Description
Lucien Jacob, Beaune Premier Cru “Les Toussaints”
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 this small, family-owned property Domaine Lucien 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.
The “Les Toussaints”wine spills into the glass with a vibrant ruby core and instantly erupts with the flamboyance and luxury of 2017: 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. 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.
