Article
11 comments

Review of Louis Jadot Burgundy Premier & Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review, Wine Casual

There are wine dinners, and then there are “wine dinners.”

Domaine Louis Jadot, Echézeaux Grand Cru 2011, Beaune, France

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Domaine Louis Jadot, Echézeaux Grand Cru 2011, Beaune, France

Most wine dinners fail to live up their name and are mere marketing ploys to lure in customers into pre-fixe dinners with courses that fail to pair well with hap-hazardly chosen wines.

This is not most wine dinners.

At the best wine dinners, food and wine not only pair well, but the sum of one and one make three.

Often at such dinners the expense to acquire and feature the wine far exceeds that of even the most elaborate of dinners which was also the case for this Louis Jadot Burgundy Wine Tasting and Dinner held at Roia in New Haven, Connecticut.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot Lineup

The $275 tasting and dinner experience lived up to its ticket price.

I only received word about the dinner through one brief note in an email newsletter from The Wine Thief wine shop in New Haven less than a week before the dinner was to occur.

The note listed the wines that would be featured from Louis Jadot’s Burgundy collection along with the menu that would be served for the evening.

After researching the wines online and not seeing any mention of the dinner on the host restaurant’s website, I called Roia on a busy night during restaurant week and made my reservation.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot Burgundy Terroirs guide

Later on during the event, I asked Roia’s chef and owner, Avi Szapiro, why the tasting hadn’t appeared in the events section on their website, and was told Roia likes to do some special tastings for small focused groups which does not always benefit from wider promotion.

Tonight’s dinner and tasting would feature only 15 guests. I hadn’t known what to expect of the evening and learning this detail made the event feel special.

The Burgundy-themed evening was hosted by two representatives from Kobrand Wine and Spirits, a Louis Jadot distributor.

Guests gathered while hors d’oeuvres were passed around and coats and jackets were checked by staff.

Soon after the tasting began, six wines were poured and discussed in sequence by Kobrand’s representatives who guided the audience through the tasting. I took the opportunity to grab a seat to write my own tasting notes.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Louis Jadot Burgundy map

The wines that were being featured were premier and grand cru wines from Louis Jadot’s collection that even the representatives from Kobrand were giddy to taste.

These wines are wines that I would be unlikely to purchase on my own at $147/bottle, so being able sample all these wines during one evening was quite an attractive and efficient value proposition, especially from such a well-establish Burgundy négociant.

Below are links to full reviews, and scores I gave to each of the six wines that were tasted during this portion of the evening:

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot tasting notes. Click to Enlarge.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot tasting notes. Click to enlarge.

After these opening wines were tasted, we retired to an adjoining dining area where three round tables had been meticulously prepared with handwritten place cards for the five course meal replete with Burgundy-themed pairings.

An enthusiastic staff of four was assembled to serve the fifteen guests.

Each course arrived and was served with precision.

With such a focus on wine, one often forgets to remark or take note of the food.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot price list. Click to enlarge.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Louis Jadot price list. Click to enlarge.

While this was also the case for me this evening, it must be noted that every course was absolutely delightful as well as visually stunning.

Avi Szapiro’s, the chef’s, enthusiasm for preparing this meal for his guests was clear.

He had tasted all the wines prior to developing the menu to ensure the wine and food would pair well.

Ask the chef at your next wine dinner if they tasted the wines before developing the menu and see what reaction you get; it will be telling.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, Roia New Haven Louis Jadot Wine Pairing Menu

Luckily, I ended up sitting at a table with Kobrand’s wine distributor reps, a wine buyer from The Wine Thief wine shop as well as other wine industry folk.

Hearing their perspectives on the featured wines as well as on the wine industry as a whole was both interesting and revealing.

What do wine industry professionals discuss at a wine dinner when it’s just them (and me)?

Find your way to a wine dinner, sit down at a table with a wine professional, and you tell me.

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual

Overall, an enjoyable wine dinner experience (“A+” on service/food/execution and “A” on the actual wine themselves).

Below is the menu with wine pairings that was enjoyed over the evening as well as links to reviews of each wine that was tasted:

Roia Louis Jadot Tasting Menu

Salad of Caramelized Fennel
with honey goat cheese and dried apricots

Roasted Wild Mushrooms and Winter Squash
with shaved foie gras

Homemade Rosemary Fettuccini
with duck ragu and castevetrano olives

Grilled Lamb Rib-Loin
with sautéed brassicas, gratin of root vegetables, natural jus and lavender salt

Caramelized Local Heirloom Apples
with vanilla bean ice cream and Armagnac caramel

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, 1st Course

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, 3rd Course

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, 4th Course (took a bite before I remembered to take a pic)

A Louis Jadot Premier and Grand Cru Wine Tasting Dinner at Roia Restaurant Review

Photo Credit: Wine Casual, 2nd Course

11 Comments

  1. Pingback: Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot Beaune Premiere Cru Clos des Ursules 2012 - A Nose of Baking Spice - Wine Casual

  2. Pingback: Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Tete de Cru Le Clos 2012 - Plays on the Back of Your Tongue - Wine Casual

  3. Pingback: Taittinger Nocturne Sec NV Champagne - Residual Sweetness Carries the Taste - Wine Casual

  4. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny 2012 - Perfect if You Enjoy Acidity Without Much Chalk - Wine Casual

  5. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot Chablis 2013 - A Slice of Chalky Lemon & Lime - Wine Casual

  6. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot Echézeaux Grand Cru 2011 - Chalky Acidity Takes Center Stage - Wine Casual

  7. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Saint Jacques 2011 - A Singular Unique Fruit Blend - Wine Casual

  8. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot, Vosne-Romanée Premier Crus Les Petits Monts 2011 - Integrated Chalkiness & Black Fruit - Wine Casual

  9. Pingback: Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 2011 - Chalk Overwhlems Fruit on Attack but Catches Up - Wine Casual

  10. Pingback: Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2012 - Citrus Intensity with a Touch of Green Melon - Wine Casual

  11. Pingback: Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru La Garenne 2012 - Smokey Vanilla & Pear - Wine Casual

Leave a Reply

Required fields are marked *.