Jadot

Tasting Notes:
Both this yearÕs Bonnes Mares and the Jadot 2005 Musigny were fermented entirely with whole clusters. The latter exhibits a remarkable nose of black raspberry, kirsch, vanilla, incense, jasmin, as well as diverse mysterious forest floor and scintillating floral eminences. Incredibly rich and mouth-coating, it delivers a fabulously long finish of distilled fruit intensity and velvety richness, yet with face-slapping freshness and palpable chalkiness. Brown spices, flowers, and mineral nuances ride a crest of pure, sweet, positively viscous fruit, completely burying the wineÕs tannins. DonÕt get your hopes up: only around 50 cases of this will be bottled. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 94
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Deep black cherry, charred meatiness, rose and licorice give away the identity of JadotÕs 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze. Firm tannins and mouth-filling but bitter black cherry fruit, along with black licorice, wet stones, smoky black tea and Latakia tobacco feature on the palate, and there is a savage grip in the the finish. This lacks the refinement and elegance of many of the best 2005s from this great site, but bids fair to make up for this in sheer intensity and mysteriously complex depth. Here is a potentially ageless wine that doesnÕt merely typify the dark side of 2005, but is a veritable Darth Vader of the vintage. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 94
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Meaty and alkaline notes mingle with the more typical brambly black raspberry, horehound and concentrated herbal side of the Jadot 2005 Bonnes Mares. Intense, pungent berry and herb concentration along with underbrush on the palate lead me to imagine that the thorns will draw blood. The hugely concentrated, torrential finish preserves a very tart berry freshness, medicinal herbal pungency, black tea bitterness, and deep meatiness. This is neither for the faint of heart nor for those seeking comfort or charm. Lock it up for 12-15 years. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 94
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Meaty and alkaline notes mingle with the more typical brambly black raspberry, horehound and concentrated herbal side of the Jadot 2005 Bonnes Mares. Intense, pungent berry and herb concentration along with underbrush on the palate lead me to imagine that the thorns will draw blood. The hugely concentrated, torrential finish preserves a very tart berry freshness, medicinal herbal pungency, black tea bitterness, and deep meatiness. This is neither for the faint of heart nor for those seeking comfort or charm. Lock it up for 12-15 years. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 93-95
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
JadotÕs 2005 Chapelle-Chambertin smells brightly of ripe cherry, red licorice and smoked meat. Bitter-sweet cherry and smoky pungency on the palate are augmented by savory, meaty, salty, and bitter cherry pit. This positively blazes a path in its finish, with almost glaring brightness, mouth-watering salinity and invigorating hints of bitterness. There is nothing cuddly about the texture of this obviously age worthy beauty, however, its fine tannins are thoroughly covered by fruit and in no way weigh-down its dynamic personality. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 93
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Deep black cherry, charred meatiness, rose and licorice give away the identity of JadotÕs 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze. Firm tannins and mouth-filling but bitter black cherry fruit, along with black licorice, wet stones, smoky black tea and Latakia tobacco feature on the palate, and there is a savage grip in the the finish. This lacks the refinement and elegance of many of the best 2005s from this great site, but bids fair to make up for this in sheer intensity and mysteriously complex depth. Here is a potentially ageless wine that doesnÕt merely typify the dark side of 2005, but is a veritable Darth Vader of the vintage. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 94
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Deep black cherry, charred meatiness, rose and licorice give away the identity of JadotÕs 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze. Firm tannins and mouth-filling but bitter black cherry fruit, along with black licorice, wet stones, smoky black tea and Latakia tobacco feature on the palate, and there is a savage grip in the the finish. This lacks the refinement and elegance of many of the best 2005s from this great site, but bids fair to make up for this in sheer intensity and mysteriously complex depth. Here is a potentially ageless wine that doesnÕt merely typify the dark side of 2005, but is a veritable Darth Vader of the vintage. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these Ñ particularly from the Cote de Beaune Ñ displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of JadotÕs vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
Parker Points: 94
Drinking Period:  -

Tasting Notes:
Following a super-ripe, concentrated nose of tropical fruits, the Batard-Montrachet serves up layers of spice-laden tropical fruit. With great staying power, this intense, long, full-bodied wine is a true Grand Cru. Drink it between 2000-2010. According to Lardiere, the Batard had 13.7% natural sugar, eclipsing the Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles's 13.5%. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Ratings with a range of scores in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pierre-Henri Gagey, the director of the highly respected Louis Jadot negociant house and his extremely talented winemaker Jacques Lardiere, are excited about their '95s. Like everybody else in the Cote, they saw the flowering on their whites get seriously damaged by the May snow fall. This resulted in a 30% reduction of their overall production, with some vineyards having yields more than 50% below the norm (Montrachet for example). The resulting grapes were very small and packed with concentrated juice, thereby providing fabulous raw material for Lardiere to display his considerable talent. Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Parker Points: 91-93
Drinking Period: 2000-2010