A night with the legend of Burgundy


Henri Jayer who died in 2006 left behind a legacy and a future path for Burgundians to follow. He epitomized the phrase "do as little in the winery as possible". This non-interventionist attitude did not mean "do nothing" however, just not in the tanks but in the vineyard. Unfortunately, it is not clear whether he has any equal or successors ( in the form of Rouget or Meo-Camuzet ) to this legacy. There is something about these wines which is unmistakable. Just as Domaine Leroy wines have an unmistakable "fingerprint" so does Henri Jayer.



1990 Echezeaux. George et Henri Jayer.

Vinified, produced, elevated and bottled by Henri Jayer. I think we should put the myth to rest that this wine is not qualitatively as good as Henri's own - it is. Coming from a section of Echezeaux located right below Grand Echezeaux it was multi faceted and complex. Needs about an hour of air with smells of plum, cherry, tea, vanilla & cream, herbs and minerals. I have never had an Echezeaux with such a complex and ever changing bouquet. On tasting again multi faceted and layered with a long finish. The most appropriate words for this was "symphony". Stylistically speaking there is nothing quite like Henri Jayer, not Leroy not DRC. Everything in the right amounts, balanced nothing out of proportion or wasted. 96+ points

1993 Echezeaux. Henri Jayer

This was made from Henri's own plot. This was starting to come into it's own after the 1990 started to fade ( roughly 2.5 hours after opening). Again that Jayer fingerprint of supreme competance of balance, focus proportion and nothing out of place or wasted. This was less complex in the aroma section compared to the 1990 there were plums, tea, minerality incredible balance in the mouth as well as a more impressive tannin structure and very very long. The tannins had a little bitterness to it which started to fade/back down later (~2hours). This may need a few more years to hit it's stride. While it had a less complex and chameleon like aromatic structure whatever it had was more focused and more pure. So it comes down to preferences - and these could change even in the same person day to day. While the 1990 was a symphony, the 1993 was a "soloist". The best analogy I can think of is music. Sometimes you want to hear Fritz Reiner or George Solti conducting the CSO. Sometimes you want to hear David Oistrakh doing a violin solo. Both are equally valid and equally good. 95+ points.

1997 Fontaine Gagnard "Le Montrachet"

This is because it required lots of time to open up. The color was medium gold and my first concern was oxidation but this wasn't the case. Notes of caramel, toast, oak and minerals. Came alive about 2 hours after opening - powerful. If you can imagine Batard Montrachet then this would be it's big brother. I was hoping for a little bit more complexity - not an epiphany. This is where one can understand why some experienced Burgundy drinkers consider Chevalier Montrachet qualitatively equal to Montrachet. 92 points.

2006 Dog Point. Section 94
Brought to keep people occupied while the other Burgs had a chance to air out as well as provide a counterfoil. This should be the benchmark for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Lemon, citrus, cut grass, gooseberries and aromatic vegetables ( i.e. celery, endives ), touch of oak very good concentration and not watery at all like many other SB's.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adventures in Italy

Image
We only spent one night in Rome and that was the gastronomic low point of the trip. Thinking we couldn't go wrong by picking the most crowded joint in the vicinity.... oops bad luck. We just could not understand why there were so many people. Maybe they served the leftovers to the tourists? The fish was stale and the lamb was pretty sad as well. Sub-standard food, expensive and mediocre service ( restaurant pictured below). One of the best places in terms of food was in the town of Lucca. Over lunch we went to this lovely little place called "Canuleia". The fresh vegetable salad with burrata cheese was lovely. Being quite creamy on the inside, the cheese liquids gets mixed up with the olive oil and vegetables outside resulting in a lovely dressing - I'm sure it was deliberate. Last but not least, a lovely wine from Tenuta Campo di Sasso called Insiglio . You may not have heard of this outfit but this is where Lodovico Antinori went when his beloved Ornelia was sold. ...
Read more

Henri Jayer, Meo Camuzet & Emmanuel Rouget - what's the connection

Image
These 3 producers often seem intertwined together and spoken in the same breath. What is the relationship here? Well, another walk down history is in order. Henri Jayer was born in Vosne Romanee in 1922. In the late 1930's Henri helped his father Eugene tend the vineyards and in 1942 married Marcelle Rouget. Right at the end of WWII, Henri Jayer made a deal with the Camuzet family to tend their Premier Cru and Grand Cru parcels and produce wine for them. The catch was that Henri would keep 50%  under his own labels. Among these vineyards were Echezeaux, Richebourg and the famed Cros Parantoux 1er Cru.  Cros Parantoux was born in 1978 solely due to the efforts of Henri Jayer and alot of dynamite!! Location-wise it is sandwiched in between "Le Barreaux" on top, Richebourg below and "Le Petite Mons" to the left of it.  Stylistically it has more than a passing resemblance to Richebourg. Starting in the late '80s Jean-Nicolas Meo started working the Meo-Camuzet p...
Read more

Dinner with Lodovico Antinori & Tenuta di Biserno

A few years back, I mentioned about a wine that stood out on a trip to Tuscany. That wine was called Isoglio del Cinghiale. After some fact checking, the people behind this winery were none other than Lodovico & Piero Antinori - the previous owner(s) of Tenuta Ornellia. Fast forward almost 2.5 years later and we had a very special treat - dinner with Lodovico in person. Insoglio is basically their everyday drinking product. Up until 2005, it was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cab. Franc. Starting in 2006, Syrah was added to the blend and by 2007 I believe Cabernet Sauvignon was completely eliminated. Going forward from the 2007 the blend of varietals have pretty much "settled" in. Given the price point of this wine which is ~ EUR15, no complaints. More than acceptable as an everyday quaffer. Next up is the Il Pino di Biserno which is a more Bordeaux-like blend and does not contain any Syrah unlike the Insoglio. This is a much more complex wine a...
Read more