Winemaker Notes
The Les Rugiens vineyards, divided between the two parcels of Les Rugiens-Hauts and Les Rugiens-Bas, is situated at the summit of Pommard's slope, just south of the village, and covers 31 acres. The name "Rugiens", a derivative of "rouge," describes the reddish color of the soil, a result of its extremely high iron content. It is considered, with Les Epenots, to be Pommard's finest and most lasting premier cru. Maison Louis Jadot vinifies the production of growers, primarily from the finer Rugiens-Bas, to evoke the robust, masculine qualities of this great red wine. Its vigorous, rich fruit, set in a powerfully built structure, is completed by the distinct earthy notes of its ferrous soils and a lasting, finish.
Professional Ratings
Celebrated as some of the best wine in the universe, red wine from Burgundy, otherwise known as red Burgundy, is Pinot noir. In fact Burgundy is the birthplace of Pinot noir and the source of the planet’s most sensual, delicate, valuable and sought-after Pinot noir wines.
Understanding and enjoying red Burgundy can stay simple, with a basic knowledge of its subregions, become more intricate by dialing down to the villages and vineyards or become a life-long passion, exploring climats (plots of vines), vintages and the post French Revolution land ownership laws. In any case, a fine red Burgundy will display refined nuances of black currant, red fruit, earth, spice, alluring floral aromatics and have great elegance, complexity and longevity.
Most famous, praised and collected of Burgunday are those from the Côte d'Or. Hundreds of millions of years ago, the area now called Côte d'Or was under a warm ocean whose sea floor has, over time, shifted and decomposed into various layers of limestone, sandstone and clay interspersed with ancient fossilized sea creatures. This is what is referred to as the famous escarpment upon which all of the highly sought-after Grands Crus and Premiers Crus vineyards can be found. In other words, from north to south, the best vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Flagey-Echezeaux, Nuits-St-Georges, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard and Volnay follow the path of this ancient sea bed.