Louis Jadot 2015 Burgundies

Recently in Chicago, I attended a sit-down lecture and tasting presented by Frédéric Barnier, technical director and winemaker for Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy's most esteemed houses. The topic was the newly released wines from the 2015 vintage.

2015 has received a lot of hype, as a great vintage; we surely hear the word great being used too often in the wine world (and elsewhere), yet we don't often hear that for Burgundy, as it is a bit of a razor's edge climate, as every year growers and producers hope for cooperation from Mother Nature. Is 2015 truly a great vintage for Burgundy?

Barnier, who succeeded long-time Jadot winemaker Jacques Lardiere a few years ago, addressed the topic of "greatness" as applied to the 2015 vintage in Burgundy. He commented that 2015 was "less difficult than past vintages," but also noted a lack of rainfall, which made for concentrated wines, but of course, a very small crop. The yields were 85%-90% normal for the whites, but only 30%-35% for the reds.

While it was hot and dry in June and July, August saw normal temperatures, so Barnier was quick to point out that 2015 would not be like 2003 in Burgundy. That year, the wines lacked proper acidity, which is thankfully not a problem with the 2015s.

There were 18 wines presented at this seminar - I will give tasting notes for most of them.

WHITES

Chablis Premier Cru "Fourchame" - Brilliant light yellow color; classic wet stone aromas with additional notes of golden apple. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Excellent persistence, very good acidity and complexity, with beautiful varietal character. Beautiful representation of terroir and ideal varietal purity. This wine is fermented in steel tanks and wooden barrels and is matured in 30% new oak; which seems perfect for this wine. 7-10 years of life ahead of this wine. Outstanding (****1/2)

Meursault Premier Cru "Genevrieres" - Distinctive aromas of anise and golden apples. Medium-full; very good ripeness and acidity. Nicely balanced with excellent varietal character. A nicely refined example of a cru Meursault, with impressive persistence. 7-10 years. Excellent (****)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "La Garenne" - Straw/light yellow; aromas of ripe Bosc pear and citrus; slightly closed nose. Medium-full, good acidity, excellent persistence and complexity; quite stylish. This vineyard is one of the highest in the appellation; due to the small crop in 2015, wine from two domaines were blended together for this cuvée. Peak in 10-12 years, perhaps longer. Excellent (****)

Batard-Montrachet - Light yellow; nutty aromas (roast almonds), lemon zest and ripe apple notes. Full-bodied with excellent concentration. Rich mid-palate, outstanding persistence, very good acidity. Powerful, yet with a fine sense of grace. Best in 12-20 years. Barnier noted that the Batard-Montrachet vineyard is situated in both the commune of Puligny-Montrachet as well as Chassagne-Montrachet; this wine is from rows of the vineyard located entirely in Puligny. Fermented in oak and then matured in barrels for 18 months. Superior (*****)

REDS

Santenay, Clos de Malte (Monopole) - Bright young garnet; very appealing aromas of pink carnation and maraschino cherry. Medium-bodied, tart acidity, very good depth of fruit and lovely balance. Nice finesse- a charming wine in which the varietal fruit is the focus. Best in 5-7 years. Very Good to Excellent (***1/2)

Beaune Premier Cru "Boucherottes" - Deep garnet (crimson); aromas of black cherry cough syrup, tar, black mint and iris. Rich mid-palate, medium-weight tannins, good acidity, earthy finish (Barnier labeled this as "slightly rustic"), very good persistence. Best in 10-12 years. This cru is very close to the border with Pommard, and is situated between "Clos de Mouches" and "Les Epenottes" on the lower portion of the southern slope of Beaune. Fermented in tanks, then matured in barrels for 12-15 months. Excellent (****)

Corton Pougets Grand Cru - Very deep garnet; rich aromas of red cherry, a subtle note of coffee, tar and dried red flowers. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Ideal ripeness, excellent persistence, good acidity. Superb expression of terroir; outstanding varietal purity. Powerful wine, but balanced, and displaying great style! Best in 15-20 years, but extremely appealing now. Jadot is one of only two producers to make a Corton Pougets; the other being Domaine Rapet. The cru is directly adjacent to the famed Corton-Charlemagne plot. The wine was fermented for 3-4 weeks in vats and then aged 18-20 months in oak barrels. Outstanding (****1/2, perhaps Superior ***** in another 5 to 7 years?)

Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru "Les Boudots" - Enticing aromas of red cherry, strawberry and red poppies. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Delicious wine! Quite ripe, but not forward or jammy; rich tannins, excellent persistence, subtle wood notes. Peak in 12-15 years. This vineyard borders the Premier Cru vineyards of Vosne-Romanée, at the northern limits of Nuits-Saint-Georges. This wine was fermented in vats for 3-4 weeks and then aged for 15 months in oak barrels. Outstanding (****1/2)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru "Clos-Saint-Jacques"- Young, deep garnet; aromas of ripe strawberry, red roses, red poppies and red cherries. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich mid-palate. Big tannins, but balanced; firm structure, excellent persistence. Peak in 12-20 years. Produced from 90 year-old vines. Barnier commented that Clos-Saint-Jacques is "a Premier Cru more like a Grand Cru." The wine was fermented in vats for 3-4 weeks and then matured in oak barrels for 18-20 months. Outstanding (****1/2), perhaps Superior ***** in another 7-10 years).

Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru - Lovely young garnet; ripe red cherry, cough syrup and carnation aromas. Full-bodied with excellent concentration. Rich, generous mid-palate. Rich finish with ample fruit; outstanding persistence. Beautiful structure, quite stylish! Notes of black spice and red flowers in the powerful finish, firm tannins. Superb expression of terroir and varietal purity. Beauitful wine! Peak in 15-25 years, perhaps longer. Chapelle-Chambertin is one of nine Grand Cru plots in the Gevrey-Chambertin commune; it is situated immediately underneath Clos de Beze, with Griotte to the south. Jadot owns 0.96 acres of this cru. Fermented in vats for 3-4 weeks and matured for 18-20 months in oak barrels. Superior (*****)

Clos Vougeot Grand Cru - Young, deep garnet; aromas of black cherry, tar and cough syrup. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich mid-palate, quite round and supple. Firm tannins, slightly meaty finish, excellent persistence. Give time to round out. Peak in 15-20 years. Jadot is second largest owner of the Clos Vougeot vineyard, with a little more than five acres. The wine was fermented for 3-4 weeks in tanks, and then matured in barrels for 18 months. Outstanding (****1/2)

The tasting concluded with two Beaujolais from Jadot; normally this would be unthinkable, but not for the 2015 Beaujolais, which are anything but simple, quaffable wines. The lack of water was especially critical in Beaujolais, resulting in powerful wines, somewhat atypical for this district. Both wines were quite rich, and your opinion of these wines would depend on how "big" you want a Beaujolais to be.

Chateau de Jacques Morgon "Cote de Py" - Deep purple, almost black color, which is quite typical of the 2015 Beaujolais. Aromas of black plum, violets and blackberry jam. Big, big tannins! Notable persistence. Far removed from most individuals's idea of Beaujolais; best in 5-7 years. Very Good (***)

Chateaus de Jacques Moulin-a-Vent "Clos de Rochegres" - Inky purple, as dark a color as I have ever seen on a Beaujolais. Blackberry, iris and violet aromas. Full-bodied, excellent persistence. Very ripe, almost lush approach. Quite powerful, although you couldn't drink much more than a glass for some time, as this is all guts and body with little charm. Peak in 7-12 years. This was aged for a short time in 100% new oak. A controversial style of Beaujolais, to say the least. Excellent (****)

Brilliant Beaujolais

Georges Duboeuf

As I specialize in Italian wines, I don't try as many French wines as I would like. So when I was asked to taste a selection of 2009 Beaujolais from Georges Duboeuf with the winemaker the other day, I jumped at the chance.

The initial information I received about these wines is that 2009 is "the vintage of a lifetime." I've heard comparisons like that before, so I went in with a calm manner, knowing that everyone tries to tell you that their new wines (the ones they need to sell) are great! Well, at least they didn't say the "best of the century", especially as there have only been nine harvests in the century!

I sat down at Chicago's L2O restaurant with winemaker Emeric Gaucher to taste through a mix of commune as well as cru Beaujolais. As for the claim of 2009 being a remarkable vintage, he commented that it was a growing season with "perfect conditions." That meant a sunny May, a rainy June and then two very sunny months in July and August; in fact, August 2009 was the sunniest August on the last 60 years, according to Gaucher. Combine that with the fact that methods in the vineyard and the cellar are far better now than they were sixty years ago and you have the recipe for classic wines.



Dubeouf produces Beaujolais-Villages along with commune bottlings (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent et al) as well as cru bottlings from those communes. The straight Beaujolais-Villages (every wine is is produced entirely from the Gamay grape) is always best fresh- enjoyed within 1-2 years of the vintage date, though tasting the wine three years after the harvest usually works well. The commune Beaujolais tend to be more aromatic -wines from Fleurie have lovely floral aromatics, as befits the name - while the single estate wines offer a combination of more pronounced aromatics with greater depth of fruit and even a touch of tannin. These wines can be enjoyed 5-7 years following the harvest and in a few examples, espcially with a great vintage such as 2009, can be cellared for 7-10 years.

Here are a few brief notes on my top wines:


Beaujolais-Villages 2009 "Flower Label"
Typical flavors and body for this wine - pleasant cranberry and red plum fruit - but much deeper color than in most years. Very pleasant - enjoy with all sorts of ligher white and red meats (ideal with cog au vin).

Fleurie 2009 "Domaine des Quatre Vents"
This is from a single estate ("domaine of the four winds") in Fleurie. Cranberry, roasted coffee and bacon aromas - very intriguing! Medium-full, excellent complexity - wonderful wine! Best in 5-7 years.





Morgon 2009 "Flower Label"
Mulberry, mincemeat and black plum aromas; nicely balanced; enjoy over the next 3-5 years. Pair with light red meats or sautéed vegetables.

Moulin-a-Vent 2009 "Flower Label"
Plum and cherry aromas; medium-full with notes of chocolate in the finish; enjoy over the next 3-5 years with stews, casseroles and lighter red meats (pepper steak).

Julienas 2009 "Chateuau des Capitans"
Made from grapes grown at an estate owned by Dubeouf and his U.S. importer, William Deutsch (the estate's title is in their children' names). Juicy cranberry and red raspberry aromas; medium-full with a long finish and silky tannins. Notes of licorice. Best in 5-7 years; pair with roast lamb and veal.

Moulin-a-Vent 2009 "Domaine de la Tour du Bief"
Moulin-a-Vent is known as the "king of Beaujolais" and this bottling offers ample evidence as to why. Roasted coffee, Queen Anne cherry aromas with a hint of black mint. Medium-full with excellent depth of fruit. Best in 7-10 years, perhaps longer. Pair with roasts and lighter game.




Two notes on these wines.

All were served with a light chill (cellar temperature). This is the proper way to serve Beaujolais, as tannins are light; thus the wines are more refreshing and easy to consume. (This was also quite welcome on a 90 degree day in Chicago!)

Also the prices of these wines are remarkably fair, from $9.99 retail for the Beaujolais-Villages to $17.99 for the Julienas "Chateau des Capitans". Everyone associates French wines with high prices (and God knows there are too many high-priced examples), so it is a great sign - especially in today's economy - to find wines of this quality for such reasonable prices. The $18 for the cru Julienas bottling is an excellent value, particularly for a wine that you can cellar for at least five years, yet enjoy tonight!


Text ©Tom Hyland
Photos courtesy of Georges Duboeuf