2009 Corton Pougets
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Tasting notes
(13.8% alcohol; 3.56 pH, 3.58 g/l acidity; from a yield of "a good 40 hectoliters per hectare," according to Barnier): Medium red with a faint hint of amber at the rim. A ripe coulis of cherry and raspberry on the nose; more red than black in its fruit expression but a touch roasted compared to the 2010, with complicating menthol and spice qualities. Wonderfully plush, plump wine with serious middle-palate richness and sweetness. Boasts terrific thickness and volume without loss of energy, even if it doesn't convey the clarity or treble notes of the less-ripe years. This strikes me as even bigger than the young 2015 even if it doesn't have quite that wine's intensity or high pitch. A distinctly solid vintage of Pougets, finishing with substantial dusty tannins, but its sheer sweetness will allow for relatively early drinking. Finishes with a minty nuance that leavens its thickness. This is the best--and lushest--bottle of this wine that I have tasted to date.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Bright medium red. Perfumed, pure aromas of cherry, menthol and cinnamon show a medicinal restraint. Broad, dense and quite dry; in a very closed stage today, with its mineral and red fruit flavors currently dominated by serious tannic clout. This very firmly structured wine is hiding more than it's showing today and will require six to eight years of cellaring.
The 2009 Corton-Pougets is built on a solid core of minerality that gives the wine its focus. This remains a feminine, graceful Corton laced with pretty red fruits, flowers and spices, all of which flow together nicely in a mid-weight style. The Pougets needs a few years in bottle for the tannins to soften. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2029. 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
Dry, tight, tart and refreshing. Needs more depth and breadth. Only dips its toe into grand cru waters. (RH)
About the producer
Louis Jadot is arguably the most consistent négociant house in Burgundy. It has managed to straddle both the entry-level and fine wine market, while retaining respect in both.