2009 Louis Jadot Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2009 Latricieres-Chambertin is a big, powerful wine that captures the essence of this cool site. It remains tightly coiled and intensely structured, with just the barest hint of its potential on display. Crushed flowers, berries and anise are some of the nuances that emerge on the virile finish. This parcel is farmed directly by Jadot and vinified by the estate. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. I tasted an impressive range of wines with Jacques Lardiere and his successor Frederic Barnier, who is slated to take over when Lardiere retires at the end of 2012. Jadot makes a mind-bending number of wines, but I limited myself to the best 35 or so examples. In 2009 Jadot began harvesting on September 6. All of the reds were made from 100% destemmed fruit. Maceration times varied from wine to wine, but according to Lardiere all of the wines were made with essentially the same approach. Lardiere is another of the producers who compares 2009 to 1959, and believes the wines will age well because of their density of fruit and minerality. Many of the estate’s own vineyards are farmed biodynamically, but of course Jadot also sources a significant amount of wine from other growers that is not necessarily from biodynamically farmed vineyards. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

(Jadot controls the vines and makes the wine) Medium red. Violet, licorice and pepper on the nose, with plenty of spicy oak. Sweet on entry, then peppery and a bit tight in the middle; distinctly more clenched than the Charmes-Chambertin. Finishes with slightly tough tannins. This will need several years of bottle aging to expand.