2013 Chambertin Grand Cru

Jadot started harvesting chardonnay on the Côte de Beaune on September 24 because rot was spreading quickly and the fruit had to be picked, said winemaker and technical director Frédéric Barnier. Thanks to the early start, Barnier added, 85% of the domain fruit was in before the rains of October 5 and 6. "After that, there was a big problem," he told me. Grape sugars were in the 11.5% to 12% range in 2013 and Barnier chaptalized his many wines between 1% and 1.5%. He describes 2013 as "a cold vintage, like 2010, 2008 and 2002." He destemmed all of the fruit in 2013 as he was afraid of getting vegetal aromas during the long macerations. Barnier is now trying to age all of the Jadot reds from the Côte d'Or in roughly 30% new oak in order to privilege differences in terroir. This was a perfect place to compare results on the hail-affected Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. Although I had a clear preference for the clarity and energy of the latter wines, Jadot has made some very concentrated and often tannic Côte de Beaune reds that should reward extended cellaring. Fifteen hundred hectares of vines were affected by hail in 2013, noted Barnier, adding that the late-June hailstorm in 2014 was less widespread but even more intense.