2009 Batard Montrachet

Jadot’s 2009 Batard-Montrachet is rich, layered, sensual and totally beguiling. This is yet another 2009 Jadot white with stunning vibrancy and freshness. Slate, smoke and crushed rocks are some of the notes that develop in the glass, adding complexity to the highly expressive, nuanced fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Once again, I tasted with Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier during a marathon session that lasted several hours. Lardiere has been on a whirlwind tour celebrating his last year at Jadot before his long-announced retirement, but I will believe he is stepping down when I see it. Lifers like Lardiere simply don’t retire. As for the wines, Jadot’s 2010s are unqualified successes across the board. Of course, the wines from the most prestigious appellations are often compelling, but frankly I find just as much joy in discovering the many fabulous Burgundies from unheralded villages that are sprinkled throughout this portfolio. Lardiere and Barnier first thought 2010 was better for reds than whites, but that gap has narrowed recently in their opinion. Yields were down 15-20% for the whites (less than the reds), because of the December, 2009 frost and irregular flowering the following spring. A number of wines were chaptalized approximately 0.5%. The 2010 whites were bottled between February and March 2012. I also tasted a handful of 2009s and 2008s, which I have included here as part of my goal to revisit wines from bottle on a regular basis. I continue to be thrilled by the Jadot 2009 whites, while the 2008s I tasted are mostly equally succesful. Jadot fans know that this venerable winery is composed of several brands; Maison Louis Jadot, Domaine Louis Jadot, Heritiers de Louis Jadot, Domaine Duc de Magenta and Domaine Gagey. In the interest of simplicity, I have listed all of the wines in this section under Domaine/Maison Jadot. There are two cases in which a wine is made by more than one of the labels, in which case the corresponding tasting note indicates which wine was tasted; they are the Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru Garenne and the Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Folatieres. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

(from vines on the Puligny side): Quite closed on the nose, hinting at creme caramel . A step up in intensity and structure from the Bienvenue, with stone fruit and mineral flavors enlivened by bright lemony acidity. Youthfully imploded wine with terrific steely cut. Impressively taut on the long, rising finish. An excellent Batard that should age well.

The 2009 Bâtard-Montrachet (from the Puligny side) is marvelously linear, textured and just plain beautiful. All of the elements come together in this striking, impeccable wine. The Bâtard blossoms on the palate with extraordinary finesse in its fruit, fabulous overall balance and terrific freshness, especially on the finish. It is breathtaking in every way.