2007 Echézeaux Grand Cru

Winemaker Jacques Lardiere describes his young 2008 reds as "spicy and minerally wines." He gives the Cote de Nuits the clear edge over the Cote de Beaune. Jadot eliminated about 30% of the fruit from their Cote de Beaunevineyards ("due more to rot than to underripe grapes"), but there was much less damage to the fruit further north. During the course of our tasting he compared the 2008s to the 2001s. The 2007s that I retasted in their finished form have turned out very well, with the best of them displaying wonderfully fresh and high-pitched aromatics for the vintage.

"I said from the beginning that the 2007 reds would be better than the whites," Jacques Lardiere reminded me as we began our marathon barrel tasting of the new vintage in Jadot's capacious dark cellar. "There's great minerality in the pinots, and it's rare to have minerality in wines that are supple and pleasant early on. The 2007 reds have soft, silky tannins but they also have power," he added. "The flavor really stays on the palate." At various times during our tasting, Lardiere described a number of 2007s as better than the 2005s and compared the 2007 vintage to his 1993s. The Jadot team did a particularly strong selection in its Cote de Beaune pinot parcels, eliminating up to 25% to 30% of the fruit. (Kobrand Inc., New York, NY) Also recommended: Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de la Croix de Pierre (85-87).