I’m looking at a list that has a pretty good vertical of both Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux and Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux-Domaine Georges Jayer, both from approximately 2002-2014.
I thought it was the same wine in the bottles, but the the “Domaine Georges Jayer” wines are 2-3x the others so I assume I am incorrect in my thinking it was the same juice.
anyone know the story better than I do?
thanks very much
-paul
Henri Jayer had a brother named Georges, Henri produced the wines from the vines under his brother’s name. Originally they were sold in bulk, but later they started bottling wines made from Geroges’ parcels, but vinified by Henri under the name Domaine Georges Jayer with a “mise en bouteilles par Henri Jayer” on the label.
While Henri Jayer’s daughters were not interested in producing wine, his nephew Emmanuel Rouget was. He started teaching Emmanuel. After Henri retired in 2001, all the labels including the Georges Jayer wines were under Emmanuel’s control, which was later passed down to Emmanuel’s sons in 2011.
Everything from Domaine Georges Jayer post-2002 is vinified in Rouget’s cellars. So both wines from 2002-2011 were made by Emmanuel Rouget, following that they were made by his sons. I’m not sure about the differences between the two wines, but I reckon that aside from coming from a different parcel in Echezeaux, they might also be treated slightly different in terms of vinification and oak treatment. But some of the more experienced Burgundy berkersers on here can comment on that.
Rodrigo,
Thanks for your insights. If anyone else has any other thoughts that’d be great. I think It is the same juice.
Paul
No problem Paul. Maybe get one of each for a given vintage and taste them side by side? I’m sure everyone would be interested in the notes
Beaunehead can opine—I’ll ask him.
Restaurant list, it will just be my wife and I so I don’t think we’d want that much of the same wine.
Although I was thinking of the small chance of ordering the 04 DRC ech vs the Rouget ech. I know DRC did well in 04.
Alan contacted me today. Thanks, Alan.
Other than turning things over to his two sons, I doubt anything has changed from this for Rouget…he doesn’t have any flexibility to change things, given his Jayer cousins (Henri’s daughters) and Georges’ heirs (who are not his cousins).
Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow
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Re: Rouget Echezeaux Question
#6 Post by Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow » Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:19 am
It’s sort of complicated. Georges, I think, never made his own. Henri did it up to a point, then Rouget. Rouget farms the holding, which is distinct from Hernri’s/ Emmanuel’s. Rouget takes his 1/2 fruit and throws it into a huge blend with all of his holdings he has from Henri (strictly speaking, he didn’t inherit them, as Henri had a widow and daughters, Rouget’s aunt and cousins) From a 2010 thread on this board…my post:
Re: TNR: 1985 Henri Jayer Echezeaux
Post Number:#10 Postby Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow » Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:15 pm
I’m pretty sure the Georges Jayer version came from different vines than Henri’s version, though Henri bottled some of it under his own label. Rouget explained it to me once…now, Rouget still makes a Georges from Georges’ grapes…and takes his share and put its into one big blend labeled as “Rouget”. I think Henri did it separately from his solely-owned parcel of Echezaux.
P.S. I think the changes to where the wine was made took place way earlier than 2001. Essentially, Henri made the wines until he died…at Rouget and at his place. The labeling was according to law, ie, Henri was limited in what he could label his own due to French retirement laws. But, he clearly controlled everything until he died. Rouget once told me that contrary to the view that he had pressure being the successor to his uncle, while his uncle was alive, his biggest fear was when he was “alone”. That transition wasn’t that long, as he turned things over to his own sons. Rouget was a timid, unlikely winestar, with some issues of his own re: alcohol, and reliability. Hope his sons are better. They seemed to be. They are the ones with the real pressure, I think.
thanks much.
Stuart/Alan/Rodrigo,
Thank you.
Paul