Louis Jadot | FINE+RARE

About the producer

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.

The Louis Jadot story starts in 1826, with the purchase of the Premier Cru vineyard, Beaune Clos des Ursules. The négociant business was founded later, in 1859. The business continued to buy more of its own vineyards throughout the 20th century, while at the same time expanding its négociant operation. In 1954 André Gagey joined Louis Auguste Jadot as his deputy, entrusted with running the business after Louis Auguste’s tragic death. In 1992 André Gagey’s son Pierre-Henry Gagey took over, working with his son Thibault Gagey. In 1985 Jadot was sold to its long-term US importer, the Kobrand corporation. Today, the company remains one of the largest wine producers in Burgundy, making over 220 different wines throughout Chablis, the Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. They also own Domaine Ferret in Pouilly-Fuissé and Château des Jacques in Moulin-à-Vent.

The wines within the greater Louis Jadot umbrella come under several different labels depending on the history of the vineyard. Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot is used for the original vineyards purchased by the Jadot family; while Domaine Louis Jadot is used for vineyards purchased since 1985 and Domaine Gagey is for vineyards owned by the Gagey family. Domaine Prieur-Brunet is used for the domaine wines from Meursault and Santenay; Domaine Ferret covers any domaine wines in Pouilly-Fuissé; while Château des Jacques is used for any owned vineyards in Moulin-à-Vent. Jadot also has a project in Oregon, Resonance.

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.

About the producer

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.

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2020 Echezeaux