2010 Louis Jadot Corton-Greves Grand Cru

The 2010 Corton Greves is fabulously textured and deep. Black cherries, spices, menthol and licorice are some of the nuances that emerge from the glass. The Greves is a vertical wine endowed with gorgeous depth and sheer richness. It is a big, powerful wine that needs time to come together, but its potential is enormous. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. I tasted an amazing range of 2010 reds at Jadot with long-term winemaker Jacques Lardiere and his successor Frederic Barnier. In order to make this large section of the report easier to read, I have broken up the wines into the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits. Lardiere and Barnier told me they were quite worried about the prospects for the harvest upon their return from summer vacations in August, but the year was saved by a perfect September. Yields are down 25-50% because of the frost and cold weather earlier in the year, but overall quality is very high. Lardiere and Barnier also noted that early on it appeared that there would be a wide gap in quality between the Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits, but over time that gap narrowed to some extent. Still, there is little question the vintage was more challenging in the Cote de Beaune because of a rainier summer and overall higher precipitation throughout the year. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

Deep soils, cordon training more recently to regulate yield. Biodynamic high training. Pretty clean but with a rather tired streak to the fruit aroma. Excellent undertow of fruit. Bitterness adds zest. Very chewy. (JR)