Wine Advisor
Louis Jadot, Montrachet Grand Cru 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(two barrels made, vs. a normal ten): Bright light yellow. Reticent, soil-driven aromas of white peach, clove and iodine; totally different from the Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. Denser, thicker and more brooding on the palate, showing more power and weight at the expense of some of its definition and fruit freshness, with a very ripe note of quince. Barnier pointed out that Jadot buys this wine, taking the barrels in April, and does not control the malolactic fermentation. This thick wine has the tannic mass of a red, and its finishing hints of red fruits and violet reminded me of a wine from the Côte de Nuits.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Montrachet Grand Cru has an intense bouquet with notes of flint, smoke, apple blossom and just a hint of dried apricot, well defined and seeming to expand with aeration. The palate is well balanced with an intense opening that fortunately does not compromise the finesse and elegance of this Montrachet. It almost sashays along, minding its own business, but the acidity is extremely well judged and the finish shows superb precision. Excellent.
About the Producer
Situated in the heart of Burgundy, Maison Louis Jadot is one of the most prestigious estates representing the spirit of Burgundian wine. It was founded by the Jadot family in 1859 when they bought the Clos des Ursules, a prestigious first growth in the Beaune region. In 1954, the then owner Louis Auguste Jadot asked Andre Gagey to become the winemaker of Château Louis Jadot. In 1984, Madam Jadot transferred the ownership of Château Louis Jadot to the Kopf Family, an American family dedicated to acquiring the finest vineyards, but there was no change in the management of the estate. Pierre-Henry Gagey has been in charge of the estate since 1992. The estate covers 154 hectares of vineyards throughout Burgundy, more than half of which are in the Grand Cru and Grand Cru categories. It is surprising that there are only two winemakers in this large vineyard. The main grape varieties planted in the vineyard are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. The average age of the vines is between 20 and 80 years. In terms of winemaking, Louisiadour uses grapes from its own vineyards or buys them under contract from the winegrowers, a practice that is rare in other wineries. The barrels are all homemade and a skilled craftsman can make five barrels a day. While oak is usually left for around two years before barrel making, Château Louisiade prefers to wait patiently for an extra year. In their opinion, the barrels made from oak that has been exposed to the elements will not overshadow the aromas of the wine, thus ensuring the high quality of the wine. For Château Louis Jadot, the true essence of winemaking is the ability to interpret the terroir of the region in the wine, not just the careful cultivation of a specific grape variety to produce a wine of great flavour. It is this philosophy that has made Louisiadour synonymous with excellence. Its label, depicting Bacchus, is a symbol of the quality of the wines it produces, whether appellation or grand cru.
