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Louis Jadot Beaujolais/Maconnais

Can You Judge a Wine By the Size of the Winery?

March 29, 2017
Pouilly-Fuissé

One Burgundy producer, Maison Louis Jadot, sits squarely between the two worlds, and its winemaker, Frédéric Barnier, has a unique perspective on small and large. The company produces about 800,000 cases a year—enormous by Burgundy’s standards (though not the world’s). Those cases range from tiny-production grand crus to larger-scale wines like Pouilly-Fuissé and Macon Villages. The role of wines in the latter category, said Mr. Barnier, is to offer drinkers who might otherwise not encounter the region a “window into Burgundy.” (The wines can be found in upscale grocery stores as well as wine shops.)

Mr. Barnier works closely with hundreds of small growers all over Burgundy to produce wines like his village Meursault and Pouilly Fuisse, to ensure both quality and consistency. Indeed, when I purchased a bottle of the 2014 Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé from a wine merchant last week, the salesperson said, “Jadot is a very consistent producer.”

2014 Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé
Approximately 70,000 cases of this creamy, full-bodied wine were made, according to winemaker Frédéric Barnier. Sourced from various vineyards through the southern Burgundy appellation of Pouilly-Fuissé, it’s aged 40-50% in new oak, producing a lush but well balanced wine that finishes with a firm mineral note.

By Lettie Teague
The Wall Street Journal

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