Maison Louis Jadot, Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) 2011

Jadot’s Savigny-lès-Beaune and their Pernand-Vergelesses lend powerful support to France’s focus on terroir.  These two wines, from comparably prestigious premier cru sites less than a few miles apart, were made from the same grape — Pinot Noir — by the same winemaking team.  Yet they are quite different wines.  The Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode delivers more black — rather than red — fruit flavors and overall is weightier, though still not in the New World category.  The differences between these wines can only lie in the site of the vineyard. The Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode retains the signature Jadot balance and precision — as does the Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de la Croix de Pierre — which shows that the winemaking team is as important as terroir in the finished wine.  It, too, is remarkable enjoyable now.  Try it with a roast chicken embellished with sautéed mushrooms.