Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe Domaine des Héritiers Jadot owns the iconic 2.15ha monopole of the Clos des Ursules. It faces east in stony soils and is found at mid-slope between Vignes Franches and Aigrots. This produces a wine that is always a bit richer, with lovely red cherry and cassis fruit, a mineral edge and hints of smoke and spice. The texture is structured and firm, but there is no astringency and it should open up marvellously well with time. A lovely wine.
Fabulous, fresh blackberry and black-cherry nose with some heady floral notes. Imposing tannin structure and concentration, but it is all wrapped in big black fruit. The crisp acidity of the vintage is very present here and makes this bright, but the firm and stony finish needs some time to completely harmonize. This will really blossom if you have a little patience. From organically grown grapes.
A picture of elegance and finesse, with cherry, strawberry, floral and stony mineral aromas and flavors, this red is charming and seamless enough to enjoy now, yet will improve with age. Fine-grained tannins and bright acidity provide structure, while the finish lingers.
The most reserved of these Beaune cuvées is the 2020 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot), a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine evocative of orange rind, red berries, plums, warm spices and peonies. Lively and structured, it will require and reward patience.
Barrel Sample: (92 - 94)+
Once again there is ample floral influence to the markedly spicy dark cherry coulis aromas. The vibrant and impressively dense middle weight plus flavors also possess a beguilingly suave texture while displaying excellent persistence on the firm, serious and youthfully austere finale. If you have the patience to wait at least 7 to 8 years, this would make a fine choice.
Barrel Sample: 91-94
Solid deep crimson purple. Magnificent deep rich imperial purple and feels much the same way on the nose. The fruit profile is a fraction darker than the estimable Boucherottes and perhaps with even more intensity, less heart on the sleeve, more wait for me in twenty years’ time.
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules Premier Cru is vibrant and persistent. TASTING NOTES: This wine is brisk and persistent with aromas and flavors of tangy red and black fruits. Served it with grilled fillet mignon. (Tasted: February 2, 2022, San Francisco, CA
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”