[ Home > Jadot Beaune Theurons 2005 ]
The picturesque city of Beaune has since the 14th century been the commercial pulse of the Burgundian wine trade. Its vineyards, the most extensive of the Côte de Beaune, cover 1,111 acres between Savigny, to the north, and Pommard, to the south. There are no grand cru vineyards in the commune of Beaune, yet its 36 premier cru vineyards occupy 795 acres, over double the 317 acres under the Beaune village appellation. Vineyards under the Côte de Beaune-Villages appellation constitute a further 128 acres. The Beaune and Beaune premier cru vineyards are ranked as such for both red and white wines, yet the latter account for only 4.5 percent of the average annual production of 11,929 hectolitres (137,200 cases). History estimates that Beaune was colonized in 52 B.C. on the site of one of Julius Caesar's military camps. Speculations on the original name vary: from "belna," a small villa; or "Belen," a Gallic deity; or a corruption of "Belisana," alias of the goddess Minerva. Beaune's importance grew after the destruction of the city of Autun in the 6th century, and Gregory of Tours' history of France, written in 570, already documented its importance in the culture of the vine. Formally chartered as a city in 1203, Beaune remained the residence of the dukes of Burgundy until supplanted by Dijon in the late 1300s; it was during the bloody period that followed Beaune's destruction by fire in 1401, under Louis XI and Charles XIII, that the massive fortified walls and pentangular castle, which still stand today, were built. The Les Theurons vineyard consists of four parcels descending the slope above the city of Beaune which divide the northern premiers crus from the southern ones. It covers 52 acres of comparatively gravelly soil, and does not include the lesser 16-acre Les Bas des Theurons, a separate premier cru just to the north. Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot is proprietor of 3.0 acres in Theurons which was one of Louis Henry Denis Jadot's early acquisitions in the 1830s. Beaune-Theurons is generally considered to be a quintessential premier cru, one of the dozen or so finest in the commune. It unites an aromatic bouquet, full body and ample structure with generous fruit flavors and an unusual delicacy on the palate, culminating in a lingering finish.
|
|
Copyright 2007 Internet
Wines & Spirits. All rights reserved.
|