2015 Domaine Louis Jadot, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Clos Saint-Jacques

Tasted blind, Jadot's 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques confirmed the seriousness it displayed earlier this year, unwinding with aeration to reveal a youthfully reserved bouquet of sweet red fruits, raw cocoa, rich soil and dried rose petal, framed by a judicious application of cedary new oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, reserved and concentrated, with fine-grained but firm structuring tannins, tangy acids and impressive length. This Clos Saint-Jacques is shutting down, so it's all about future potential, but its showing in this tasting suggested that when all is said and done, it may well be the Clos Saint-Jacques of the vintage.

(totally destemmed): Palish medium red. More subdued on the nose than the Estournelles Saint-Jacques but still with exhilarating blood orange lift to the raspberry aroma. Highly concentrated, silky, extremely youthful wine, combining outstanding breadth and inner-mouth perfume and lift. Its very intense, sharply delineated flavors of dark raspberry and crushed stone are given added punch and lift by urgent minerality. This compellingly horizontal, sappy wine finishes with utterly suave tannins and outstanding length, piquing the taste buds on the back end. Premier cru Burgundy does not get much better than this.

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru has a more tightly knit bouquet than Fourrier and Brunco Clair's own Clos St.-Jacques: very pure and focused, perhaps not quite as detailed and mineral-driven as the latter, but attractive all the same. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and impressive depth, and quite grippy at the moment, if not quite delivering the details and nuance or the same mineralité as the best Clos Saint-Jacques on the finish. Yet it is still a seriously fine wine. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Tank sample. This was shown at the Jadot London tasting with a big neck label announcing that the allocation was already sold out. Much less expressive on the nose than the Lavaut. Super-charming and round on the palate with that extra depth, dimension and muscle of the vineyard. Well done! Racy and thoroughbred. Still a baby. But the tannins are admirably polished. Very long. (JR)