Lucien Jacob’s smoking, ready-to-drink 2015 “Les Toussaints” 1er Cru is entirely surrounded by three Premier Crus, making it literal crème de la crème raw material: Walk south and you’ll be in the midst of Lafarge’s and Lafon’s $100+ 1er Cru “Grèves” bottlings; walk north and you’re in 1er Cru “Cent-Vignes,” bottled by the estimable likes of Bitouzet-Prieur, Croix, and Monnot; walk west and that’s 1er Cru “Bressandes,” championed by Henri Germain and Seguin-Manuel. Clearly, this hallowed area is one of Beaune’s prime cuts, and today’s bottle, from value extraordinaire Lucien Jacob, is easily the most substantial of his entire lineup.
What’s more, in the 2015 vintage, this already luxuriant red Burgundy hit its highest peak yet, making it both a spiritual and hedonistic Pinot Noir experience. If everyone could taste Lucien Jacob’s stunning 2015 “Les Toussaints,” the $100+ Premier Cru competition would be shaking in their boots! But as you’ve learned over the years, there is never enough to go around: The entirety of America received two barrels’ worth of today’s explosive Burgundy, and we own a mere fraction of that.
With high-ticket villages Pommard and Volnay immediately south and the majestic hill of Grand Cru Corton just north, the sandwiched appellations Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune are gold mines for value. If you do some thorough investigating, you’ll discover they’re loaded to the brim with affordable Premier Cru real estate and A-list producers like today’s small, family-owned property Domaine Lucien Jacob.
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The story of Domaine Jacob begins in the early 1900s with the grandfather of current proprietor Jean-Michel Jacob. The Jacob family has resided in Burgundy for generations but their sterling reputation was originally built not on grapes and wine, but rather berries and liqueur. Jean-Michel’s grandfather saved his earnings from growing framboise (raspberries) and cassis (black currants) in the hills of the Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and eventually selling their spirits to establishments in Lyon and Paris. In time, the family was able to purchase a few small vineyard parcels around the town of Beaune. By the 1950s, Jean-Michel’s father, Lucien, was expanding the family’s vineyard holdings and making wine a focus. Today, Jean-Michel continues the growth of the family’s acreage in Burgundy with recently purchased vineyards in Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Gevrey-Chambertin.
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After almost a decade of experience with the Domaine Jacob’s wines, I feel confident in my conviction that Premier Cru “Les Toussaints” is their most forwardly delicious and substantial Pinot Noir, and that today’s ‘15 is the finest I’ve tasted from them. It came from a small parcel of sustainably, farmed 30-year-old vines that was completely de-stemmed and briefly cold-soaked in their cellar. Following, the pristine juice fermented spontaneously in concrete tanks and matured for 15 months in neutral French barrels. It was bottled without fining.
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The wine spills into a large Burgundy stem with a vibrant ruby core and instantly erupts with the flamboyance and luxury of 2015: black cherry and raspberry liqueurs, wild strawberry, crushed stone, spiced plum cake, red tea, forest floor, pomegranate seed, crushed roses, purple flowers, and hints of baking spice. This is worlds away from Lucien Jacob’s savory, mineral-dense 2014 releases: It’s built for pure enjoyment with zero edges and multiple layers of silky, wonderfully ripe berry fruit that pulse with energy. Even with its hedonistic layer, this is undoubtedly Burgundian in identity, and will absolutely delight those who enjoy elite Pinot Noir from Chambolle-Musigny to Central Otago to Santa Barbara. Enjoy after a brief 30-minute decant and stagger your purchases for consumption over the next 5-7 years. Enjoy!
