Louis Jadot, Marsannay Clos du Roy (Domaine Gagey) 2015

Louis Jadot are, with Joseph Drouhin, Faiveley and Bouchard Père et Fils, the leading négociants of Burgundy.

They also have substantial vineyard holdings, split between Louis Jadot itself, Les Héritiers de Louis Jadot and Domaine André Gagey, and long-term rental agreements, such as that with the Duc de Magenta, adding up to about 60ha in the Côte d’Or. Further holdings are in Beaujolais, Château des Jacques, and Pouilly-Fuissé, where they own Domaine Ferret.

Louis Jadot is considered by many to have one of the finest winemaking reputations in Burgundy. For red wines, temperature control is eschewed, allowing fermentation to start of its own accord, and letting the temperature during the process rise without intervention (in most cellars, this is generally capped at about 32◦C). Even so, the length of maceration is still long, often taking three weeks or more. The result is a rich and powerful style of red Burgundy, even in lighter appellations, which demands and repays keeping.

When creating its white wines, the company frequently part-blocks the malolactic fermentation to retain higher acidity. In less favourable years, contrary to normal practice, a little more new oak is used. However, the main aim for both reds and whites is to use as little oak as possible in order to let the terroir and the vintage do the talking.

Jacques Lardière became the company’s winemaker in 1970, and only retired in 2013. An able and charismatic winemaker, he produced wines of high quality with a distinct personality, and valued the less expensive village wines as highly as he did the grands crus. Since 2010, he has been assisted by Frédéric Barnier, who was named as his replacement upon Jacques’ retirement, though Jacques remains at the company in an advisory role.

Maison Louis Jadot’s headquarters are located in the heart of Beaune. The most beautiful of its three cellars, used to store its older wines and for hosting special events, is situated in the Couvent des Jacobins, which dates back to 1477.