Legendary Jayer: 1972, 1983, 1987 and 1991

12 Oct 2012:


The line-up of wines

It's a very rare event that we get to taste a Jayer bottle, and to be tasting 6 Jayer bottles at one dinner would be an experience of a lifetime! And it was, thanks to the generosity of Burgundy lover friends who contributed some of these precious bottles, and made even more special by the impeccable food and service at Amuse Bouche. We added a couple of Méo-Camuzet bottles to offer some (albeit in a very minor way) comparison in style. In preparation for this special evening, I spent quite a bit of time selecting the champagne and white wines, and working on the food/wine pairing. This is the menu and wine selection I came up with:

Amuse Bouche

1982 Salon

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Pan fried langoustine, calamari, New Zealand clam accompanied by ink ravioli

stuffed with onion confit, shallot lime sauce

1973 Corton-Charlemagne, Bonneau du Martray
1978 Corton-Charlemagne, Bonneau du Martray 

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Tuscan artisanal pasta with black truffle, chicken gravy

1972 Vosne-Romanée, Henri Jayer

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Sautéed Frog’s legs with garlic and black olive tomato confit and shredded parsley

1983 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer

1987 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer

1991 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer

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Roasted Challand duck breast flavoured with coriander seed, fig marmalade,

red cabbage, baby pear, orange duck jus

1983 Richebourg, Henri Jayer

1987 Richebourg, Henri Jayer

1991 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet

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Cheese Selection from Philippe Alléosse served with apricot, cherry jam and raisin

2004 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Méo-Camuzet

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Crispy Granny Smith apple tart, vanilla ice cream

1947 Climens

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My notes on the wines:

1982 Salon: Amber golden. Intense and mature nose with notes of grilled hazelnuts, dried apricot, toffee, caramel, coffee and quince paste. There is an intense concentration of flavours on the palate. Lively acidity and a creamy mousse, with persistent and fine bubbles. This bottle seems in a much more advanced state of development, but there is still a brilliant balance of flavours, acidity and mousse, keeping the palate fresh and exciting. 17/20

1973 Corton-Charlemagne, Bonneau du Martray: (good level but loose cork) Deep amber. Plenty of torrefaction on nose: coffee, toffee and nutty. The fruit has largely gone. Not very exciting. Acidic kick at finish. Past its best.

1978 Corton-Charlemagne, Bonneau du Martray: Golden colour. An opulent bouquet of beeswax, lanolin, very ripe pear, marzipan and magnolia. Full-bodied with a rich and unctuous texture, deftly balanced by firm lively acidity. Very long finish. A wine with lots of muscles. Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years. 18/20

1972 Vosne-Romanée, Henri Jayer: (Served blind for everyone to guess!) Ruby-garnet robe. A very classic mature Burgundian nose of raspberry, rose petals, layered with tertiary notes of animal, leather, savoury and truffle. Supple attack on palate. Medium bodied, with silky texture, beautifully balanced, fair amount of intensity on the palate, finish a little short, with just a slight drying sensation. Drink now! A really nice surprise given the quality of the vintage and the level of the appellation. 17/20

1983 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer: Garnet colour, a little cloudy. A very seductive nose with aromas of pot pourri, coriander seeds, soya sauce, sous-bois and leather, with a very distinct sauvage notes. Velvety texture. Totally harmonious, seamlessly integrated and balanced, with an understated richness and concentration that carries the sweet flavours a long way on the finish. Drinking at peak now and for next 5 - 6+ years. 19/20

1987 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer: Bright medium ruby, garnet rim. A herbal nose of tea leaves and sous-bois and slightly herbaceous notes. Quite a delicate frame. Very admirable freshness on the palate. Slightly astringency on the long finish. Well-balanced and a strong effort for the weak vintage. Drink now and over next 4 - 5 years. 17.5/20

1991 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer: Bright medium ruby. Slightly bretty initially, the expressive nose gradually taken over by primary red and black berries, tea leaves, spicy, savoury, leather, with the rather attractive sauvage character. Full-bodied, with a remarkable display of concentration, integration, balance and richness, all characteristic of the vintage. Very long finish. Still evolving in the glass during dinner. Drink now and over next 10 - 12+ years. 19/20

1983 Richebourg, Henri Jayer: Unfortunately slightly corked, but this does not entirely detract from the potential quality of this strong performance for the vintage. Velvety structure, no sign of any astringency on the palate. Rose petals, earthy, sous-bois, leather notes still evident to the nose, but the palate has been rendered less interesting by the corkedness.

1987 Richebourg, Henri Jayer: Bright medium ruby. Quite high-toned notes, raspberry, plum, dried rose petals, with earthy, tea leaves and sous-bois. Elegantly presented in a medium structure, with remarkable freshness, flavour intensity and balance, keeping the wine in a relatively youthful state. Tannin still not fully integrated, slight astringency on the very long finish. Excellent effort for this challenging vintage. There was a suggestion that this would go well with Chinese roast goose and plum sauce! (We paired this with duck and fig marmalade and red cabbage, not too far off!) Drink now and over next 8 - 10+ years. 18/20

1991 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Bright medium ruby. Initially reductive on the nose. Quite a change in style from the Jayers. Still plenty of red fruit, with meaty, savoury and earthy notes. Lots of complexity on the palate, Quite austere and reserved on the palate, needs plenty of aeration to get the wine to speak to us. There is no question of its density, concentration and intensity. A powerful wine, that will benefit from a bit more bottle age to harmonise further before reaching its apogée. Finishes very long. 18+/20

2004 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Méo-Camuzet: Deep ruby. The characteristic herbaceous nose of the cool vintage of 2004 is evident, but it is well integrated with the purity of red fruit, leather, savoury and autumn leaves. There is a remarkable freshness on the palate, balanced with sufficient concentration, complexity and depth. A strong effort for a challenging vintage. Lovely long finish. This can be enjoyed now with aeration, but probably better in 2 - 3 years time. 17.5/20

1947 Climens: Deep amber robe. A penetrating nose of grilled hazelnuts, caramel, marmalade, dried apricot and figs, plenty of botrytis. Rich and opulent on the palate, but incredibly well-balanced still, not cloying at all, and only a hint of astringency on the very long finish. Simply brilliant for a Sauternes/Barsac at this age! 18.5/20

Pan-fried langoustine, calamari, NZ clam with ink ravioli
(above the 2 glasses of Corton-Charlemagne, showing very different colours, despite only a 5 year difference)

As for the food, I highly recommend the pan-fried langoustine, calamari, NZ clam with ink ravioli stuffed with onion confit and shallot lime sauce. The seafood was so fresh, beautifully cooked to retain the freshness and natural flavours. The NZ clam is the plumpest clam I've had for a long time! The ink ravioli was a revelation, al dente skin, with an explosion of flavours once in your mouth.

The pasta with black truffle is a firm favourite of mine and simply had to be included!! It worked so well with the truffle note of the 1972 Vosne-Romanée.

Frog's legs with garlic, tomator and olive confit with parsley

I thought the frog's legs were brilliant - so tender and juicy, with flavours lifted by the garlic and parsley. The garlic was perhaps a touch too strong for our wines.  A really excellent dish and could easily be a main course by itself for a lightish meal!

Roasted duck breast with coriander seeds, with fig marmalade and red cabbage

I liked the taste of toasted corainder seeds around the duck breast, which was cooked medium rare. The sweetness from the fig marmalade was perhaps a little too intense for our wines and the red cabbage a little tart for our wines. That was not a good selection by me. The dish itself was great but probably better paired with a Syrah (Hermitage) or a Bandol.

The apple tart is Richard's favourite - so it needed to be included, even if it wasn't the best match with the 47 Climens!

What made Henri Jayer so special?  Could it be a combination of his personality, access to some of the best terroirs, and his philosophy of no stems, using only ripe concentrated fruit, plenty of oak and no filtration?  He was known for his ability to turn out very good and ageworthy wines in the lesser vintages.   This was certainly true in our case: a number of the wines we had were from lesser vintages - 1972, 1983, 1987 and 2004 (for Meo-Camuzet).  Jayer was truly a master at his art.  I felt humbled by the greatness of his wines.  I doubt I would have this experience repeated again - it is to be treasured for many many years to come!