H. Jayer - Echézeaux Grand Cru 1982

H. Jayer – Echézeaux Grand Cru 1982: A Burgundian icon

The 1982 Echézeaux Grand Cru from Henri Jayer is far more than just a rare bottle – it is a piece of Burgundian wine-growing history and the work of a winemaker whom Robert Parker once hailed as the ‘master of Pinot Noir’. Henri Jayer, born in 1922 in Vosne-Romanée, was a trained oenologist who initially looked after the Camuzet family’s vineyards during the Second World War and signed a ten-year contract with the Noirot-Camuzet family in 1945. At the same time, he began replanting the legendary Cros Parantoux, a Premier Cru site that had been lying fallow at the time, which he cultivated by hand in 1945. Jayer’s uncompromising philosophy – late harvesting, the strictest selection, whole-bunch fermentation and restrained oak ageing – made him a pioneer of the modern Burgundian style. His wines became highly sought-after rarities, and following his death in 2006, his legacy was carried on by his daughter and nephew.

The Echézeaux vineyard lies at the heart of the Côte de Nuits, between Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot, and borders directly on the famous Clos de Vougeot. Covering 36 hectares, it is one of Burgundy’s largest Grand Cru vineyards, yet its soils are extremely diverse: deep layers of gravel, silt and marl alternate with limestone-rich and clay-rich plots. This geological diversity lends the Echézeaux its characteristic complexity and remarkable ageing potential. The east-facing slopes benefit from the early morning sun, which allows the vines to ripen slowly and evenly.

The 1982 vintage was characterised by rapid flowering, a classic summer and a warm start to autumn. However, very little green harvesting was carried out at the time, resulting in an enormous harvest – a factor that had a lasting impact on the character of the vintage. Pinot Noir is sensitive to high yields, and so the red wines turned out light and approachable, though they offered early drinking pleasure. Jayer, however, knew how to produce a wine of remarkable depth even in such a year, thanks to his rigorous selection.

The tasting notes paint a picture of a fascinating, multi-layered wine. Robert Parker awarded 92 points in a tasting in February 2014 and described the wine as ‘mercurial’ – a nose that initially appears diffuse and iron-tinged, with musk, chanterelles and black truffle. On the palate, it initially appeared rustic and loosely structured, seemed to fall apart over the course of an hour, only to reassemble ‘like a rag doll coming to life’ and gain in cohesion, weight and intensity. Burghound awarded 87 points and noted mixed experiences: some bottles performed quite well within the context of the vintage, whilst others displayed ‘moderately funky’ aromas with hints of rot. The most recent bottle tasted was one of the latter, with a nose dominated by undergrowth and a somewhat dry, warm finish.

The Tastingbook rating stands at 95 points, and the wine is listed as one of the 1,219 best wines in the world. The recommended decanting time is two hours, and the optimal drinking window is given as 2020 to 2035. Idealwine describes Jayer’s Echézeaux as lively, intense and brilliant in colour, with a highly aromatic nose of red and black berries underpinned by notes of oak and spice; powerful and full-bodied with excellent concentration.

For lovers of great Burgundies ,the H. Jayer Echézeaux Grand Cru 1982is an extraordinary experience – a wine that bears the hallmark of one of the 20th century’s most significant winemakers and has retained remarkable versatility and depth after more than four decades of bottle ageing.