"...a truly outstanding wine, with zen like drinkability and pleasure"
The Wine
Domaine Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanee, Premier Cru Cros Parantoux 1988
£35,000 per 150cl magnum (duty paid, excluding VAT)
Please note this wine has now sold - enquire here for similar wines from Henri Jayer
The Cepage
Pinot Noir (100%)
The Producer
Henri Jayer is deemed one of the greats of Burgundy and Pinot Noir. A legendary grower-winemaker, revered for his progressive and influential approach in the vineyard and winery, and his flagship Vosne-Romaneé bottlings, Richebourg Grand Cru and the adjoining Premier Cru site of Cros Parantoux.
Highly innovative, Henri influenced many peers of his era (such as the much-admired René Engel), with this influence remaining in Burgundy and beyond today. Jayer was one of the drivers of the reduction of chemical usage in the vineyard, eschewing weed killers and, where possible, pesticides in the belief that great wines could only be made without. Instead, he opted for practices such as inter-vine ploughing for weed reduction. He was also pioneering in his approach to winemaking, choosing, for example, to fully destem bunches prior to fermentation to avoid any green, vegetal influence, whilst inventing a pre-maceration ‘cold soaking’ process to elevate aromatics, colour and tannic structure.
Sadly, the Domaine closed its doors after the 2001 vintage, with Henri entering his 80s. His plots were subsequently inherited by and split amongst the family Domaines of Méo-Camuzet and Emmanuel Rouget.
Since the Domaine’s closure and Henri’s passing in 2006, prices have crept up to stratospheric levels for all his wines. From lowly Bourgogne Rouge, selling for upwards of £2,000 per bottle, to Richebourg, exceeding £20,000 (75cl) for the best examples from the greatest vintages, and large format bottlings significantly (relatively) exceeding these figures, given the ever-increasing scarcity of these highly sought after wines.
The Vineyard
Vosne-Romaneé, Premier Cru Cros Parantoux
Size: 1.01 hectares
Aspect: South-east
Soils: Stoney clay and chalk
Cros Parantoux now ranks in the top-tier of Premiers Crus throughout Burgundy, producing wines capable of eclipsing many a Grand Cru. This lofty standing is relatively modern-day news, however; as in the 1855 and 1920 Burgundy classifications, the site was assessed to be of only basic villages quality and potential. Perhaps this was driven by the poor workability of the site, which was deemed excessively rocky (Jayer is said to have used explosives to fix this issue). During World War II, the Cros Parantoux crop was a somewhat different affair, used for jerusulam artichoke cultivation. Henri Jayer acquired the plot in 1950, thereafter replanting the site with Pinot Noir vines in 1953 (presumably after a tortuous time ridding it of nigh-on-invasive artichokes). His subsequent application for classification review resulted in the uplift to Premier Cru status. Nowadays, many will argue it is - together with small group of exceptional Premier Crus, such as Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses and Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts - worthy of further promotion to Grand Cru in any forthcoming reclassification.
Henri Jayer was the sole owner of the vineyard (i.e. a monopole) from his acquisition until 1985, when some of his vines were obtained by Méo-Camuzet, and then by Emmanuel Rouget in 1989. Both of whom ultimately took full, shared control of the site.
The Vintage
The early spring of 1988 was warm and dry, promoting early budding. However, a cold, wet May and June affected flowering, hindering resultant yields. A mixed summer of sunshine and intermittently heavy rain followed. August saw some high temperature peaks and, ultimately, a warm, sunny September alleviated disease pressure and allowed grapes to achieve peak ripeness.
1988 was a low yielding but successful Pinot Noir vintage in the Côte-de-Nuits, with the best producers producing concentrated, structured, ageworthy wines, many of which have taken ample time to shed their plentiful tannins of youth.
The Provenance
This exceptional magnum was owned by a long-term lover and drinker of Jayer’s wines, prior to Provinance’s acquisition, and stored in a purpose built, climate-controlled, private cellar in London. The previous owner acquired the bottle from a UK importer of the Domaine’s wines in the early 2000s.
What The Critics Say
Winehog (2000)
“The Cros Parantoux 1988 is one of the most memorable bottles I have tasted. The sheer balance of the wine, the lush and very sophisticated tannins, the pure red pinot fruit, the Jayer intensity. Very fine harmony, a lot of minerality and complexity. Not a perfect wine, but a perfect bottle of a truely outstanding wine, with zen like drinkability and pleasure.”
Burghound (2005)
“From magnum, this resembled almost completely the 750 ml bottle, the note from which I repeat here: Remarkably aromatic yet this remains focused, tight and pure with intense mineral notes followed by robust, gamey, understated flavors that pack plenty of mid-palate punch plus outstanding length. This is still on its way up and curiously for such a rich, relatively tannic wine, this is rather refined on the finish. While it will come into its own in the 2010 or so area, this is a wine that will likely see its 40th birthday without strain. A great effort that is still in need of patience. Tasted twice in this format with consistent notes.”