Louis Jadot is arguably the most consistent négociant house in Burgundy. It has managed to straddle both the entry-level and fine wine market, while retaining respect in both.
At the lower end of the market, they
offer tremendous consistency at a price-point rarely found in Burgundy. At the
top end, with their Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites, their wines sit comfortably alongside other top producers of these hallowed sites.
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In the vineyard
Louis Jadot owns over 132 hectares of vineyards throughout
Burgundy, including 90 separate individual vineyards, 84 hectares in the
Beaujolais Crus and 18 hectares in the Mâconnais, predominantly in Pouilly-Fuissé.
Of the 23 Grands Crus in the Côte de
Nuits, Maison Louis Jadot produces wines from 14: Mazis-Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos
de Bèze, Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin, Carmes-Chambertin, Latricières-Chambertin,
Griotte-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Bonnes Mares, Musigny, Clos
Vougeot, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux.
Maison Louis Jadot produces 15 Premier Cru wines from the
Côte de Nuits, nine of which are domaine wines from vineyards they own. Louis
Jadot’s greatest presence is in the Côte de Beaune, producing a staggering 50
Premiers Crus from the region.
The vineyards are all farmed sustainably, to promote
biodiversity and maintain soil health by minimizing the use of chemical
treatments.
Regarding the structures of its supply
agreements with growers throughout Burgundy, there is no binding contract or
any obligation to buy the fruit. Selection is made purely on quality, working
closely with its suppliers and lending advice when required.
Jadot pays a
premium for its grapes (typically the same price a producer sells finished
wine) in order to have continuity of supply and the best fruit. Buying the
grapes at this early stage (versus must or wine) also provides Jadot with more
control over quality.
In the winery
The winemaking for the wines in the Côte d’Or is managed by
Frédéric Barnier who has been the head winemaker at Jadot since 2010.
Audrey
Braccini has been the head winemaker at Domaine Ferret since 2008 and Cyril
Chirouze has been the head winemaker at Château des Jacques since 2015.
At Louis Jadot both the red and white wines are made in
exactly the same way regardless of village or appellation status, enabling the
different terroir expressions to show through evenly, from village wines right
through to the Grands Crus.
For the white wines of the Côte d’Or the grapes are hand-harvested
and collected in small containers to preserve the integrity of the fruit. The
grapes are then pressed gently and fermented in the barrels from Jadot's own
cooperage, Cambus, a third of which are new. The wines spend 15 months on lees before
bottling.
The red wines are de-stemmed and fermented in
open-top oak casks over an extended three to four weeks with regular pigeage (punch-downs),
before being pressed and matured in oak for 18 to 24 months.