Until the mid-1980s, Jadot was primarily a négociant house, blending most of its wines from purchased lots and with few owned vineyards; investments were few and far between. When in 1985 the house was purchased by its US importer, Lardière was sceptical about Jadot's future. "We were assured of management with an open hand," he says, "and that commitment opened another era for us." Investment in vineyards extended Jadot's ownership in the red grands crus of Clos Vougeot, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Musigny and Bonnes-Mares. "We were focused on our Chardonnay grand crus in Corton-Charlemagne and Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. Suddenly, we had these extraordinary Pinot Noir grands crus in the Côte de Nuits, and we controlled them from the vine through the finished wine. Nothing is better than that. In no other way can we ensure the wine's most precise fidelity to place and appellation." Jadot's vineyard ownership has since grown from 37 acres to 175 in the Côte d'Or alone, extensive holdings by Burgundian standards.

Lardière made his public debut as a winemaker in 1986. In Burgundy, as elsewhere, owners were usually the faces of their wines. He was the region's first oenologist to introduce a perspective entirely independent of commercial discussion. Speaking with Jacques about the essence of wine is a bit of a mystical journey. "We do as little as possible. The wine must be freed, not masked, allowed to express the subtle vibrations and echoes of soil, environment, vintage and vine.

"Nothing is more immediate to the senses. When you eat, food must be transformed before it is fully available to you. The thousands of molecular elements in wine require only perception. They are instantaneously there for the sense of smell and taste as well as for the intellect and emotion."

Evocative thoughts that will surely rise for you with the aromas of every Burgundy Jacques Lardière has brought to fruition.

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