Domaine Lucien Jacob

Domaine Lucien Jacob

A family domaine based in Échevronne, in the hills above the Côte de Beaune. The holdings sit in the villages immediately around it — Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Beaune itself — which is why the range is unusually concentrated in Premier Cru rather than spread across Burgundy.

The range

Reds carry most of the list: Beaune 1er Cru Les Toussaints, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru, Savigny 1er Cru Les Peuillets, Savigny-Vergelesses 1er Cru, and village Savigny-lès-Beaune. Whites and the Hautes-Côtes bottlings appear by vintage.

What to expect

Savigny and Pernand are the two villages the Côte de Beaune's famous names are not in — which is exactly why they are affordable. The vineyards are next to Beaune and Corton; the price is not. These are medium-bodied Pinot Noirs for the table rather than for the auction room, and at 1er Cru level they hold for several years without needing a decade.

Serving

Serve at 15–17°C — cooler than you would serve Bordeaux. Village level drinks from release; the 1er Cru bottlings open up with an hour in the decanter.