2009 Puligny Montrachet Clos de la Garenne Duc de Magenta
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Tasting notes
The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne (Magenta) is rich, voluminous and textured in the glass, yet also has plenty of underlying minerality. It is a vivid, captivating Burgundy that impresses for its impeccable balance and harmony. The 2009 can be enjoyed today or cellared. Note: The Clos de la Garenne is a Domaine Duc de Magenta bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Once again, I tasted with Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier during a marathon session that lasted several hours. Lardiere has been on a whirlwind tour celebrating his last year at Jadot before his long-announced retirement, but I will believe he is stepping down when I see it. Lifers like Lardiere simply don’t retire. As for the wines, Jadot’s 2010s are unqualified successes across the board. Of course, the wines from the most prestigious appellations are often compelling, but frankly I find just as much joy in discovering the many fabulous Burgundies from unheralded villages that are sprinkled throughout this portfolio. Lardiere and Barnier first thought 2010 was better for reds than whites, but that gap has narrowed recently in their opinion. Yields were down 15-20% for the whites (less than the reds), because of the December, 2009 frost and irregular flowering the following spring. A number of wines were chaptalized approximately 0.5%. The 2010 whites were bottled between February and March 2012. I also tasted a handful of 2009s and 2008s, which I have included here as part of my goal to revisit wines from bottle on a regular basis. I continue to be thrilled by the Jadot 2009 whites, while the 2008s I tasted are mostly equally succesful. Jadot fans know that this venerable winery is composed of several brands; Maison Louis Jadot, Domaine Louis Jadot, Heritiers de Louis Jadot, Domaine Duc de Magenta and Domaine Gagey. In the interest of simplicity, I have listed all of the wines in this section under Domaine/Maison Jadot. There are two cases in which a wine is made by more than one of the labels, in which case the corresponding tasting note indicates which wine was tasted; they are the Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru Garenne and the Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Folatieres. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright pale yellow. Reserved nose hints at lemon, vanilla and spices. Big, broad and dry; shows a rather open-knit texture and an enticing hazelnut quality but today the vanillin oak element dominates. Finishes sweet, fine-grained and very long. This gained markedly in delineation as it opened in the glass.
The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne Duc de Magenta is one the more sumptuous Pulignys from Jadot in 2009. It impresses for its seamless, generous personality and silky finish. The Clos de la Garenne is more about textural volume than nuance, but it is impeccably balanced and approachable. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier showed me a wide range of 2009s during my visit in late June, 2011. Many of the jewels among the 2009s are hidden in the villages level wines, which I highly encourage readers to check out. I also tasted a selection of 2008s. The 2008s are quite fat for the year. Yields were lower than in 2009. Lardiere made the decision to age the wines longer on their lees to give them more richness, which he felt was lacking because of the inconsistent, high acid vintage. As a result, these are fairly big 2008s. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756
Orange peel, blossom, apple juice, floury texture, some custard powder and dairy notes too. Rounded, a little light to finish. (RH)
About the producer
Louis Jadot is arguably the most consistent négociant house in Burgundy. It has managed to straddle both the entry-level and fine wine market, while retaining respect in both.