2020 Louis Jadot Echézeaux Grand Cru

Louis Jadot Cote de Beaune

In contrast to the Côte de Nuits - where almost exclusively red Burgundy is made - in the Côte de Beaune mostly white, but also some red wines are made. Both wine regions are part of the Côte d 'Or and are located east of the Hautes Côtes and are separated by wine city Beaune.

The most beautiful red Burgundies of the Côte d 'Or are made of pinot noir from marl-rich plots along a long low-lying hillside. The white grape groves can be found where the bottom of the 'Gold Coast' consists largely of limestone.

Both the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits and - Beaune are oriented east and southeast, and are therefore reasonably protected from the wet west wind.
The recent history of Burgundy house Louis Jadot started in 1970 when oenologist Jacques Lardière offered his services to André Gagey, the then general manager and father of the current - eponymous - manager of the company. As the chief man of the technical staff, the maître de chais, he is responsible for the more than 140 hectares of vineyards and the vinification process of some 150 wines from the Chablis, Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. His approach is unique in the wine world at the time: he lets nature take its full course.

The quirky winemaker shuns the use of herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers and any other crop stimulants or protectants. Because, he believes, a healthy soil gives strong grapes and therefore good wines. In fact, Lardière is so confident in nature that he does not work with industrial yeasts, he finds complicated chemical analyzes in laboratories superfluous, and peeling and fermentation take place without temperature-influencing equipment. Only limited pruning and a 'green harvest' are allowed.

The grapes for the wines of Louis Jadot are always harvested manually. This prevents over- and unripe fruits from ending up in the vinification process. In addition, the grape pickers use small boxes when harvesting so that the bunches are not bruised or damaged prematurely. Grapes that nevertheless escape this attention are still removed from the selection table or table de tri.

The starting point for the vinification of Jadot wines is that each appellation has its unique smell and taste. The terroir so famous in Burgundy must always be recognizable in the wine. As a result, there is no such thing as general as a Jadot "wine style": each type of Louis Jadot wine has its own individual character.