The wines of Henri & Philippe Jouan fly under the radar – and, with the current quantities produced (from just three hectares of vines), this is unlikely to change any time soon.
The little wine produced, however, is an honest rendition of some exceptional terroir in the Côte de Nuits. This tiny estate is situated in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis and run by Phillipe Jouan, the fifth generation of his family to make Pinot Noir here.
There are five cuvées: a Coteaux Bourguignon, a village Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny and a single-vineyard village Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echézeaux (bordering the Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin). His top cuvées are a Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Clos Sorbé and Grand Cru Clos Saint-Denis.
Grapes are typically de-stemmed, with 10 to 15% whole-bunch fermentation in cooler vintages. The musts tend to undergo short macerations of 12 to 14 days, then pressed off with a 100-year-old wooden press bought by Philippe’s great-grandfather. The wines typically see 25 to 40% new oak, the majority from François Frères.
