From grape to finished bottle, Henri Jayer ensured that no detail of production went overlooked. His meticulous approach extended to his choice of vineyards, whose distinctive attributes are detailed here.
Vosne-Romanée
Village-level Vosne-Romanée was produced by Henri Jayer from a blend of fruit from three parcels: « Les Saules », which was located near his house in the village, « Les Barraux », a fairly high-altitude vineyard located above Cros Parantoux, and « Les Vigneux », located next to Suchots. This blend of fruit from higher- and lower-altitude land allowed Jayer to produce a wine of balance and harmony.
Nuits-St.-Georges Premier Cru « Les Meurgers »
The name « Meurgers » refers to the stone walls created by piling rocks from the vineyard’s borders. This plot of Nuits-St.-Georges premier cru lies between Vosne and the village of Nuits. It is well-exposed, and the old vines are planted in thin soils.
Vosne Romanée Premier Cru « Aux Brulées »
A parcel en metayage from Méo-Camuzet, Les Brulées (or Aux Brulées) is located just below Cros Parantoux and Richebourg with the same due east exposure. The soil is very thin with the inclusion of many pebbles, leading to powerful, structured wines. In addition, the vines in this parcel are quite old – the majority of them were planted in the 1930s.
Vosne Romanée Premier Cru « Les Beaumonts »
Beaumonts (or Beaux Monts) is a fairly extensive appellation of 11.39 ha, although the Jayer family holding accounts for .23 ha of this total area. The appellation is at the northern edge of Vosne-Romanée and straddles the border between Vosne and Flagey. The soil here is very thin marl over limestone, and there are a variety of expositions, with the portion near Les Brulées being oriented most directly due east.
Vosne Romanée Premier Cru « Cros Parantoux »
Cros Parantoux is the most emblematic of vineyards of Henri Jayer’s production. It is regarded as one of the greatest premier cru vineyards in Burgundy, and many would nominate it as a candidate for promotion to Grand Cru. It is a small vineyard of 1.01 ha, which is split between two owners: the Méo-Camuzet family owns just under 0.3 ha, and the Jayer family just over 0.7 ha, vines that are now leased to Emmanuel Rouget, as is the rest of the Jayer family estate. The vineyard is located next to Richebourg with a very good eastern exposure and little of the influence from the cold northern winds to which the « Les Verouilles » section of Richebourg is subject.
Richebourg
The Richebourg was produced by Henri Jayer en métayage from the Méo-Camuzet family until 2000; mid-slope, thin soils. The majority of the vineyard is the part known as Les Verouilles. This portion of Richebourg is oriented a bit towards the north, while the section known as Les Richebourgs is slightly better exposed, with the vineyards oriented more directly toward the east, resulting in grapes that ripen a bit sooner. In an effort to counter this, the Méo-Camuzet vines are planted with a north-south orientation.
Echézeaux
The Echézeaux of Henri Jayer was the pride of the domaine-owned parcels. He notes that the wines of this vineyard are not consistent throughout the appellation, which is divided into 11 heterogeneous parcels. Jayer believed fervently that « Les Cruots ou Vignes Blanches » (where his old vine Echézeaux was located) was the best terroir of the appellation. Here thin clay soils provide a meager anchor for the vine, while the parcels upslope from here resulting in sandier soils that do not give the same structure to the wines. The exposition is due east, and there are many pebbles and a good mix of marl and limestone. Through 1993, the Echézeaux produced by Henri Jayer was from fruit exclusively from Les Cruots.
Related Sale
Sale 2900
Fine and Rare Wines From the Private Cellar of Henri Jayer
10 Feb 2012
Hong Kong
Related Departments
Wine
Related Artists
Echezeaux
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Richebourg
Vosne-Romanee
Keywords
Wine, Spirits & Cigars
Echezeaux
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Richebourg
Vosne-Romanee
Cote de Nuits.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
Burgundy
France