Jadot Burgundy 2014 En Primeur - and an Oregon PN

A tasting of Jadot's 2014 En Primeur Burgundies - and an Oregon Pinot Noir

I know Louis Jadot as a reliable producer of safe, sensible Burgundies; I was not aware of the extent to which they also produce some very high-end wines from the region.

However, what really piqued my interest was the opportunity to try one of their Pinots from Oregon.

Oregon is the US's Mornington Peninsula or Tasmania - a cool-climate region that is attracting a new wave of winemakers (mostly from down the coast in California) keen to explore its potential for more European-style wines.

Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 generous nose with lots of fruit and varietal aromas; ripe, plump fruit on the palate with good underpinnings, suppleness, freshness and persistence. Drinking nicely now, but the firm tannins mean it will age. Good.

Darker and more fruit-forward, a purist may find it lacks the chiselled elusiveness of the Burgundies of what Jancis describes as an "expressive and transparent" vintage.

Like many New World wines on the way up, it is perhaps better described as an elevated version of an entry-level wine, rather than a basic version of a top wine. I compared it against some similarly priced Burgundies.

Givrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle plenty of tannin, but pretty and well-structured

Corton Pougets Grand Cru ripe red fruits with complex, persistent underpinnings

Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Les Ormes red berries and spices, well-structured and drinking nicely now

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