Louis Jadot - Corton Pougets 2020 (1.5L)

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Corton Pougets was originally purchased by the Jadot family in 1913 (the bottle carries the Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot label), and can fairly be described as one of the company’s flagship Burgundy bottlings. But Jadot’s history goes back much farther than that. The house of Louis Jadot was established in 1859 but the family had already been wine-growers in the region, having acquired their famous Beaune Clos des Ursules vineyard, a walled portion of the Premier Cru Vignes Franches, in 1826.

Of the just over 3 hectares of Corton Pougets owned by Jadot (representing nearly one-third of this Grand Cru’s total surface), 1.2 are planted to Pinot Noir and the other 1.87 to Chardonnay. In fact, Jadot’s consistently superb Corton-Charlemagne bottling comes entirely from their vines in Pougets.

The single most important thing to know about Corton Pougets is that it’s a red wine from white wine soil. Located next to Le Charlemagne on the mid- and upper slope of the Corton hill in Aloxe-Corton, enjoying a southern exposure, it’s on brownish chalk and light marl, with a substantial limestone component in the lower portion of the vineyard on the Ladoix side. Along with just four other Aloxe-Corton vineyards close to the famous woods at the top of the Corton hill Le Charlemagne, Le Corton, Les Languettes and Les Renardes (all but the last of them extending up to the tree line), Pougets can produce either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay—the latter bottled as Corton-Charlemagne. Today, the only other estate bottling of Corton Pougets is Domaine Rapet.

Stephen Tanzer - Vinous.com

Louis Jadot Description

Founded in 1859, by Louis Henry Denis Jadot, he was the first of his family to arrive in Beaune from Belgium in 1794 and soon began purchasing Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy. With grape growing a part of his heritage, Louis Henry set about gaining experience first in the cellars, in the evaluation of wines, and then in the vineyards, in the study of viticulture. The house of Louis Jadot has grown through a long-term policy of acquisition or management of exceptional vineyard lands and currently owns 528 acres of vineyards, including nearly 280 acres of the Cote d’Or’s most prestigious Premier and Grand Cru plots. In Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, where the integrity of the producer is often more important than a renowned appellation or vineyard, Maison Louis Jadot is one of the most venerable, most trusted and revered wine houses.

Wine Spectator: 96 Points

Intense and tightly wound, this red is firmly structured and energetic, featuring cherry, strawberry, stone and spice flavors, with the acidity and tannins lending support for future evolution. All the components are there, this just needs a few years to knit together. Best from 2027 through 2045. From France.—B.S.

Vinous: 93-95 Points

Wine Advocate: 93-95 Points

The 2020 Corton-Pougets Grand Cru (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot) is excellent, mingling aromas of cherries and raspberries with notions of raw cocoa, orange rind, warm spices and smoke. Full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with powdery tannins, bright acids and a long, resonant finish. The 2020 vintage has turned out beautifully at this address, delivering concentrated, flavorful wines with alcohol levels between 13.3% and 13.7% and with low pHs. Winemaker Frédéric Barnier told me that efforts were made to pick earlier in the day, and that fruit waiting to be processed was kept fresh in a special cold room. In the cellar, foudres and 500-liter barrels now complement classic 228-liter pièces, a further evolution adapting to warmer, riper vintages. But aside from the quality of the 2020s and these technical developments, described in more detail in the accompanying tasting notes, there's other noteworthy news too: in 2021, Jadot entered into organic conversion for their domaine vineyards. (WK)