WTN: Dinner with Jacques Lardiere (Jadot, Calera, Swan)

Saturday Betsy was playing in an all night Indian music concert in city, and I had the good fortune to have dinner with a nice group in honor of a visit by Jacques Lardiere, who has been Jadot's winemaker for many years. Cathleen and Steve were great hosts, Jacques was charming and knowledgable, and we all had a great evening.

Before heading to table, we enjoyed some cured meats and rabbit pate with the NV Taittinger Prelude Champagne. Nice, fuller styled than Taittinger's basic Brut, yet retaining the latter's elegance. Bread dough, baked apples, full and long. B+/A-

First up were 3 white Burgundies, accompanied by a lovely dish of scallops and mushrooms in a cream sauce with peas.

1997 Louis Jadot "Les Folatieres" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
I really didn't care much for this at first, it still seemed to have a little raw oak edge (at 12?!), sweet pear fruit, a bit short. With the food it showed MUCH better, good acidity for a '97, and even after food was gone I liked it much more. Some Puligny stoniness, seemed longer. B

1989 Louis Jadot "Les Folatieres" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Lovely nose, honeysuckle and pears, a hint of mushroom. Nice length, gunflinty minerals, complex and long. Ended up (barely) as my white of the night, but I think I was only one. A-/B+

1985 Louis Jadot "Les Demoiselles" Chevalier-Montrachet
Despite the Grand Cru status, this actually came across to me as more delicate than either Folatieres. A bit muted on nose at first, but lovely and precise on palate, and nose opened through the night. B+/A-

Next up were 3 reds, served with beautiful beef filet, sauteed ramps, and very cute and tasty little coins of fingerling potatoes:

2006 Louis Jadot "Clos des Ursules" Beaune 1er Cru
Nice wine, kind of a Pommard-y meatiness, ripe tannins, good acids, clean dark fruit. Needs time. B/B+

1988 Louis Jadot "Clos des Ursules" Beaune 1er Cru
This is beginning to drink beautifully. Red and black cherry fruit, loamy soil and some herb, excellent length, some tannins remaining and good acids. Not as complex as the 2 red Grand Crus, but a nice wine that might be within my budget, I'll keep an eye out. A-/B+

1985 Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze
Sweet fruit, a little meat and blood, ferric mineral notes. Good length, brambly, I was certain this was going to be my WOTN. Nope. A-

Then we did one more white and one more red , and a great cheese course (with some beautifully ripe Epoisses)

1979 Louis Jadot "Les Folatieres" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
There was some discussion about whether this was a teeny bit corked, but I didn't think so. It has a little cheesy mustiness to it, but that blew off (I thought) and the fruit was quite vibrant. Pears and hazelnut, ever evolving, I thought this quite good. B++

1969 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot
Really hard to believe this was 40 years old, the advantages of a wine never moving. Fresh, young, and stunningly lovely. Vibrant, delineated fruit with baking spices and earth. Delicate yet full, a gorgeous gorgeous mature Burgundy and my WOTN. A/A-

A great showing for Jadot.

Mark had brought along a little mini vertical of a California Pinot Noir I'm unfamilar with:

1985 Calera "Jensen Vineyard" Pinot Noir
My favorite of the bunch, mature, red fruit and forest floor, good length, nice balance. B+

1986 Calera "Jensen Vineyard" Pinot Noir
This was some people's favorite, but the fruit had a bit too much of a kirschy character for me. Still, a nice straightforward CA PN . B

1990 Calera "Jensen Vineyard" Pinot Noir
Youngest but seemed the oldest, a little tired , a little too funky, others liked more than I did. C+/B-

Plus Craig brought a bottle of 1980 Joseph Swan Pinot Noir. A bit on the sharp side, a note of cherry cola, seems younger than it is. B

Really just a great evening. As wonderful as the wines were (and the food!), the real treasure was the company. Our host and hostess were attentive and caring, and Jacques was a delight. He was full of stories and information, my favorite memory was his impassioned tale of opening a forgotten stash of '67 reds that turned out wonderfully, a lesson in assumptions. A night that reminds me why I like being a winegeek.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
 

Sounds great, thanks for the notes. So much for travel shock on that 69 CdV!

[David M. Bueker]

Slobber. I was already jealous when you were telling me about it, now I'm green with envy.

"1969 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot
Really hard to believe this was 40 years old, the advantages of a wine never moving. Fresh, young, and stunningly lovely. Vibrant, delineated fruit with baking spices and earth. Delicate yet full, a gorgeous gorgeous mature Burgundy and my WOTN. A/A-"

If that note doesn't earn an straight A, I think its time to dispense with the "I'm an easy grader" disclaimer on your posts! Sounds fantastic.

Agree, David Z. I'm very glad Dale is not giving out any of my grades at uni based on that note.

Fantastic lineup Dale, and sounds like a really amazing evening between the wines, food and company (you've got to love the company of people in the wine business who are seriously passionate about what they do - so much fun sitting down with a winemaker and listening to all their stories and anecdotes from the business, and learning about the people behind the wines).

Thanks, Dale, for the notes so nicely evoking a great occasion.

That Clos Vougeot 69 sounds like a wine to die for. One my fondest Burgundian memories is also a 69; Bonnes Mares from Domaine Clair-Daü.

Did Lardière comment on the Calera and Swan

Just to offer a dissenting opinion, on Thursday evening, I was at a tasting with Jacques and they opened 1995, 1996 and 1997 Jadot Clos Vougeot, also released from the cellars of of the Maison, and none were very inspiring. That being said, Jacques Lardiere is a fountain of knowledge and generally speaking, I am a huge fan of many of their wines.

[David M. Bueker]

Just to offer a dissenting opinion, on Thursday evening, I was at a tasting with Jacques and they opened 1995, 1996 and 1997 Jadot Clos Vougeot, also released from the cellars of of the Maison, and none were very inspiring.

Key element in that comment: Clos Vougeout. I don't know about you Dan, but I have rarely had an inspiring bottle from that vineyard.

Oswaldo,
Cathleen works for Kobrand and I'm unsure if these bottles were shipped earlier or not.

Tim,
By the time the California wines were poured table became more one-on-one conversations than roundtable. I think I did hear Jacques telling Mark he liked the '85 Calera, but was criticizing (mildly) something about the winemaking of the '86, I think maybe acidification. Don't remember hearing any comments on the Swan. One thing that was interesting is that unlike many winemakers he seemed to have a pretty good understanding of wines outside his own region. Lots of winemakers visit Jadot, and he said they all bring gifts of their wines.

Daniel,
of those I've only had the '97 CdV, but found it uninspiring a few years ago. I like a lot of Jadot wines, but it's not surprising with such a huge number of wines some are not so impressive.

David,
there's plenty of inspiring CdV, but also plenty that is clearly not what one would expect from GC Burg. CdV is I think the largest GC (at least in CdN -Corton is probably bigger, but is divided). Really huge. I don't know of any Burghead who would argue that the lower part by the RN74 really deserves GC status. But better situated upper slope parcels can be great. I've had inspiring CdV from Mugneret, Meo, etc. (and now Jadot). No idea if the source for the '69 is the same as the modern versions.

[David M. Bueker]

Dale,

I haven't had Mugneret Clos Vougeot (yet - I have one bottle in the cellar), but I'm certainly willing to keep chasing the grail. There's a few bottles in the cellar that I purchased when I didn't know much about Burgundy, so we'll see. I have some hope for the 2001 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot 'Maupertuis', and less for the 1996 Hudelot-Noellat Clos Vougeot. Maybe we can open one or both of them together some time.

David,
I actually really liked the '96 H-N at a vertical last year:
(along came some lamb chops and a potato/carrot/parsnip mash)
1996 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot Brisk acids, bright rapsberry and cherry. Well structured, clean, tasty, but needs time. B+

On the other hand, at a (blind) horizontal of 2000 CdV, the Anne Gros was tied with Lamarche for my least favorite. Too oaky for me, though maybe a bigger vintage like 2001 might handle it better. I'll also note the 2000 was a divisive wine, with several people ranking it among their top wines.

I have some Calera Jensen in my cooler. Didn't know it could age that long. I won't feel any rush to open as mine are from this decade.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the positive info on the Hudelot Noellat Dale. I know they underwent a bit of a quality revival in the '90s, but I wasn't sure exactly when.

I was also at the dinner and thought it was an incredible evening. Food and company were amazing, and Jacques was in fine form, and is incredibly open to new wines. Tasting the Californians, he liked the 1985 because it was purer and less acidulated than teh 1986. The 1990 was OK for him, but he liked best the big, rich Swann 1980.

I preferred the Chevalier to the Puligny, although both were superb wines. As for the Clos de Vougeot, it is usually a wine that does not merit its Grand Cru status, and I have had some good ones, but they never usually excite me. The 1969 did; it was beautfully mature, complex and seamless with a long finish. Definitely an A for me. No hurry to drink it, but a lovely bottle of wine, just about overshadowing the gorgeous Beze. The 1988 Clos des Ursules also showed well, a better example than the bottle at lunch the previous day.

The day before, we had done a press lunch to greet the 2007s. The whites have a good reputation, the reds less so. I found it a little hit and miss; the Savigny premier Cru was delightful, a Puligny also a premier cru was shockingly good, the Corton Charlemagne was not and the Chevalier Demoiselles was very fine indeed. For the reds, a nice Pommard Rugiens and a gorgoeous Nuits Premier Cru (I don't have my notes, sorry) and a good Clos de la Roche and Corton.

A few older wines. The 1979 Corton Charlemagne was magnificent; the wine of the weekend. So complex, yet a subtext of fruit and a finish taht seemed toi dance on the palate for minutes. Two Clos des Ursules the 1989 and 1988. The 1989 was fun, friendly but didn't have much stuffing beneath. Teh 1988 was solid rather than exciting. The 1990 Clos de Vougeot was a pretty wine, but good as it is, will not be in the same class as 1969.

Mark and Dale, did he say anything about how he can tell the difference between "natural" acidity and acidulation?

I suspect the latter whenever I taste a wine from a hot region where the acidity sticks out, but can never say with confidence whether it's acidulation or just, well, poor integration. I'd love to hear how someone like Jacques Lardiere distinguishes it.

Mark,
thanks for joining in. I think I was alone in having the '89 Puligny as white of the night, but I certainly enjoyed them all (even the '97 once I tried with food). '79 Corton Charlemagne sounds fabulous. I wouldn't have described the Swan as big and rich, though I liked, but as I was driving I didn't give it a lot of attention - had to stop swallowing by the US wines.

Oswaldo,
maybe Mark can articulate,I just overheard a bit of the conversation. I could never confidently say that something was acidulated.

I think there are two indicators; texture and also that poorly done acidulation tends to leave a little trailing acidity, which gives the wine an acid bite in the finish.

Mark,
thanks for joining in. I think I was alone in having the '89 Puligny as white of the night, but I certainly enjoyed them all (even the '97 once I tried with food). '79 Corton Charlemagne sounds fabulous. I wouldn't have described the Swan as big and rich, though I liked, but as I was driving I didn't give it a lot of attention - had to stop swallowing by the US wines.

Oswaldo,
maybe Mark can articulate,I just overheard a bit of the conversation. I could never confidently say that something was acidulated.

[quote="Mark Golodetz"]...a little trailing acidity, which gives the wine an acid bite in the finish.[quote]

Interesting, that's exactly what I mean when I think "poorly integrated." I take it Jacques himself said nothing about this?