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iDealwine update: The rise of the heir of Jayer

The nephew and protégé of legendary Vosne-Romanée winemaker Henri Jayer, Emmanuel Rouget has developed a reputation almost on a par with that of his illustrious uncle – a fact reflected in the scramble for his wines at auction.

‘Cros Parantoux is often the subject of bidding wars between European, Asian and American amateurs. In recent auctions on iDealwine, the most expensive vintage, the 1996, was sold for €1,200’

Fine Burgundy wines are highly sought after by an international clientele, yet the weakness of the production in the region in recent years (2011, 2012 and 2013) fails to justify such demand. It is rather the appetite of fans, reflected on all vintages available for sale, that inevitably pulls prices upwards. The WineDex® Burgundy increased significantly by 13.43% since the beginning of 2015, making it the regional index with the most significant growth. The increase amounted to 14.47% over the last 12 months. Emmanuel Rouget is one of the most highly regarded personalities among wine lovers and connoisseurs: indeed he holds the highly enviable status of being the nephew and heir of the legendary Henri Jayer.

The emblematic winemaker died in 2006 after a long and illustrious career. As early as 1945, Jayer started sharecropping, and subsequently winemaking, at the famous plot of Cros Parantoux in Vosne-Romanée. This parcel of sandy soil has a steep slope and is known for producing wines with a high acidity and long ageing potential.

It belonged at the time to Ms Noirot-Camuzet, to whom Henri Jayer used to give half of his production every year, yet started buying back shares of the vineyard until becoming majority holder. Today Cros Parantoux is divided between two owners, Méo-Camuzet (0.30ha) and the Jayer family (0.71ha).

The first vintage produced under the name Jayer was 1978. This vintage delivered a very small crop (22hl/ha), and the combination of rarity and very high quality propelled the wine due to a very strong group of supporters from all around the world and a particularly high demand from America.

In 1979, Jayer’s nephew, Emmanuel Rouget, joined the domaine and learned his uncle’s winemaking and viticulture practices: vines pruned short to limit yields and avoid the necessity of green harvesting; harvest only happening when the fruit has reached a certain level of phenolic maturity yet always avoiding over-maturation. In the cellar, the berries are carefully sorted and the grapes destemmed.

Everything is done to preserve the freshness of the fruit. The wines of Emmanuel Rouget reflect this heritage. Although they are now going through a longer ageing in barrel, they remain, even at an early stage, very gourmand and showcase the purest expression of Pinot Noir elegance and balanced. With time, his wines evolve superbly, gaining in complexity and personality.

About iDealwine

iDealwine is an international fine wine e-merchant with offices in Paris, Hong Kong and London. Specialising in online auctions and fixed-price sales, iDealwine was launched in France in 2000 and is now the online auction leader in Europe, supplying to 45 different countries across Europe, Asia and the US.Wine is sourced from private European cellars and directly from the wineries, with a large range that includes extremely rare bottles and vintages. iDealwine also provides wine market data and analysis, with over 60,000 price estimates based on more than 3 million auction prices.

CROS PARANTOUX AND ECHÉZEAUX AT AUCTION
The Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux from Domaine Emmanuel Rouget recently starred in an iDealwine auction. Angélique de Lencquesaing, deputy managing director of iDealwine, says: “With less than one hectare of vineyard and limited yields, the production is very limited and the wines hard to find on the market, while the demand and reputation makes any available bottles shine at auction.

“Cros Parantoux is often the subject of  bidding wars between European, Asian (China, Singapore) and American amateurs. In recent auctions on iDealwine, the most expensive vintage, the 1996, was sold for €1,200 (£860) to a Danish amateur buyer (38% more than the initial estimate), while the 1995 was sold to a Chinese customer for €960 (£688). Vintages 2007 and 2008 both sold for €720 (£516), whereas the younger 2011 traded at €780 (£559). Most vintages of this almost-mythical wine recorded a real inflection since the beginning of 2015.

“The Échézeaux from the domaine also follows this upward trend: a bottle of the 2007 vintage recently sold for €276 (£198). The Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaux Monts reached €240 (£172) for a bottle of the 2008.

iDealWine is an international wine auction website. Visit it at www.idealwine.com

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