"The 2009 Beaune Clos des Ursules is another terrific effort. Nothing in particular stands out, just the wine’s fabulous overall balance. A seamless, beautifully integrated red, the 2009 Clos des Ursules flows across the palate with layers of textured fruit. Silky tannins frame an exceptionally elegant and polished finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.
I tasted an impressive range of wines with Jacques Lardiere and his successor Frederic Barnier, who is slated to take over when Lardiere retires at the end of 2012. Jadot makes a mind-bending number of wines, but I limited myself to the best 35 or so examples. In 2009 Jadot began harvesting on September 6. All of the reds were made from 100% destemmed fruit. Maceration times varied from wine to wine, but according to Lardiere all of the wines were made with essentially the same approach. Lardiere is another of the producers who compares 2009 to 1959, and believes the wines will age well because of their density of fruit and minerality. Many of the estate’s own vineyards are farmed biodynamically, but of course Jadot also sources a significant amount of wine from other growers that is not necessarily from biodynamically farmed vineyards." (WA)
"Medium red. Laid-back aromas of redcurrant, minerals, leather and oak. Dense, chewy and nicely concentrated but at the same time elegantly styled. The slowly mounting finish features broad, fine-grained tannins and excellent length. A very strong showing. Lardiere notes that his Beaune wines are aging in about 40% new oak." (IWC)
"A very ripe yet solidly complex and broad-ranging nose of red currant, raspberry and spice hints leads to lightly earth-suffused middle weight flavors that possess good detail as well as solid mid-palate density on the dusty, firm and slightly clipped finish. This may very well come together but at present, it's showing awkwardly." (BH)
Winery Notes
The picturesque city of Beaune has since the 14th century been the commercial pulse of the Burgundian wine trade. Its vineyards, the most extensive of the Côte de Beaune, cover 1,111 acres between Savigny, to the north, and Pommard, to the south. There are no grand cru vineyards in the commune of Beaune, yet its 36 premier cru vineyards occupy 795 acres, over double the 317 acres under the Beaune village appellation. Vineyards under the Côte de Beaune-Villages appellation constitute a further 128 acres. The Beaune and Beaune premier cru vineyards are ranked as such for both red and white wines, yet the latter account for only 4.5 percent of the average annual production of 11,929 hectolitres (137,200 cases) (137,200 cases).
The Vignes Franches climat is situated in mid-slope near the southern end of the commune flanked by Les Boucherottes and Les Chouacheux, below it; and by the Clos des Mouches and Les Aigrots, above it. Its three parcels cover just over 24 acres. Well before the French Revolution this vineyard was a gift of the Province of Burgundy to a loyal group of subjects in gratitude for their service to the crown. The land was specially exempt from all duties; hence the name "franches," or free of taxes. Later, a portion of the Vignes Franches was donated to the convent of Saint-Ursule, a teaching order established in Beaune in 1626. This portion was later walled, and has since borne the name "Clos des Ursules."
The Clos des Ursules is a 6.8-acre enclave purchased by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1826, which has remained a solely-owned property of the Jadot family ever since. It is the jewel of the Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot portfolio, producing a wine of consistent excellence which, for the characteristic delicacy and suppleness of Vignes Franches, shows striking tannin and dimension. Full, firm and rich in ripe-berry flavors, its fine, slightly earthy bouquet and long, lush finish converge in a wine perfectly balancing elegance and power. |
