Today we are very excited to share a new offering from Oregon, a stunning Pinot Noir which is the latest project launched by Maison Louis Jadot. After their very successful 2013 debut vintage, we are delighted to offer their latest release, the 2014. Resonance vineyard embodies everything that makes Oregon Pinot Noir exciting, while exemplifying Burgundian classicism.
Resonance is fruit forward, as you would expect from an Oregon Pinot but is strongly Burgundian in structure. The combined maturity and structure of this wine can easily be compared in quality with some top Burgundy 1er Cru but only for a fraction of the price. With 92 points, Neil Martin is calling this 2014 vintage “a strong follow-up to their debut 2013″. He goes on to say “Jacques Ladière, the eternal retiree, has crafted another delicious Pinot Noir that is going to win a lot of fans”. At £210 per case of six, or £35 a bottle, Resonance 2014 offers immense quality, minerality and precision, ordinarily reserved for £50 to £100 a bottle.
Jadot purchased the Resonance Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2013. This 13-hectare property located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA was Jadot’s first acquisition outside of Burgundy. This buy follows a string of acquisitions in Oregon, the latest being Jackson Family Wines who purchased the Solena Estate. This only underlines the rise in power and interest of Oregon Pinot Noir on the international scene. With this acquisition, Jadot has secured valuable and rare Oregon Pinot Noir land which has lately become the dream of all winemakers. Burgundy and Oregon have always been tacitly connected as being recognised as two of the best Pinot Noir producing regions in the world.
The Resonance vineyard was first planted with Pinot Noir in 1981 by Carla and Kevin Chambers, which now constitutes eight of the 13-hectares of vine planted. The vineyard sits on a convex portion of a low, west-east oriented ridge emerging out of the Coast Range and lies at an altitude of 80 to 150 meters above sea level. Soils are primarily Willakenzie (old sedimentary deposits) and Yamhill (ancient submarine basaltic soil). With its non-grafted rootstocks planted in 1981, the dry-farmed vineyard is one of the oldest in the Willamette Valley. Jadot’s passion and involvement in this particular project can be highlighted by the fact that it has nominated Jacques Lardiere, the former winemaker at Louis Jadot, to undertake the challenge to coordinate all aspects of cultivation, vinification and ageing of the wines. Maison Louis Jadot are temporarily using the Trisaetum Winery facilities for winemaking services whilst they undergo the construction of a brand new winery so that future vintages can be vinified on site. Hence, this vineyard is the perfect combination of 25+ year old ungrafted Pinot Oregon vines and the craftsmanship of a legendary Burgundian producer, only greatness can spur from it.
Having tasted the wine this week, I can tell you that the results are spectacular. At just £35 per bottle in bond, this is a Pinot Noir to own and enjoy.
92 points Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
The Résonance 2014 Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, the second release from Louis Jadot in their new venture in Oregon, was vinified at Trisaetum, and as far as I am aware will continue that way until their own winery is up and running. It is a strong follow-up to their debut 2013. It is a blend of grapes coming from different vineyards from the Willamette Valley, including Rẻsonance, Decouverte and others. The bouquet is bestowed with ample brambly red berry fruit, perhaps a little “fuller” than the 2013, but with fine definition. The palate is well balanced with a similar fruit profile to the first release, perhaps just showing a little more edginess, a Pinot Noir that in a funny way expresses the wealth of knowledge behind it. Jacques Ladière, the eternal retiree, has crafted another delicious Pinot Noir that is going to win a lot of fans. Maybe one or two in Burgundy perchance?
Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014, 6×75 – £210 IB
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