2005 Clos St Denis

Cherry, raspberry and resin also dominate the nose of the 2005 Clos St.-Denis, with almond and cherry pit notes emerging with air. Rich but clear in the mouth, this displays formidable tannins, yet at the same time an emerging creaminess. Pure fresh fruit allied to low-toned smoky, stony notes inform one of the longest finishes of any of Jadot’s wines. This surely has more than a decade of aging potential during which it can be expected to pick up further complexities and nuances, though here, too, a good bet seems to be that it will harden in the short run. 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 – particularly from the Cote de Beaune – 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 Jadot’s vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. (Wines from the Domaine Louis Jadot, Domaine Heritiers Louis Jadot, or Domaine Gagey, have been identified with a letter “D” in their listings.) Also recommended: 2005 Cote de Nuits-Villages Le Vaucrain ($25.00;86+?), 2005 Santenay Clos de Malte ($27.00; 85-87), 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Guettes (84-86+?), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges ($37.00; 85-87+?), 2005 Chambolle-Musigny ($50.00; 85-87+?). Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel.(212) 490 9300

Good red-ruby. Ripe aromas of black raspberry, licorice, chocolate and wild herbs. Distinctly chunky on the palate, with less detail than Jadot's better domain cuvees This has plenty of tannic power, but the chocolatey flavor needs more lift. I suspect I caught this one at an awkward stage. Today I don't find the pungent spicy character of a wine vinified entirely with its stems.