2009 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 0,75 l Louis Jadot

The 2009 Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts sweeps across the palate with layers of deep, powerful fruit and a sensual personality. Sweet spices, licorice and goudron add complexity as this superb, explosive wine builds towards the finish. This is a fabulous effort from Jadot. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. 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

Medium red. Sexy, complex aromas of raspberry, chocolate, minerals and wild herbs. Sweet and lush but with excellent mineral verve and peppery acidity energizing the palate. Finishes fresh, dry, serious and long, with a saline element and strong soil character. Lardiere made this wine from purchased grapes, carrying out a saignee to concentrate the must.