2014 Echézeaux Grand Cru

Frédéric Barnier considers 2014 to be a very accessible vintage, and finds the wines open on the nose in the early going. He noted that, as the acidity levels were lower than in 2013, “the tannins have a certain roundness to them.” He admitted that acetic rot was an issue in some sites but he noted that by carefully sorting the grapes and starting the fermentations immediately (i.e., prior to any maceration of the grapes), “there’s no reason to have any sign of elevated acetic acid in the wines.” Barnier carried out his normal 18 months of élevage and the '14s that I sampled in February were consistently splendid.

Frédéric Barnier considers 2014 to be a very accessible vintage, and finds the wines open on the nose in the early going He noted that, as the acidity levels were lower than in 2013, “the tannins have a certain roundness to them” He admitted that acetic rot was an issue in some sites but he noted that by carefully sorting the grapes and starting the fermentations immediately (ie, prior to any maceration of the grapes), “there’s no reason to have any sign of elevated acetic acid in the wines” Barnier carried out his normal 18 months of élevage and the '14s that I sampled in February were consistently splendid

As late as mid-August, said technical director Frédéric Barnier, Jadot expected to start the harvest with Pinot Noir. But the ripening of the fruit then speeded up dramatically and the Chardonnay faced greater rot pressure. So the team began with some white grapes on September 11, then attacked Pinot Noir on September 15, picking with grape sugars in the 12% to 12. 5% range. By then, Barnier added, the Pinot plants were close to the end of their ripening cycle and they really didn’t gain in sugar in the last days before the harvest. “But the Chardonnay sugars were mounting quickly. ”

While Barnier destemmed all of his grapes and couldn’t do a cold soak with the fruit from vineyards afflicted by acid rot, he was generally able to carry out his normal extraction during fermentation. If the wines spent a bit less time on their skins than the previous year, that was due to warmer ambient temperatures. Barnier told me that 95% of the reds finished their malolactic fermentations before Christmas, which is unusual in their very cold cellar. “But the wines are back to what they should be after being awkward in the spring,” he said.

The differences in fruit ripeness and balance between the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits were clear at Jadot, just as they were at virtually every other cellar with wines that span the Côte d'Or. Yields were much lower here in the Côte de Beaune wines, but Barnier described production on the Côte de Nuits as good in 2014."And those wines have a totally different touch; they're easier to taste." He noted that numerous wines from Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée have an extra measure of density due to some hail losses. And he also likes the hail-afflicted village of Beaune for the "rare concentration" of many of its wines.