2021 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”Bernard Baudry
France | Loire
$36
Producers
The Jobard name has long been synonymous with excellence in Meursault. François Jobard’s famous whites, sourced from some of the village’s finest parcels, had a knack for expressing the nuances of each vineyard site, and the wines have a track record of long-term aging—many bottles from the seventies and eighties still provide a textural and aromatic thrill to this day.
The next generation now holds the reins at the domaine, and Antoine Jobard continues to craft taut, mineral-driven white Burgundies with ample body and drive. He has recently set his sights on nearby Saint-Aubin, where vineyard land is much more affordable than in Meursault and yet still provides Chardonnay with a top-class terroir in which to sink its roots. Sur le Sentier du Clou, his first acquisition in the appellation, is a mid-slope premier cru exposed southeast with notoriously stony soils—perfect conditions for experiencing Jobard's mastery through a new lens.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Saint-Aubin |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Antoine Jobard |
Winemaker: | François and Antoine Jobard |
Vineyard: | About 25 years, .40 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged from 20-23 months in barrel (4-5 years old) |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Antoine Jobard France | Burgundy | Meursault-Blagny
Antoine Jobard France | Burgundy | Beaune 1er Cru
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy | Chassagne-Montrachet
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Santenay
La Soeur Cadette France | Burgundy | Bourgogne
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Rully
Domaine Savary France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Volnay
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Rully
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Pernand-Vergelesses
Domaine Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Morey Saint Denis
Jean-Claude Regnaudot et Fils France | Burgundy | Maranges
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy | Gevrey Chambertin
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Santenay
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
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