2022 Bourgogne Rouge

Antoine Jobard now spreads his talents between white and reds since leasing organically-farmed vines from Pommard-based producer Domaine André Mussy in 2019. Down in his barrel cellar, we began by discussing the vintage in the spotlight. “It was easier than 2021. It was warm,” he explains. “We started picking on August 25 and finished on August 31. It was quite quick. The sanitary conditions were good, without frost or hail. Yields were around 52hL/ha, but in fact, 2023 is about the same volume. The pH was approximately 3.30 to 3.35, which is not that low, but the wines taste fresh overall. They have power in the mouth, though they’re not heavy, and there is around half a degree less alcohol than in 2019. That is the difference. The whites have been racked just before the harvest with 30% to 50% in barrel, the Premier Crus all raised in 15% new oak, and the rest in vat. The Bourgogne Blanc has just been bottled, and the rest will be bottled next spring. The reds will be bottled in November.” Antoine Jobard had big shoes to fill following his father François, but this is a grower with the “touch” when it comes to Meursault. A flotilla of wonderful cuvées from around the appellation displayed marvellous extract and purity, crowned by a tensile Genevrières that elicited an audible “wow” from yours truly. I still think Jobard is finding his feet with the work-in-progress reds that are a bit rustic at times, though the Pommard Les Pezerolles, as I write in my note, deserves a round of applause.