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Our En Primeur Pick of Crop
Following our visit to the Louis Jadot cellars in November I have hand-picked a special selection of En Primeur wines from their cellars in the heart of Beaune. From the tip of Chablis to the toe of Beaujolais Louis Jadot produces an impressive range of wines encompassing regional and village appellations to the finest Premier and Grand Cru wines. The Bacchus Head which is present on all their labels is the reliable stamp of quality and consistency from what can often be a complicated region.
Louis Jadot have been making fine wine for 150 years and Jacques Lardière, their celebrated winemaker, has been making wine for 40 of those. I was lucky enough to spend time with Jacques making our favourite selection from the 2008 vintage which I am delighted to offer you.
2008 Burgundy Vintage Report
“Genius winemaker, Jacques Lardière makes his mark on a rollercoaster 39th Vintage.”
By Mark O’Bryen MW, Louis Jadot Representative – Scotland
Jacques Lardière has a reputation for producing outstanding wines given any conditions, and 2008 is testament to his remarkable winemaking skill. Louis Jadot has one of the most desirable collections of small vineyards from many of the best villages in Burgundy – vineyards which have been assembled over the last 150 years – and this is Jacques’ 39th vintage overseeing Louis Jadot’s winemaking.
The vintage itself was challenging as anyone from the region will be the first to tell you. However, every cloud has a silver lining and as is the case from a testing vintage, great vineyard sites, careful vineyard management and diligent selection at the sorting table come into their own. There is no doubt that many will be delightfully surprised by what they taste given the growing conditions, and the prices have softened despite the depressing Euro; there are some great buys to be had.
The Weather
Each season is a rollercoaster in winemaking – the team constantly wondering what Mother Nature will do next, and how she will make her mark on the final harvest.
The winter of 2007 and early spring of 2008 were mild and gave little cause for concern. April then turned wet, very wet. Perhaps twice as much rain as one might typically expect, which led to an uneven bud burst. Fortunately May was warm, and at this stage things were on a par with the magnificent 2005 vintage, therefore looking good. June was uniformly cold and wet and this led to an uneven flowering which brought its own set of challenges for the viticulturist. July was then very cold with unseasonal rain, which meant careful treatment was needed in the vineyards to beat off the threat of mildew. August was better but changeable. In September the skies cleared, the north wind blew, and the vintage was saved.
Harvest started under clear skies on 22nd September. In 2009 the harvest finished on the 22nd September – giving you an indication of just how unpredictable that rollercoaster can be!
The Wines (the technical bit)
Sugar accumulation was tricky in the 2008 fruit and most wines were chaptalised to a degree (this is where a small amount of permitted sugar is added to enrich the alcohol). Acid levels are correspondingly high, both malic and tartaric, so many wines are very fine with a lean structure. The whites have all gone through a full malolactic conversion this year although, for some reason, at widely differing speeds. The juice yield from a given weight of grapes was well down on the average (which also suggested a degree of physiological unripeness) so Jacques decided to keep the whites on gross lees for much longer than usual which helped them to fatten up. No battonage though, as this might spoil the delicate texture (given the full malos). The triage table, where only the best grapes are allowed to pass, was a hive of activity and Jacques discarded as much as 30% of the fruit from some areas. Such judicious selection is key to good quality.
The whites are very attractive – clean and lean – although I expect them to put on weight and many are already very promising.
The reds show a wider range of styles and are generally on the elegant side. The best have that hauntingly seductive perfume only found in Burgundian Pinot Noirs watched over by great winemakers.
My favourites are from the Côte de Nuits, and vineyard sites with old vines and a good track record tend to come up trumps.
Overall the wines of 2008 will be wines to enjoy a little younger than some other vintages and give you the opportunity to enjoy some good Burgundy early on compared to, say, the classic vintage of 2005.
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