» AN OFFER OF LEGENDARY WINES

Henri Jayer began his life as a winemaker in the late 1930s but it took almost 30 years for him to earn the respect and adulation of both his peers and critics. His wines are the story of one man’s lifelong journey of curiosity, experimentation, commitment, and perfectionism, which led to his mastering the art form of winemaking.

He did not invent new techniques or wine styles, but instead perfected the expression of the terrior by starting in the vineyard to maximize the natural potential of the Pinot Noir grape and the unique soil under his control. He was a visionary in his natural approach: eliminating pesticides /ploughing to eliminate weeds, pruning early in spring to reduce yields, hand selecting only the best grapes, utilizing cold maceration to maximize extraction and age worthiness without damaging the harmony and balance of the end result, and lastly leaving his wines unfiltered to limit handling.

He was the only winemaker who could make a “Village” AOC wine taste like a Grand Cru and produce Grand Crus which could inspire with awe the winemakers of famed Domaine De la Romanee Conti. He went on to mentor and inspire the now famous Meo -Camuzet family as well as his own nephew Emmanuel Rouget after years of being responsible for making wine from their vineyards.

The canvas and medium of his masterworks was an incredibly small holding of 5 hectares of the Vosne Romanee Grand vineyards of Richebourg and Echezeaux and the now famous Premier Cru vineyard Cros Parantoux he bought in the 50s (1978 first vintage) and restored from the weeds, artichokes and boulders with a large amount of dynamite.

Richebourg: The trilogy of 1959, 78, and 85 Jayer Richebourg cemented his legendary status and have since become the world’s most valuable bottles of wine from the post war era. These wines are considered to surpass not only DRCs best Richebourg but also the La Tache and Romanee Conti Grand Crus for intensity, complexity, elegance and balance.

Cros Parantoux: Considered by Jayer as his ultimate expression of winemaking this vineyard he created from an artichoke patch became his main focus during the later years of his life up to his final retirement in 2001, (he retired unofficially for his French Pension in 1996). He produced wines from this Premier Cru vineyard that are considered to have even exceeded his accomplishments in the adjacent Richebourg vineyard. The 1978, 85, 90, 93, 96 and 99 are the must haves of all collectors and aficionados.

Echezeaux: While Echezeaux often gets a bad rap for inconsistency among the Vosne Grand Crus, due its sheer size and multitude of owners, don’t expect anything but magic from Jayer. The older vintages especially 66 and 78 are highly prized.

For those who won’t handle 5 figures for a bottle, we will share with you the secret of Jayer’s wines. Many of those bottled with the his nephew Emmanuel under the Rouget labels and with his brother Georges under the Georges et Henri Label up to 2001 are identical to the wine under his own name due to French Appellation laws for vineyard ownership which required the splitting of the production.

Henri Jayer passed away at the age 86 in 2006. With the few rare bottles remaining of his wine and the work of Rouget, the legacy of Henri Jayer lives on.

With only 25-250 cases produced each vintage and almost no secondary market, Henri Jayer wines are only available to those who can afford the very best. It is rare to see more than a few bottles at a time become available for sale. Wine-i through its network of over 200 supply partners has compiled an incredible selection of the best of Jayer’s creations, including wines not available anywhere else in the world. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase some these wines especially at such low prices. Each bottle has been verified and checked for Provenance and condition.

» Highlights of the offer

Photos available on request. Availability confirmed only at invoicing.