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Producer name: Louis Jadot (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot)

Wines:

2022 Chevalier Montrachet Desmoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2029 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chevalier-Montrachet Desmoiselles Grand Cru has an intense nose, quite effervescent in style, with orange blossom intermixed with crushed limestone, mandarin and a subtle menthol element. Wonderful delineation. The palate is well balanced with a silver thread of acidity, beautifully integrated oak, very harmonious with poise and, paradoxically, weight on the sapid finish. Impressive length—this is a Chevalier with nobility. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2022 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2029 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru feels like a later-picked wine though it maintains freshness, with quite "punchy" peach and orange pith scents that don't hold back. The palate is ripe and forward, plush tropical fruit with a lacquer of creamy oak that, towards the finish, overrides the terroir expression and makes it feel a bit concocted. Perhaps give it another two or three years in bottle and hope that the oak will be assimilated? Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2024 Corton Grèves Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2024 Corton Grèves Grand Cru has a feistier nose than the Corton-Pougets, albeit without the same harmony and refinement, a bit boisterous by comparison. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, cohesive and quite peppery in style. Initially dominated by red fruit, darker fruit manifests towards the finish with touches of cedar and undergrowth. Some bitterness on the aftertaste. Quite mercurial in glass, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2024 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru is understated compared to previous vintages, lighter yet well balanced and displaying plenty of finesse, wild strawberry mixed with raspberry and wilted rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly furry tannins, moderate weight, nicely balanced with a persistent quite peppery finish that leaves the tongue tingling. Not quite in the league of the best vintages but certainly fine in context of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2024 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has a delightful, well-defined and quite complex bouquet with a little more florality and mineralité than the Boucherottes or Cras. Very focused. The palate is very well balanced with just the right amount of acidity. A mixture of red and black fruit laced with white pepper and desiccated orange peel, it feels assured on the finish. A worthy follow-up to the excellent 2023.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru, which comes from more clayey soils, has a tight bouquet, quite backward but well defined, and I feel that it will open with requisite bottle age. You can feel the sense of energy. The palate is well balanced with quite firm tannins, good backbone, quite fresh but there is structure and weight suggesting that this will have more legs than Jadot's other Beaune cuvées.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru has a slightly richer bouquet amongst the septet of Premier Crus tasted, just a hint of caramel behind the veneer of red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, a touch more oak compared to others with slightly drier tannins on the finish. I think there could be a good wine here but its components are just a bit disjointed at the moment.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2044

Tasting notes: The 2024 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an expressive bouquet with nectarine, white peach, lime cordial and yellow flower scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly honeyed texture. There is a keen line of acidity but it just misses the complexity of Jadot's other Grand Crus on the finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2024 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2052

Tasting notes: The 2024 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru has a clean, precise and focused bouquet. It is very controlled, perhaps not the most flattering Chevalier at this primal stage, though delineated and focused. The palate is precise and intense, yet it is blessed with a surfeit of elegance and refinement. There is a real peacock's tail on the finish that stretches on and on. One of Jadot's best wines in 2024.

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I spent an entire day with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier tasting through almost their entire portfolio. Managing such a diaspora of holdings and contract agreements in a season like 2024 must have incurred a few sleepless nights, but Barnier managed to make it through and produce a wide range covering most appellations. The portfolio is studded with a few gems, and a few bottlings that reflect the inclement conditions. Readers should visit the “Media” page of this site for my video of Barnier discussing the white 2024s.

Apropos les rouges, Barnier said, “We started picking the reds on September 13 in Clos de la Barre with the full Jadot team for three days. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. I occasionally experiment, but I didn’t have the confidence to do that in 2024. In the first month of picking, it was easier to understand the whites, and I feel it was a more interesting vintage for Chardonnay. The reds were more challenging. I am not looking to bottle them too early so that they can gain a bit of density and concentration. The reds have really changed and gained weight. So now, I think the vintage is balanced between both colours. Alcohol levels are around 13° with good acidity, not too high. The reds were relatively consistent across appellations in terms of rain and mildew. You can compare the Côte de Beaune at 20 hl/ha and Côte de Nuits at 9 hl/ha, so the challenge was obtaining ripeness with fewer leaves. Consequently, we picked the Côte de Nuits after the Côte de Beaune. We were lucky to receive a north wind before the harvest and to have less fruit, as more would have made it difficult to obtain ripeness. The fruit was healthy since any affected berries had fallen off, and then the fermentation and malo were not difficult. It was less difficult than in 2023.”

One thing to note: you will see references to “Famille Jadot,” which replaces some cuvées previously under “Domaine Jadot.” The change is due to authorities getting persnickety about ownership of vineyards and wineries. It is far too convoluted to explain here, but suffice it to say that to abide by the letter of the law, Jadot decided to change the labelling.
2021 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2039

Tasting notes: The 2021 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a fleshy ripe red cherry and crushed strawberry-scented bouquet, perhaps picked a day or two later than its peers, though without the same degree of mineralité or delineation. The palate is balanced with slightly fleshier tannins and touches of something sweet like coconut infusing the red fruit. Very smooth, perhaps the oak is just a little too influential towards the finish, making it more polished than necessary. Not bad overall, but short. This bottle is nowhere near the potential suggested out of barrel, but there you go! Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Grand Cru has a slightly reduced nose with lemon thyme, lime and touches of beeswax coming through with time in the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity and a waxy texture, feeling like a more phenolic Chevalier that lends weight to the finish. It does not quite have the precision and mineralité of Chartron's Clos des Chevalier but perhaps it will repay bottle age. Indeed, this does meliorate in the glass, manifesting more tension and a dab of spiciness. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is slightly paler in colour. It has a honeyed nose that suggests some botrytised fruit. As such, it just lacks a bit of definition. The palate is lightly spiced on the entry with notes of orange cordial, tangerine and mango. A little predictable in style with a pleasurable if simple finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2043

Tasting notes: The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru does not have the mineralité or energy of Chartron's Folatières: more floral and actually more Meursault-like in style. The palate is well balanced with a keen line of acidity, lively with a touch of lemongrass and spiciness more pronounced than the Chartron, although it feels more forward and does not possess the same degree of sophistication or nuance. Still, it will drink well over the next decade, possibly more. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2023 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2023 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru leans more toward a "meaty" bouquet, with touches of singed leather struck through the red fruit against a background of leather scents. The palate is where this really comes into its own amongst the sextet of Beaune Premier Crus: finer tannins, beautifully balanced with a sensual, silky finish that beckons you back for more. Excellent.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: Taken from a foudre rather than cask, the 2023 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has an enticing bouquet with wonderfully defined red berry fruit, hints of tobacco and forest floor, delivering the complexity you'd expect from arguably Jadot's strongest red cuvée in the Côte de Beaune. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Displaying exquisite balance and poise with plenty of nascent energy and a sustained, lightly spiced finish, this 2023 is up to the task of following the impressive 2022. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Corton Grèves Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2023 Corton Grèves Grand Cru offers brambly red berry fruit on the nose with touches of fresh fig and light truffle scents, though it doesn't have the panache or complexity of the Pougets. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly more rigid tannins, though well balanced, even if it does finish a little earlier and drier than expected. Give this a couple of years in bottle—it should drink well for the next ten years or more.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2023 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet, though it needs a little more fruit concentration to compete with Jadot's other Beaune Premiers. It comes across a little conservative, though it does open after five minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with a sorbet-fresh opening. Slightly powdery in texture, there is decent depth to this Beaune, though it doesn't quite possess the concentration of some of Jadot's other cuvées from the appellation. Still, it is nimble and light on its feet.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2031

Tasting notes: The 2023 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru is the most open and "airy" of Jadot's Beaune Premier Crus with finely delineated crushed strawberry, Morello cherry and hints of orange blossom. This easy-drinking Beaune has a slightly sweeter palate than its peers and lacks some complexity, yet the wine has slipped down your throat before you've noticed. Drink over four to five years and leave the Grèves or Boucherottes for later.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2023 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru has a very controlled bouquet—without the fireworks of the Bienvenue, yet with real mineralité and poise—offering delicate touches of yellow fruit and crushed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied and very intense with a waxy-textured opening, fine acidity and notes of walnut and allspice that give way to a little pepperiness toward the finish. This is a multifaceted Chevalier-Montrachet that should age well over the next 20 to 25 years.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2023 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru has more bandwidth on the nose compared to Les Theurons, with Morello cherries and raspberry scents underscored by damp loam. This has fine delineation despite a scintilla of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied, quite linear and "correct" in style with fine tannins, satisfying tension and a judicious sprinkle of cracked black pepper on the finish. This should age well in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2023 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru offers darker fruit, mixing blackcurrant with autumn leaves mad sous-bois scents. It comes across more introspective, especially compared to the Clos des Couchereaux. There is a subtle estuarine influence here. The palate is medium-bodied with edgier tannins than the other cuvées from Beaune, a tad more energy with a bright, slightly piquant finish that lingers in the mouth. This is actually better than the 2022 was last year and should drink well for several years.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2023 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an attractive nose: butterscotch, vanilla pod, passion fruit and light pineapple scents. This is determined to make an impression. The palate is balanced with a touch of oyster shell on the entry, modest depth and plenty of extract, though it does not quite possess the class of Jadot's other Grand Crus.

Producer Commentary:
As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity,” he adds, after I had filmed the video. “Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022.”
2020 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 2026 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2020 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a classy bouquet, much more understated in style, with brambly red fruit, briar and wilted flowers, but it seems to peak and then becomes a little muffled after 15 minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, elegant in style and more transparent than its peers, yet it exerts an insistent grip. Nicely composed, it's just the aromatics that leave a question mark, but this will surely achieve a mid-90s score with bottle age. You can see the potential. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a spirituous bouquet that lacks the complexity of its peers and becomes petrolly with time in the glass. The palate is smooth, almost viscous in texture, implying some botrytised fruit, not so much tropical in style, but it embraces the more exotic aspects of the growing season. This is fairly seductive and appeals to those seeking more hedonistic Puligny in this vintage. It has a good length, but I must be convinced about its complexity. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru doesn't possess the delineation and panache of Tollot-Beaut's on the nose at first, though it coheres nicely with aeration. Peach skin, linseed and wilted white flowers eventually come through. The palate is well-balanced with a viscous entry, a little more honeyed in style than previous wines in this flight of Corton-Charlemagne, though it deserves applause for the precision and detail on the finish. It needs a little more time in the bottle compared to others because there is a lot of coconut-ty new oak. My score is based on this being assimilated with bottle age. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Grand Cru lacks definition on the nose, almost smudged at first, with traces of oxidation. The palate is sour on the entry, has modest weight and is a bit clumsy on the mid-palate, especially when compared to its peers. It is disappointing, given the class, mainly because of some drying oak on the finish. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2022 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a perfumed nose: scents of brioche, touches of popcorn and plenty of citrus fruit, a step up from the previous vintage. The palate is well-balanced with good weight. But here, I need to discern more precision and terroir expression. Orange pith and tangerine, a touch of apricot towards the finish. Quite a forthright Corton-Charlemagne, but the aromatics outclass the palate at the moment.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2022 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru felt a little disjointed on the nose when I tasted it from a barrel sample, missing the cohesion it showed in the last vintage. The palate is medium-bodied and quite austere, given the vintage. It has fine structure but needs more flesh to come through on the finish. I will be cautious with my assessment for now.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru offers Morello cherries, crushed strawberry and orange pith on the nose, forward and showier than the Beaune Cras. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It's quite a solid Beaune that feels linear and straight-laced on the finish with a very slight vegetal note underneath. I'm not entirely convinced by this Beaune Premier Cru compared to others.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Corton Grèves Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton Grèves Grand Cru showed much more reduction on the nose compared to the Corton-Pougets, so the aromatics were challenging to read. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshier tannins by comparison, and I feel this is not the time to conjecture about this wine at the moment.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
1959 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 1959 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru is a vintage I had not encountered before; this bottle from Jadot's cellars was recorded in 2013. It has a lovely bouquet, very pure red fruit mixed with morels and black truffle. Hints of tobacco in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fleshy for its age, and beautifully balanced with a delicate touch of white pepper and clove on the finish. So elegant and refined. Beautiful.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a tightly wound bouquet with dark plum, raspberry coulis, incense and light sous-bois scents. It takes quite a few swirls of the glass to get the aromas going. The palate is medium-bodied with a structured, assertive opening. The tannins are slightly chalky, lending this Corton-Pougets edginess/nerve. Fine mineralité towards the finish yet tightly wound and almost curmudgeonly in its nascent state, this Grand Cru will demand long-term aging.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2021 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has a focused bouquet with veins of blue fruit, distinguishing it from Jadot's other Beaune Premiers. The medium-bodied palate has pliant tannins framing the cranberry and crushed strawberry fruit and touches of marmalade and tangerine emerging towards its structured finish. Alongside the Beaune Grèves, this would be my pick from the appellation.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2022 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru has a rather feral nose, slightly meaty, and I wondered whether there was a touch of Brettanomyces? The palate is fleshy and smooth, a more savory Beaune, but it feels just a little clipped towards the finish at the moment. The jury's out here.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2022 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru is much more expressive than the Les Theurons and develops a charming, quite discrete, terroir-driven bouquet with dried rose petals infusing the red fruit. The medium-bodied palate has very finely knit tannins and beautifully integrated oak, delineated and quite poised towards the almost Gevrey-like finish. Bon vin.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2022 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru has an almost terse bouquet telling you to "go away" at first. It coheres in the glass, gaining intensity with crushed rock filtering through the Mirabelle and orange pith scents, just a touch of wild mint in the background. The palate is very well-balanced with a keen line of acidity. Yes, there is some oak to be assimilated here, but there is wonderful definition towards the finish with a real peacock's tail of intensity. Sophisticated, but it will need time to fully integrate the wood.

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I conducted an unexpurgated tasting of Jadot, broaching comprehensive whites and reds over two-morning sessions with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

“The 2022 vintage was one of the warmest in Burgundy. On average, it was warmer than 1947 or 2003, so it’s in the top two or three ever. It was also one of the driest, below the average quantity of rainfall every month except one, which is key to explaining the season. That was due to three or four days of rain at the end of June. It was fundamental because, without it, the vines would have been completely stressed and blocked, probably losing a large part of the fruit. Water was really the challenge. The vines adapted to the heat, especially since it came at the beginning of the season. Between early July to around August 20, there was no rain. Zero. So, the capacity of the vines to withstand this lack of water derives from the rain in June: 80mm in the Côte de Beaune and a maximum of 150mm in the north of the Côte de Nuits. Also, it fell as two or three storms instead of one, which is important because water could penetrate the subsoil.”

“The second key moment is the change of weather at the end of August. We were worried for the young vines in terms of lack of water and saw some yellowing of leaves, and the berries became a little shriveled, which are bad signs because it means the vines are trying to survive instead of focusing [their energy] on the fruit. The forecast was for some rain, so it was a kind of bet. If there had been no water, then it would have been a problem, but some rain would restart the vines. We had around 10-20mm, which is not a lot, so it did not alter the volume but changed the ambiance, and we saw the beginning of warm days and fresh nights, which helped the vines to regain the classic ripening cycle. We could see the ripeness arriving and it moderated the level of alcohol, between 13.0% to 13.5%. The sanitary conditions were fine because of the dry conditions with just a bit of oïdium. We started the harvest for the whites at the end of August. The 2022 vintage has one of the lowest acidities, less than the previous two vintages, which is challenging for the whites, but the lower alcohol means you don’t feel it. So, I prefer it to the 2019 whites. We did not acidify, though we stopped the malolactic fermentation earlier than other vintages. In 2022, we kept 1g/L of malic acid; in 2020, it was 0.5g/L of malic acid. With regard to the reds, we are experimenting with stem addition as full clusters. I do not want to shape the wine in terms of style, so the maximum I have used is 30%.”
2019 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes across a bit gregarious on the nose, the heat getting to the fruit a little, as revealed in its tropical notes of passion fruit and guava. This is not quite as well defined as its peers. Thankfully, the palate is well balanced with an attractive mouthfeel—quite honeyed and viscous, with countervailing acidity. There is plenty of spiciness toward the finish that leaves the mouth tingling. Overall, it ends up a bit of a brash but compelling Corton-Charlemagne that should age well in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2019 Corton Pougets Grand Cru is another that displays a little VA on the nose that masks what is otherwise some quite attractive, feisty red fruit. I get a bit of alcoholic burn here. The palate is chewy on the entry, very concentrated and dense, a decadent Corton that is consequently missing panache and precision, especially on its lumbering finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a wonderful bouquet with transparent red cherry, raspberry and floral notes. This wine is classy and seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins. It's lithe and agile in the mouth with a mineral undertow towards the finish. Often one of Jadot's classiest offerings, this Pougets is no different and one of their stars in 2021. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has a lovely, floral bouquet with wilted rose petals infusing the vivacious red berry fruit. Always a classy number, even in a tough vintage like 2021. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It's very lithe and smooth, with tart red berry fruit and a judicious dash of spice towards the finish. Lovely. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2021 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru was aged in tank rather than oak, as Frédéric Barnier told me it has a certain fragility. It is quite pungent on the nose: earthy, maybe a little animally, light but wild. The palate is balanced with a strictness that I believe derives from its aging. It's fresh but missing some depth on the finish. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2021 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru offers slightly darker fruit on the nose. There's a clever reduction at play, with scents of orange rind and marmalade loitering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a little chewiness on the entry. The 2021 is not complex but has decent substance on the finish. I just wonder whether this will evolve into something interesting with bottle age?

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an appealing bouquet with yellow plum, hazelnut and light almond scents, seeming to gain delineation in the glass. The palate is well balanced with orange pith and a dab of sour lemon. Displaying moderate depth, it becomes more malic towards the finish. It would benefit from a touch more complexity, but it should age well in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru is a step up from the Bâtard-Montrachet in terms of complexity and mineralité. Yellow plum and pressed flower hints emerge and lend more complexity with time. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity. This Chevalier gathers momentum towards a detailed, lightly spiced finish with just the right amount of extract. The 2021 has real pedigree. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a backward nose that demands coaxing, eventually revealing Granny Smiths, pear and petrichor aromas. The palate is very harmonious with a lovely spine of acidity. It's delicately spiced with a vivacious and quite persistent finish. This is a very commendable Folatières that will age with style. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2021 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru is fragrant on the nose with perfumed crushed strawberry and redcurrant scents. The oak is neatly integrated and becomes more floral with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasant tartness on the entry. Showing fine weight here, it's cohesive with a satisfying edginess keeping it on its toes through the finish. This is a fine Beaune. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2021 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2021 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru was reduced to two barrels and will be distributed to one market, most likely the UK at time of writing. 

Producer Commentary:
“The frost was clearly the worst event we have had for 40-50 years that affected all the vineyards from Chablis to Beaujolais,” head winemaker Frédéric Barnier admits in our usual two session comprehensive tasting, albeit shortened by numerous cuvées falling victim to the frost and their percentage of contracted fruit. “We did not expect the reds to be affected as well. There was little you could do to fight it. The first night, I said not to use candles…there was no point except for those growers that pruned late. Personally, I am more keen to work on agronomic solutions that might delay the bud break via rootstock and clones and so forth. You can delay by one week to ten days; that can make the difference between a 2021 and a 2022. We need to understand the risk plot-by-plot, why some are affected more than others. The vines were stressed for a long time, and it took a while to see the vineyards recover. By the end of May, it looked like the beginning of April in the vines. They were sensitive to the oïdium. It was not a cold year like 2013, but in terms of humidity, it was the necessary amount of rain, but the fact that there were constant light showers created a humid atmosphere. So, rot pressure was constant, which inhibited vine growth because they needed hot temperatures.”

“We started picking on 21 September, knowing that we would have a shorter time to pick; the last fruit was picked on 30 September, starting in the Côte de Beaune and then in the Côte de Nuits and the later parts of the Côte de Beaune. Usually, it takes a fortnight. The fruit was not perfect, so key things were the quality of pressing to adapt to small volumes and choosing the right lees, as sometimes they were not good. So during settling, it was vital to choose the lees that you want to use for the fermentation and ageing. For the reds, it was important to sort the grapes, which we had not done in recent years, to select what you want for the maceration. The fermentation was normal, but the maturation was challenging. If we buy few new barrels in 2021, then this has a knock-on for the next vintage [i.e. a lack of used wood]. Some of the whites are in large oak tanks to maintain a classic balance. For the whites, we have natural nervosité because of the higher malic acid, so we blocked some of the malolactic fermentation to capture that. I am thinking about bottling the reds at the end of the year after racking – I’m not sure what ageing will bring, whereas the whites could accept a longer élevage.”

Barnier is a winemaker that showcases a refreshing change in being unafraid to speak his mind. “It’s not: back to a classic vintage,” he contentiously says, contradicting numerous other winemakers. “Nowadays, a classic vintage is 2018, 2019 and 2020. In fact, for the reds, the pH is quite high, and acidity is quite low.”
2018 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has an understated bouquet with wet limestone and Granny Smith apple, followed by bruised apple aromas. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, quite fresh with sour lemon and orange cordial. Fine weight, a dab of spice towards the finish. This represents a decent if rather unexciting Folatières that doesn't match its showing from barrel. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2018 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2018 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a lot of volatility on the nose obscuring the terroir. Likewise, the palate is marred by some dead fruit on the entry, modest depth, but it is frayed on the finish with again, some volatile notes. I am not convinced this is a correct bottle and shall defer judgement. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2017 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a very well-defined, fresh, complex bouquet of cranberry leaf, freshly tilled loam and wet limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit and good grip, a little stocky, like the Corton-Grèves, but with a touch of precision. Perhaps this will be the pick of Jadot’s Corton Grand Crus. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru is a little richer on the nose than the Les Bressandes, although it perhaps does not display quite the same definition. The medium-bodied palate offers dense red fruit laced with orange peel and a touch of spice. There is a little toughness toward the finish, but that should mellow by the time of bottling. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru has a very precise, quite intense bouquet of apple blossom, struck flint and a light smokiness coming through with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity. This is a pretty Chevalier-Montrachet, offering touches of apricot and quince and quite persistent in the mouth, revealing a subtle stem ginger note toward the finish. Superb. (DIAM GC closure)

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a fresh bouquet, quite vigorous compared to its peers, with yellow flower scents complementing the clear honey and subtle linseed aromas that gradually unfurl. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and full of tension, displaying good depth and concentration toward the finish. This is quite a powerful Puligny, perhaps missing a little bit of nerve compared to its peers, yet satisfying and persistent in the mouth. (DIAM GC closure)

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2052

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru does not convey the same clarity on the nose as others; just a touch of botrytis, perhaps? The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed entry, fine acidity, weight and concentration and a saline finish. I appreciate the cohesion and presence of this Chevalier-Montrachet, and although initially I found more nobility in Bouchard’s Chevalier, this one’s authoritativeness wins you over. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a light and slightly earthy nose, a touch of orange pith emerging with time. The palate displays good weight and concentration, offering candied orange peel and lemon zest and turning a little peachy toward the finish, all underpinned by a fine bead of acidity and decent length. This should drink well for 12–15 years. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was poured after the Chevalier-Montrachet and Montrachet, and I must admit, it rather pales by comparison, lacking the same penetration and mineral drive. The bouquet just seems rather static at the moment. The palate is balanced and quite rounded in the mouth, with a subtle spiciness, and almost yeasty toward the finish. Not bad, although not the best Grand Cru from Jadot this year. (DIAM GC closure)

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Les Bressandes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Les Bressandes 1er Cru has a slightly pinched nose at the moment, remaining tight despite aeration and only reluctantly releasing light rose petal and peony scents. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry, good body and weight, and a nicely structured, focused, fresh finish. There is a sense of ease and nonchalance about this Les Bressandes that is appealing. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru has a fleshy, ripe red cherry, raspberry and light tea leaf bouquet that unfurls nicely in the glass. The palate is showing a little more oak than its Beaune peers at the moment, although there is more substance and a touch more complexity, hints of black pepper and a tang of marmalade popping up on the finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru, one of my favorite vineyards from Jadot, has a lovely red and black fruit nose that feels harmonious and assured. The class of the terroir shows through here. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe red fruit and fine grip. A little sinewy, like the Les Cras, but showing fine precision and persistence on the finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru demonstrated quite a heavy reduction on the nose, making it difficult to read. The lightly spiced palate is promising, displaying fleshy ripe red berry fruit and a rather foursquare, straitlaced finish. It’s just a bit... chunky?

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2017 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2017 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru shows just a touch of reduction on the nose, though underneath lies pleasant red and black fruit plus a touch of iodine in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and nicely balanced, if not the most complex of the Beaunes from Jadot. It feels long in the mouth, but I would just like more terroir to show through here. 

Producer Commentary:
As usual, I sectioned off two morning sessions to tackle the white and then the red Louis Jadot 2017s, over 100 wines in total. Chief winemaker Frédéric Barnier accompanied me through the tasting, though Thibault Gagey, son of president Pierre-Henry Gagey, joined us at around “Meursault o’clock.” Readers should note that Barnier kindly recorded a video in which he offers plenty of insight into the vintage; this can be found in the Multimedia section. I will relate just the basic information that he gave me with regard to the vintage. “We started picking around September 2 or 3 with the whites. The weather was quite good but the ambiance was so dry and the vines so thirsty that they absorbed the couple of showers that came the following week. The weather during the harvest was good but not perfect, but it was not too hot. I think the quality is higher for the whites than the reds because of the yields. The harvest finished with the top Côte de Nuits. You had to wait for the phenolic ripeness of the skins, even if the alcohol is, say, 13 degrees. You had to be patient during the ageing. The reds were open and easy to taste at first, but the density is coming with the ageing. The malolactic fermentation was quite early in 2017 and 99% of the reds went through malo before Christmas since the cellars were warm.”

As is the way when broaching such a comprehensive, multi-appellation tasting, the range encompasses both highs and, thankfully, a very few “lows.” I use quotation marks because they are not poor wines. Barnier has introduced more consistency across Jadot’s huge range, though within each appellation I find one or two that stand out: Saint-Aubin La Charmois, Meursault Charmes, Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle and Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne, to name but a few. The Grand Crus are plentiful, with their own standouts, and I will leave readers to peruse them at leisure. I have signified the exact labeling since not only is there Maison and Domaine Louis Jadot, which has implications for how it is farmed, but three or four other labels that now include the Santenay estate Domaine Prieur-Brunet, which Jadot acquired in July 2017. These are indicated in the tasting notes.
2020 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2020 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru is perhaps the one cuvée from this appellation that showed just a little sur-maturité, very slight touches of prune filtering though the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, quite firm in the mouth with a slightly short finish. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2020 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru is often one of Jadot’s strongest cards amongst the Côte de Beaune reds and this is no different. It has a captivating bouquet with earthy red fruit, graphite, just a faint hint of menthol that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, lightly spiced with a dash of white pepper towards the sustained finish. It will require several years in bottle to show its best, but it will be worth waiting for. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a lifted, liquorice-tinged bouquet that opens beautifully in the glass (and has not problem following on from Jadot’s Montrachet!) The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity that cuts through the crisp citrus fruit laced with orange pith, stem ginger and white pepper. There is real cohesion and persistence on the finish - just an excellent Corton-Charlemagne. Closure: Diam

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has a very dense and quite intense bouquet, a melange of red and black fruit, tobacco and a touch of graphite. An underlying marine element becomes more prominent with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, fresh and vibrant but with quite a sturdy backbone and certainly the spiciest on the finish of the six Beaune Premier Crus from Jadot. Long term potential here. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2020 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru has a sorbet-fresh bouquet, touches of blood orange suffusing the vivacious red fruit. The oak here is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, gentle grip, slightly darker fruit than the Theurons with a dash of cracked black pepper on the finish. Good potential, but it will require 3-5 years in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru has a much more introverted bouquet compared to the Grèves, with an attractive marine element, hints of kelp and shucked oyster shell percolating through the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine line of acidity, lightly spiced with a detailed and quite peppery finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru has a wonderful bouquet: very pure and refined, billowing red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit comingling with pressed rose petals. The terroir really comes through here. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, a fine bead of acidity, quite structured with a fresh, saline finish. There is a sense of completeness to this Beaune Grèves that I much appreciate. 

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru is fresh and vibrant on the nose, yellow plum intermixed with white flowers, crushed stone and wild peach. This is certainly more complex than the Bâtard-Montrachet. The palate is well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh on the entry with hints of white peach and citrus fruit, though like the Bâtard-Montrachet, I would have liked more sustain on the aftertaste, though I find it does develop more "bite" with aeration. Closure: Diam

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2020 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru is more floral on the nose than its peers, yellow flowers, jasmine and a touch of Chinese white tea intermingling with the citrus fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, a little more tension and salinity than the Clos de la Garenne, cohesive with traces of white peach on the finish. Delicious. Closure: Diam

Producer Commentary:
“For me, I consider the 2020 vintage as something very special for Burgundy," Frédéric Barnier explained during our traditional two sessions to taste through Jadot’s white and reds. "It is a vintage of hope for the future because it is one of the earliest ever made, picked mostly in August, which is clearly something unusual for the region. When we started to pick from August 19, nobody expected to pick grapes with such balance. Everyone was scared about this, believing that they would pick another 2003. So that was the surprise of the vintage. We started picking the reds during the first week because the Pinot Noir was suffering a little more than the Chardonnay. Why did the wines retain balance? It was because we had a reserve of acidity in the juice due to the previous season, especially tartaric acid. The pH was very good. The vines’ ripening was slowed down by the lack of rain from the end of July until picking. The last 10-day wave of heat in August meant that we had to start picking early in order to prevent overripeness. The air was so dry that it was an easy year in terms of there being no rot to deal with. So maybe we could have more vintages like 2020 in the future. There is no greenness in the reds, and this shows that the vines can work under such conditions, though there is a limit when you can pick. The yields for the whites are better in 2020 than in 2017, around 45hl/ha (compared 10–12hl/ha for 2021) and alcohol for the white is 13.5°. We had a good level of malic acid, but it was not that high and so malolactic fermentation did not make a big difference. The 2020 is not a vintage of concentration like 2019 – it’s a more classic, perhaps more shy vintage. I don’t think the whites and reds will be so easy to drink young."
2019 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru is beautifully defined on the nose, featuring wonderful crushed limestone and gunflint scents that permeate the green apple aromas. Very focused and intense. The palate is extremely well balanced with a powerful opening, very saline and so full of energy. Enormous weight and presence toward the finish. This is an outstanding Chevalier-Montrachet from Jadot. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2019 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2019 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru (spelled or misspelled with an "h" instead of "Les Teurons”!) has a generous nose of morello cherries and orange blossom, a little airier than the Les Grèves. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins; not a deep or grippy Les Theurons. Lightly spiced with a pleasant bitter note that gets the saliva flowing on the finish. Not long-term but attractive. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2019 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru, which comes from the high part of the slope in the lieu-dit of En La Richards, has a lovely bouquet of orange blossom and crushed limestone aromas, showing very fine terroir expression. The palate is well balanced with grapefruit and mandarin on the entry. The palate does not quite possess the same breeding as the nose – perhaps a little simpler on the finish compared to the Clos de la Garenne that preceded it. Maybe it will muster more nuance with barrel age. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2018 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru has a very composed, detailed bouquet of blackberry, wild strawberry and pressed rose petal aromas, the most elegant of the three Cortons 2018s from Jadot. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins and wonderful acidity. Very harmonious, with an almost luxurious but compelling finish. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2019 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2019 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru offers light strawberry and cranberry aromas on the nose, although it is not the most complex example that I have encountered from this vineyard. The palate is fleshy on the entry with supple tannins and red cherries intermixed with cranberry and tea leaf, leading to a straightforward but persistent, easygoing finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2019 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2019 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has a fragrant bouquet featuring a mélange of red and black fruit intermingled with orange blossom and iodine aromas. Good intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with a stocky opening, fine structure and symmetry and a fine bead of acidity. There’s a dark fruit flourish toward the finish, which leaves behind a subtle marine-themed aftertaste. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2018 Beaune Clos Des Ursules 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru has the finest bouquet out of Jadot’s Beaune Premiers, featuring copious dark cherry, crushed strawberry and blueberry aromas that are very well defined. The fleshy, rounded palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, fine acidity and a fine-boned, quite persistent and certainly elegant finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2019 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2019 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru definitely has the most floral of Jadot’s Beaune Premier Crus; rose petal scents infuse the brambly red fruit, mixed with a light marine scent. The palate is medium-bodied with with fine tannins and a keen bead of acidity. This is very elegant and shows impressive poise toward the finish. A delicious Beaune in the making. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2019 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2019 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru showed a little reduction on the nose, unlike other Beaune Premiers from Jadot. The palate displays good density and more black fruit than the Clos des Couchereaux, and nice grip, if just needing a little more complexity and mineralité to show through. Give this 18–24 months once in bottle. It’s a bit "serious" at the moment. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2018 Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru sports a subtle reduction on the nose, or at least it did at the moment when I tasted it from barrel, though there seems to be plenty of fruit concentration underneath it. The palate is quite rich and concentrated on the entry, showing touches of mint and orange zest; later, tangerine and grapefruit notes join the chorus line. The Clos de la Garrenne has a tad more complexity on the finish, but this is still very promising. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Beaune Les Bressandes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Les Bressandes 1er Cru has a fragrant, floral, incense-infused bouquet of blood orange and light marmalade scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins matched by fine acidity, pure fruit and well-judged acidity, leading to a creamy, dark-chocolate-tinged finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru has a sweet milk-chocolate-tinged bouquet that just lacks the precision of the Les Bressandes. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite fleshy and forward. I would have liked a little more mineralité toward the finish but this feels svelte and charming. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru fights off a bit of reduction on the nose to reveal a mélange of red and black fruit, oyster shell and lavender aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with confit-like black fruit, fine acidity. Sweet and tinged with fig and cassis toward the seductive if rather simplistic finish. Just an enjoyable Beaune Premier Cru. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Les Theurons 1er Cru comes across a tad overripe on the nose, where kirsch and figgy aromas infuse the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, modest weight and a citrus-fresh finish that requires more flesh to soften up the "corners." It just needs to cohere during the remainder of its élevage. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Beaune Clos Des Couchereaux 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2031

Tasting notes: The 2018 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru has a very high-toned bouquet that has a touch of VA. The palate is rich and sinewy and quite weighty in the mouth, although I find that Jadot’s other 2018 Beaunes demonstrate a little more precision on the finish. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2018 Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles Grand Cru has a gorgeous bouquet with scents of lemon and orange zest, pralines and crushed stone (somehow it reminds me of lemon drizzle cake!) The palate is fresh and taut on the entry, delivering impressive depth, good salinity in the mouth and a spicy, harmonious finish that lingers. There is a lovely crescendo of intensity in this Grand Cru. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2019 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a very tempting bouquet of lemon curd, frangipane, almond and light white chocolate scents. It is still a little oaky, but that will integrate with time. The palate is well balanced with a rounded, marmalade-tinged opening, then veers toward a curiously "fishy" second half, almost like a Chenin Blanc in style! Maybe this is just a phase it’s going through. Give it 3–5 years in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.
2018 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a fresh bouquet of fennel, mint and light hazelnut aromas, all complementing the citrus fruit. The palate is vibrant and fresh on the entry with a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious from start to finish, it delivers an appealing spiciness that leaves the tongue tingling, thanks to a dab of ginger on the aftertaste. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
As I have done for several years, I arranged two sessions at Louis Jadot’s headquarters in Beaune to tackle their whites and reds respectively with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. He has done a superb job since taking over from Jacques Lardière. “For sure it was a special year," he told me as I set up my laptop in their tasting room, a regiment of samples bottles lined up and ready for inspection. "The reason is clearly, we have incredible weather for growing the vines. All the fruit in 2018 was special as we had a warm six months from April until end of October. What made the difference is that we had water at good moments, in June after flowering, a big storm in July in the Côte d’Or and some in August. The vines adapted to the conditions. Dijon had more sunlight hours than even Nice! Growing seasons like this don’t happen often. We had a lot of fruit, full yields everywhere and sometimes more, so it was a generous vintage, for example the Meursault Village picked at around 55hl/ha. We did no green harvesting for the reds and with respect to the whites, those vineyards that we did green harvest did not achieve full yield. Most of the wines are between 13.5 and 14.0 degrees and we hardly needed any chaptalization The two last weeks were a little extreme with hot weather and a warm southerly wind that could have been too much for the vintage, but this was tempered by the yield. The juice saved the vintage. All the vines affected by mildew seemed to pick fruit a little overripe because those vineyards were not able to absorb those last two weeks. We sometimes had to wait to obtain better maturation of the skins and this gave us a shorter window to pick the grapes. There was very little to sort once we began the harvest on 29 August, the reds the following week around 2 September, a fortnight's picking due to the large crop. If you left the reds past the 15 September there could be too much alcohol and richness. It was a vintage where you had to use the cooling system as it was so warm. Most of the whites are not completely through their malolactic, though the level of malic acid was quite low, around 1gm/L." We then moved on to the reds. Barnier told me: "I think the Côte de Beaune shows very well in 2018. The Côte de Nuits is very impressive. It was mostly picked in the second week and you can feel the richness. The Côte de Beaune wines are well balanced and fresh. The ageing was key: Being sure to protect the wines from bacterial infection and VA. Some of the ferments were tricky to finish, but I am confident about their ageing potential."
2019 Corton Pougets Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2019 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru was ever so slightly reduced on the nose, but opens with time to reveal quite intense black fruit laced with vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very good weight and a fine bead of acidity. This conveys the most energy of the three Corton Grand Crus from Jadot that I tasted. Velvety texture on the finish. Lovely. Just one used barrel produced. 

Producer Commentary:
Keeping with tradition, I spent two morning sessions tasting through Louis Jadot’s whites and reds with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Even though there are more than 100 wines here, that figure does not represent every cuvée that Jadot produced in 2019. Why do this exercise? Well, apart from quality, you can gauge how the Côte d’Or performed as a whole and from one commune to another. You have to be mindful that some of the blending is not finished, so as Barnier pointed out, he could subsequently decide to de-select barrels of a Premier Cru into a Village Cru. Nevertheless, they are pretty good approximations. Jadot have traditionally de-stemmed all their cuvées, though Barnier mentioned that he has experimented with stems with respect to Beaune Les Cras and Santenay Maladières with different percentages in order to understand their influence depending on the vintage.

“We had a dry winter, mostly cool and January was wonderful in terms of weather,” Barnier explained as we broached the 2019s. “We did not have big reserves of water in our soils. Even bud burst was not so early with the first leaves in the beginning of April. There was a cold snap, and this led to frost, the first on 5 April. The leaves were not out, but it was humid and so the frost affected the volume more than we thought at the time. The second episode was on 14 April. It was so bright during the night because everyone was burning [straw bales]. It was cold, -2 to -3°C, but it was dry and so it was not damaging. May was better, with good temperatures so there were a few intense weeks of vegetative growth. The first weeks of June were inclement with cold and humid weather that impacted the flowering causing coulure, for example in Clos Saint-Jacques where there was a huge amount of millerandé bunches. I have never seen it so widespread for whites and reds. From mid-June to mid-September we moved to hot and dry weather, especially a canicule at end of June and end of July. But we had a few showers in August that saved the crop from becoming overripe. Water management was one of the most important factors. Véraison was early-mid July and lasted 40 days because of the lack of water and maybe this helped the quality of fruit as we had a long cycle of maturation. But during the last days just before picking, we saw an acceleration of potential alcohol in small berries with little juice, so we started picking on 11 September.

The level of alcohol is around 14.0° for the whites, which is not something we have every year, but the long process saved the freshness and acidity. The pH is classic: two to three grams of malic acid. We are used to saying one-week equals one degree of potential alcohol but in the Côte d’Or that was just three days. You had to adapt and react very quickly. The reds were easier as the cycle of the Pinot Noir was a little later than the Chardonnay and that gave us a week more. The fruit was very healthy and needed little sorting. It was a classic vinification. You just had to make sure you finished the alcoholic fermentation. You have to control it, making sure the grapes are cool when they enter the vat. Part of the malo was before Christmas, especially for the whites, with the rest over spring. We blocked part of the malo, which is important with that degree of alcohol. The whites will be bottled from next February or March. Volumes are around half of a normal crop at around 30-35hl/ha.”

One has to consider the logistical challenges facing Louis Jadot and those of similar size. How do you marshal pickers into the right vineyard at the optimal moment when you have such a scattering of vineyards and when sugar levels both expedite the picking and shorten the window in order to avoid over-ripeness? In such a comprehensive tasting as this, you can begin picking out those that were harvested at just the right time and others that maybe were not. There are too many wines to go through individually, but I will choose a few. With respect to the whites, do check out the brilliant Chevalier-Montrachet Demoiselles that surpasses the Montrachet by some margin. The strongest performing appellation was Puligny-Montrachet more than Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, whilst I found much to admire with Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes Blanc. Among the red appellations, I am drawn mostly towards a cluster of excellent wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, especially a brilliant Les Cazetiers that dares surpass Clos Saint-Jacques. It will be interesting to compare them once in bottle. Some other appellations were inconsistent, for example, Nuits Saints-Georges that never really shone like I expected. Far better is Jadot’s range in Chambolle-Musigny, where even the single vineyard Village Cru from Drazey shows great promise. At the top end, Jadot oversaw outstanding wines from Grands-Echézeaux and Musigny.

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