Jefferson's Wines Available Today

Reprinted from Jim Gabler's Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson

FRANCE

Red Burgundies

Chambertin

Clos de Vougeot

Vosne-Romanée—Jefferson did not designate the order of rank but one did then exist: Romanée -Conti, La Tache, Richebourg, and Romanée St. Vivant.

Volnay—Jefferson considered Volnay the equal in flavor to Chambertin but relegated it to fourth place because it was lighter in body, lacked longevity, and did not bear transportation well. However, it had two distinct advantages over the wines of Chambertin and Clos de Vougeot; it cost only one quarter as much and was ready to drink after one year. Jefferson never identified a particular vineyard from which he purchased his Volnay wines but vineyards of special recognition then were Cailleret and Champans.

Pommard—Clos de La Commeraine.

White Burgundies

Montrachet—Jefferson called Montrachet the best white wine of Burgundy, a distinction it still retains.

Meursault—Goutte d’Or. The main exporters of Goutte d’Or to the United States are Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Domaine Francois Gaunoux, Louis Latour, and Domaine René Emanuel.

Rhone Valley

Côte Rôtie—Although the red wines of Côte Rôtie were recognized for their color, strength, bouquet, taste and ability to age, Jefferson made the comment they were not yet of such high “estimation as to be produced commonly at the good tables of Paris.”

Chateau Grillet—Jefferson called this the best white wine of the northern Rhone.

Red Hermitage—Although Jefferson did not single out the red wines of Hermitage for special praise, he did acknowledge their high quality. He listed the owners of the best vineyards, and the great red Hermitage of today come from those same vineyards.

White Hermitage—Jefferson so esteemed dry white Hermitage “marked with a touch of sweetness” that he called it the “first wine in the world without exception.” A sweet white Hermitage was also made.

Provence and Languedoc

Bellet (near Nice)—Jefferson was particularly fond of the red wine. Today red, white, and rosé wines are made from the vineyards of Bellet and exported to the United States.

Frontignan—A sweet white wine.

Vin Blanc de Rochegude—Probably the ancestor of today’s Beaumes-de-Venise.

Muscat de Rivesaltes from Rousillon.

Blancquette de Limoux from vineyards around the town of Limoux near Carcassonne.

Red Bordeaux

Chateaux Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour, Margaux — Jefferson called these four wines “first growths.”

Behind them he listed chateaux that we know today as Rausan-Ségla (a Jefferson favorite), and Léoville which has since been divided into three vineyards: Léoville-las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferre, Léoville-Barton.

White Bordeaux

Chateau Carbonnieux

Sauternes

Chateau d’Yquem

Champagne

Monsieur Dorsay’s in Ay and non-sparkling. I believe Monsieur Dorsay’s small Ay vineyard is now owned by the Champagne House of Bollinger.

GERMANY

Moselle

Brauneberg—followed in quality by
Wehlen, Grach, Piesport, Zelting and Bernkastel.

Rheingau

Schloss Johannisberg

He also singled out for praise the wines of Rudesheim and Hochheim.

ITALY

Piedmont

“Nebiule” the precursor of today’s Nebbiolo grape which makes some of Italy’s best wines, Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme.

Tuscany

Montepulciano but also Chianti, Carmignano, Artimino and Pomino.

SPAIN

Dry pale Sherry—Saying “that if I should fail in the means of getting it, it will be a privation which I shall feel sensibly once a day.”

PORTUGAL

Madeira—“of the nut quality and of the very best.”