2018 Emmanuel Rouget, Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru, Les Lavieres 12x75cl

Emmanuel Rouget: Heir Of Henri Jayer

The brilliant Emmanuel Rouget makes wine from Burgundy vineyards once farmed by his famous uncle, The late great Henri Jayer and his brothers, Georges and Lucien. They have achieved a level cachet and pedigree matched by very few in Burgundy and beyond.

What the Critics Say About Emmanuel Rouget

Steen Öhman of Winehog summed up nicely what makes Rouget’s wines so desirable after a visit in 2019. For him, “It has always been difficult to visit – or buy – the wines of Emmanuel Rouget. Not that Emmanuel himself has stoked the demand or hype; the high quality of the wines and their stylistic invariability has done the job. Add into that the domaine’s Henri Jayer legacy, and the result is a cocktail of magnificent pinots.”

Fellow critic Neal Martin is also a fan of what is being achieved here. Writing in 2018, he said, “There now appears to be genuine profundity from some of their greatest vineyards”. Indeed, he even goes so far as to say, “I would prefer to spend my hard-earned cash on recent vintages produced by his [Jayer’s] nephew and the next generation” due to the prices Jayer now commands.

The Mythically Rare Cros Parantoux

This is a gem of a 1er Cru and has a quality to match its illustrious neighbour, Richebourg and is, for Steen Ohman, “the sweet spot of Richebourg – it has the delicate complexity of Richebourg, but without the brute force of the intense and weighty Richebourg terroir.” Production is minuscule at just 3,000-3,500 bottles per year.  Cases and bottles are fiercely fought over, making them real trophy wines.