Page 3 of the interview with Pierre-Henry Gagey Louis Jadot It seems to me that Jadot wines have in common a strong concentration and a lot of body, do you agree with this opinion? At Louis Jadot, we think that a high-class wine of Burgundy must be able to age and to open out with time. It is the ageing which allows a true aromatic complexity. For this reason, we believe in rather long maceration for red wines, when the sanitary state of the grape allows it. So it is true that we prefer rather concentrated wines but only if they keep their smoothness, their elegance, and the true expression of the soil of Burgundy. The light, fruity, elegant wines are certainly very pleasant, but represent only a part of the spirit of Burgundy. I would like to add that the well-ripen and concentrated vintages are the image of Burgundy. I think of 1947, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1971 and 1978. Which wines will you advise to someone who wish to initiate to the wines of Burgundy? I advise him/her to start with Villages wines, or regional appellations, to understand the style of Burgundy, the fruit and flavors which are expressed through these wines. The understanding of the tanins and the phenolic components comes afterwards, when you taste premier and grand cru vintages. It is recommended to start with simpler, easy wines to access, and then get into more complex wines. The white wines are also a very good way to understand the wines of Burgundy. Their smoothness, their minerality, their precision and their purity are more easily accessible for all those who passed beyond the sucrosity. Louis Jadot is both a trader and a producer. Your wines come either from your own vineyards, or from your vine grower's partners. Are they notable differences between the wines? We tend to say that the best Louis Jadot are those coming from your own vineyards. For regional appellations, we buy from wine growers who vinified and sell wine in barrels to us after 2 or 3 months. Of course, we always like the idea that the wines coming from our own vines are better than those coming from grapes we buy to others. Nevertheless I do not believe that it is always true. Some vine growers deliver to us very beautiful grapes. They enable us to make superb wines. This is why we always choose at Jadot not to differentiate our labels, even if we mention our own vineyards to inform our customers. What kind of relationship do you have with your vine growers? We have a very strong partnership. It is impossible to speak of quality if there is no true participation between us. We try as much as possible to work with them in a subtle way because vine growers remain responsible of their own production and the control of their vines. The partnership consists in working together to reach the best maturity and to produce the best possible wine. It is a strategy where we all can win. We cannot produce high-class wines if the vine growers who provide us the grapes do not find their own interest in the process. Read more Pierre-Henry Gagey Louis Jadot

Wine casks Maison Louis Jadot         Choosing the grapes with Pierre-Henry Gagey (on the right)

Be the first to know, sign up for the newsletter, enter your e-mail address here:
 

 

Burgundy Books	Top Recommended Book
Côte d'Or by Clive Coates Burgundy and its wines Burgundy: The 90 Greatest Wines Romanee-Conti : The World's Most Fabled Wine The Most Beautiful Villages of Burgundy	Burgundy: The 90 Greatest Wines by James Turnbull Easy to read guide of the finest Burgundy wine makers. Learn more Price: $24.50 (save 30%) Click here!

 

french wine regions | grape varieties | winemaking | classification in France | tasting | wine and food | wine and health | legendary wines | french wine news | wine shop | french wine guide