours in 2019 are generous, even if the size of the harvest was not. 

Tucked away at the foot of these grands and premiers crus, you will also find the single vineyard Moulin-à-Vents from Château des Jacques.  These are extraordinarily fine and seem to blur the divide between gamay and pinot noir, with their granitic terroirs adding complexity.  

With such small quantities made in this vintage, many of the wines are available in tiny quantities, we recommend ordering without delay to secure them.

Offered en primeur and on allocation, many wines in limited availability.  Due to land in the UK in November 2021.

Producer Profile

Maison Louis Jadot, Beaune

 

Excitement around the 2019 Burgundy en primeur releases is building as more critics release their notes and views.  Neal Martin's reviews for Jadot highlight what a winemaking triumph this was for them.  Winemaker Frederic Barnier has produced elegant, complex whites and reds with incredibly fine tannins and vibrant, fresh fruit, despite the warmth of the summer.

The wines were a joy to taste late last year in London.  As we have said previously, no burgundy house is so consistent in delivering benchmark wines which, if you are lucky enough to taste them together, form a liquid atlas of the Côte d'Or. 

This solitary winery worker appeared to be the only person doing actual work; punching down the cap on a vat of fermenting 2019 Pommard, one of just three small vats of this wine.

Barnier generally looks for a riper style to the fruit than some domaines and his expertise in judging picking dates shows through in the cask samples.  The palate of aromas and flavours in both reds and whites is generous and opulent, but balanced by very judicious winemaking and moderate use of oak.  

The whites are made largely without undergoing malolactic fermentation, adding freshness and energy to balance the opulence.  The reds are concentrated, but each with a perfume that invariably delineates its terroir perfectly.

Among personal highlights of the 2019 tasting for us were the Beaune reds and whites.  Wines from this appellation can seem a little too ethereal or austere (perhaps we are not refined enough!) but the last two vintages have added a depth and richness to the fruit, allowing the structure and minerality to really shine.  The Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 'Le Clos Blanc' is positively tropical and Meursault-like, while the red 'Clos des Ursules' (NM 91-93 pts) is fleshed out with lovely, deep fruit, framed by minerality.

For the second vintage running, the Clos Vougeot (93-95 pts NM) struck us a much more ripe, generous and approachable grand cru. From the lower slopes of the Clos, which sometimes ripen later, the 2019 has an inky depth of fruit and profound earthy tones.   

Amongst the whites, the Chassagnes premiers crus really shone, with richness balanced by complex floral aromas and exceptionally pure stone fruits, not at all what you might expect from a hot summer.  The flavours in 2019 are generous, even if the size of the harvest was not. 

Tucked away at the foot of these grands and premiers crus, you will also find the single vineyard Moulin-à-Vents from Château des Jacques.  These are extraordinarily fine and seem to blur the divide between gamay and pinot noir, with their granitic terroirs adding complexity.  

With such small quantities made in this vintage, many of the wines are available in tiny quantities, we recommend ordering without delay to secure them.