Louis Jadot En Primeur 2005 Burgundy Wine Tasting

Louis Jadot En Primeur 2005 Wine Tasting Notes

See Fareham Wine Cellar’s current Burgundy range here.

Blimey, it has been nearly 4 months since I last blogged a few tasting notes, that is not to say I haven’t been trying any wines because I have, I just haven’t got around to writing them up. I have had some excellent wines over Christmas but the event that stands out most for me was the Louis Jadot 2005 Vintage En Primeur tasting on the 15th January 2007 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane.

General consensus is that 2005 was a “babysitter” vintage – all of the conditions were so good that all the producers had to do was to sit back and let the wines look after themselves. I have to say I thought that the quality of the Louis Jadot whites seemed to be better than the reds but both were of an extremely high standard – it will be a superb vintage. It isn’t easy to appraise such top wines at such an early point in their development and I was a bit short on time, so I apologise for the brief notes – but here goes (scores out of 20).

Highlights from the Louis Jadot tasting were –

Louis Jadot En Primeur 2005 White Wines

Clos des Prouges Pouilly Fuissé – greenish tinges, pineapple / tropical notes on the nose, some vanilla and oak. Good acidity, clean finish, fairly alcoholic at 13.5%, good length. 15/16

Santenay “Clos de Malte” – Yellowy golden colour, slightly subdued nose but mineral and chalky, toasty oak. Powerful and well-balanced on the palate. 15/16

Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru – Good, clear, light golden colour. Buttery and rich nose, hints of almonds, really “good mouthfeel”, tropical fruits with a nutty (hazelnut) finish reminiscent of nougat or caramel. 16/17

Puligny-Montrachet Champ-Gain 1er Cru – Light straw colour. Quite oaky nose, savoury palate. Hints of herbs and spices (fennel maybe) and green apples. Little closed but the quality there is evident – good clean finish, really well-balanced acidity. 16/17

Puligny-Montrachet Folatières 1er Cru – Clear, straw colour. Very well-integrated oak, notes of elderflower, berries and lime on the nose. Very well-balanced. Very good wine. 17/18

Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru – Yellow in colour with golden hints. Very clean, elegant nose with toasty notes. Excellent rich palate, superb mouthfeel, again clean and very well-balanced. Flavours of green apples and a toasty, brioche finish. Top Burgundy at its best. 18/19 My favourite white wine of the tasting.

Louis Jadot Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru – Golden colour with green flecks. Really elegant nose, clean and mineral, buttery and oaky notes. Silky smooth on the palate, tropical fruits, are very full-bodied, intense and rich. Superb wine, but the Batard-Montrachet just scrapes it. 18/19

Chevalier-Montrachet “Les Demoiselles” Grand Cru – Light, golden colour with green tinges. Excellent nose, notes of fennel, citrus, blossom and green apples. Clean and elegant. The palate has mineral and lime / citrus . Very good. 17/18

Louis Jadot En Primeur 2005 Red Wines

Santenay “Clos de Malte” – Very good youthful, purple colour. Fairly light-bodied, tannins not too hard. Good smooth finish on the palate – 16/17

Louis Jadot Beaune Clos de Couchereaux 1er Cru – Very deep, dense purple colour, smoky oak on the nose (hints of smoked bacon). Full-bodied on the palate, dark fruit and earthy notes. 17/18

Pommard Grands Epenot 1er Cru – Very dark and concentrated colour. Plums and dark cherries on the palate, with hints of spice and orange notes. 16/17

Louis Jadot Pommard Rugiens 1er Cru – Dark colour, good concentration. Dry, mineral, chalky nose (what I call “powder-dry” – not sure how to describe that). A big powerful, masculine wine, with good tannins and structure. Will be a very good wine with bottle age. 18/19

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudets 1er Cru – Good colour, reddish around the rim. Medium-weight compared with the Pommards. Quite Christmas-y on the palate, with touches of dried fruit, mulling spices and citrus notes. A little bit of alcohol coming through on the end of the palate though. 17/18

Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny Les Baudes 1er Cru – Very good wine, excellent nose. Hints of dried fruits, potpourri and spice on the nose. Violets and red berry fruit. Tannins a bit chewy as to be expected of a wine of this age. 18/19

Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru – I preferred this to the previous Chambolle although the nose was a little bit tighter. Good colour, hints of ruby rather than purple. Very well-balanced palate dominated by damson and mulberry. Might be my favourite red wine on show. 18/19

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru – Slight orangey-red colour. Very floral nose with hints of orange peel and spices. Good dense flavour, quite dry palate but very lingering. 16/17

Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru – A return to the smoky bacon type nose I detected on the some of the Beaunes. A very big powerful wine but with quite smooth, silky tannins, soft and elegant. Flavours of coffee and dark chocolate on the palate. Very good. 18/19

Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru – Very good colour. Aromatic nose with coffee and dark fruit notes leading onto plums and rich dried fruits on the palate (prunes, slightly raisin-y). Full-bodied, yet supple with elegant tannins. 17/18

Other wines tasted that were already sold out when I got to them or I do not have detailed tasting notes for –

Louis Jadot En Primeur White Wines 2005

Savigny-Les-Beaune Clos-des-Guettes 1er Cru Domaine Gagey 14/15
Beaune Grèves Le Clos Blanc 1er Cru Domaine Gagey 14/15
Meursault Goutte d’Or 1er Cru 15/16
Meursault Genevrières 1er Cru 14/15
Meursault Perrières 1 er Cru 15
Puligny-Montrachet Referts 1er Cru 16/17
Puligny-Montrachet Monopole Clos de la Garenne 1er Cru Domaine Duc de Magenta 15/16
Chassagne-Montrachet Grande Montagne 1er Cru 16/17
Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Monopole Clos de la Chapelle 1er Cru Domaine Duc de Magenta 15/16
Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanée 1er Cru 16/17
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 16/17
Montrachet Grand Cru 17/18

Louis Jadot En Primeur 2005 Red Wines

Moulin-A-Vent Clos de Rochegrès Chateau des Jacques. No rating, I think it was corked.
Moulin-A-Vent Clos de Grand Carquelin Chateau des Jacques 14
Morgon Cote du Puy Chateau des Lumières 12/13
Cote de Nuits-Villages “Le Vaucrain” 15/16
Savigny-Les-Beaunes Les Vergelesses 1er Cru 14/15
Savigny-Les Beaunes Les Lavières 1er Cru 14/15
Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de la Croix de Pierre 1er Cru 14/15
Beaune Chouacheux 1er Cru 16/17
Beaune Theurons 1er Cru 16/17
Beaune Boucherottes 1er Cru 15/16
Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru 15/16
Volnay Clos des Chenes 1er Cru 16/17
Pommard Clos de la Commaraine 1er Cru 14/15 – this is usually my favourite Pommard!
Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru 15/16
Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru 15/16
Gevrey Chambertin La Combe aux Moines 1er Cru 17
Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru 17
Gevrey Chambertin Lavaux-Saint-Jacques 1er Cru 15/16
Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru 16
Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 16
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 16
Echézeaux Grand Cru 17/18
Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 18/19

All in all a very interesting tasting, where else to you get to try such world-famous wines. The quality for this vintage is very good, the three Beaujolais were very disappointing especially after some excellent single vineyard Moulin-A-Vent from 2003. We have ordered some of these and I can’t wait for them to arrive later in the year. Some of these wines will be true stunners in a few years time. Another great Louis Jadot tasting.