The Chambertin vineyard is situated on a chalky, clayey soil which makes the wine both powerful and round. Smoky and spicy with mineral elegance and refreshing acidity.
Reviews:
- Burghound: This is notably riper than any other in this group of Gevrey grands crus with a profoundly complex nose of red and black pinot fruit, warm earth, underbrush, game, anise, clove, mocha and roasted coffee hints that introduce rich, full and intense flavors that are packed with potential on the serious and chewy finish that is both concentrated and powerful while seeming to go on forever. There is quite simply another dimension here that takes the ’05 Bèze well beyond its stable mates but be prepared to wait as this will need 15 to 20 years in the cellar first. Sublime. *Don’t Miss!*
- Wine Advocate: Deep black cherry, charred meatiness, rose and licorice give away the identity of Jadot’s 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze. Firm tannins and mouth-filling but bitter black cherry fruit, along with black licorice, wet stones, smoky black tea and Latakia tobacco feature on the palate, and there is a savage grip in the the finish. This lacks the refinement and elegance of many of the best 2005s from this great site, but bids fair to make up for this in sheer intensity and mysteriously complex depth. Here is a potentially ageless wine that doesn’t merely typify the dark side of 2005, but is a veritable Darth Vader of the vintage.
Producer Information
Louis Jadot is one of Burgundy’s most important wine producers and négociants, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with a portfolio that covers everything from inexpensive Bourgogne and Beaujolais wines to several grand cru wines, from the Côte de Beaune to Chablis. Unsurprisingly, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay feature heavily in the portfolio. The house was founded in Beaune in 1859 by Louis Jadot, although the first vineyard – Clos de Ursules – was purchased in the 1820s. The headquarters remains in Beaune, although vineyard holdings have increased exponentially. Louis Jadot owns land in some of Burgundy’s most famous vineyards, including Le Musigny, Échezeaux, Chapelle-Chambertin and in the famously fragmented Clos de Vougeot vineyard. Louis Jadot wines are also made in Chambertin, Montrachet, Corton and Romanée-Saint-Vivant. As well as the sizeable portfolio of wines made under the Louis Jadot label itself, the house also makes wines for Domaine du Duc de Magenta, and for Domaine Gagey. Andre Gagey took over as general manager for Louis Jadot in 1968 and, along with winemaker Jacques Lardière, was often held responsible for building Jadot’s high reputation in the 70s and 80s. The firm was acquired in 1985 by the owners of US wine importer Kobrand, which still owns the company and imports Jadot’s wines into the US. Gagey, whose son Pierre-Henry Gagey took over as president in 1991, died in 1999 and Lardière retired in 2012. Frédéric Barnier, who joined the company in 2010, has since taken over as head winemaker. Thibault Gagey has since joined his father Pierre-Henry at the helm of the firm. Jadot is also strongly associated with its in-house cooperage and barrel brand, Cadus, which was established in 1996 in the village Ladoix-Serrigny (just outside Beaune) in cooperation with barrel firm Tonnellerie Vicard. In 2013, Vicard sold its stake in the operation to independent French stave mill Canadell.
