1992-2011
Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru

BY NEAL MARTIN | MAY 20,
2019&nbsp;&nbsp;

One evening in the summer
of 2018, I found myself double-booked: two great dinners and two sets of
marvelous wines were calling my name. If only humankind had mastered the art of
binary fission! I had no option but to attempt both. I began by visiting highly
recommended bar/restaurant Twelve Cases in Covent Garden, where BI Wines &amp;
Spirits had assembled seven vintages of Louis Jadot’s Gevrey-Chambertin Clos
Saint-Jacques, all poured from impeccable magnums, for a dinner later that
night.

Five growers each own
roughly one-hectare strips of Clos Saint-Jacques that stretch from top to
bottom of the slope. Jadot’s was bought in 1985 upon the division of Domaine
Clair-Daü’s holdings (though in fact half was leased for 20 years, so they only
owned the parcel outright from 2006). It is located in the middle of the
premier cru, with Armand Rousseau and Jean-Marie Fourrier to the left as you
look up the slope and Bruno Clair and Sylvie Esmonin to the right. The vines
were planted in 1957 and 1962. &nbsp;In the Cellar, the fruit is completely
de-stemmed and given a slightly longer&nbsp;cuvaison&nbsp;relative to
other growers, while the wines are matured in 50 to 100% new oak. the style
tends to be a little denser and, Esmonin aside, the Jadot wine initially shows
a tad more new oak than other Clos Saint-Jacques, which requires time to fully
assimilate. I feel that people sometimes look down on Jadot’s Clos
Saint-Jacques because unlike the other four, it is part of a large company’s
portfolio rather than a family domaine. However, in blind tastings I find it
stands shoulder to shoulder with the competition, if rarely quite capturing the
sophistication of Rousseau or the sensuality of Fourrier.

The&nbsp;1992
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru (magnum)&nbsp;has a fragrant
but not powerful bouquet featuring red cherries, cranberry, tobacco and a
slight algae-like scent. The medium-bodied palate offers grainy tannin and dark
berry fruit laced with tar, pencil lead and autumn leaves. I just worry than
the finish is drying out. This does not seem to improve with aeration and
therefore I would advise drinking it sooner rather than later.&nbsp;86/Drink:
2019-2021. The&nbsp;2001 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru
(magnum)&nbsp;has a lifted bouquet of crushed strawberry, blackberry,
singed leather and a hint of clove and cedar, displaying much more vigor than
the 1992 served alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins.
Masculine in style, it feels a little aloof at first, but I discern impressive
substance toward the finish, which delivers gentle grip and a welcome note of
black pepper on the aftertaste. This surprisingly bullish Clos Saint-Jacques
should give another decade of enjoyment.&nbsp;91/Drink: 2019-2030.
The&nbsp;2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru (magnum)&nbsp;is
blessed with a beautiful bouquet of kirsch, wild strawberry, crushed stone and
floral aromas, perhaps closer to the essence of Clos Saint-Jacques than the
2001. The palate is medium-bodied with firm grip on the entry. There is fine
weight and salinity in the mouth, and plenty of substance toward the sensual
but utterly harmonious finish. This will probably benefit from another two or
three years in bottle, and then those patient enough to cellar it will surely
be rewarded with two decades of drinking pleasure.&nbsp;94/Drink:
2021-2040.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5020913/uploads/editor/y4/b6llcjdvyvd5.jpg"> 

The&nbsp;2007
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru (magnum)&nbsp;has a refined
bouquet of red cherries, cranberry, crushed rose petals and crushed stone, all
well-defined with superb focus. The medium-bodied palate delivers gentle grip,
supple tannin and supremely well-judged acidity. I love the harmony in this
Clos Saint-Jacques, which is very pixelated and poised, displaying superb&nbsp;mineralité&nbsp;on
the finish. To my surprise, this is neck and neck with the 2005 and may have
the chutzpah to surpass it with bottle age. One of the most expressive vintages
of Clos Saint-Jacques that I have encountered from Jadot. Highly recommended
and excellent in terms of price-to-quality ratio.&nbsp;94/Drink:
2019-2032. The&nbsp;2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru
(magnum)&nbsp;has a very intense bouquet with more concentration and darker
fruit than the 2009, offering blackberry, bilberry, oyster shell and pressed
iris flowers. The medium-bodied palate features gentle grip, wonderful
substance and a surfeit of tart red berry fruit. It is slightly grainy in
texture with hints of black truffle on the finish. This improves with aeration
and develops a wonderful peppery note with time. A Clos Saint-Jacques built for
the long haul.&nbsp;93+/Drink: 2022-2045. The&nbsp;2011 Gevrey-Chambertin
Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru (magnum)&nbsp;has a wonderful bouquet of pure
red currant, cranberry, briar and hint of wild heather. The medium-bodied
palate offers fine tannin that provides good backbone, firm grip and a sense of
symmetry and focus, and the finish is saline and sappy. This is like a younger
brother of the 2010 Clos Saint-Jacques. Impressive for the vintage.&nbsp;92/Drink:
2020-2038.

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