2009 Marsannay Clos du Roy

The 2009 Marsannay Clos du Roi is a beautiful wine that brings together the juiciness of the year with the clean, focused minerality that is the hallmark of the appellation. This elegant perfumed wine shows off gorgeous aromatics, finessed dark red fruit and elegant tannins. The saline finish makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. 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. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

Fresh, crunchy red fruit nose. Medium-bodied but concentrated, with considerable freshness and acidity that gives ample flavour, lift and persistence. Long. Drink 2011-2020. Stephen Brook, Decanter September 2011

The 2009 Marsannay Clos du Roi is a beautiful wine that brings together the juiciness of the year with the clean, focused minerality that is the hallmark of the appellation. This elegant perfumed wine shows off gorgeous aromatics, finessed dark red fruit and elegant tannins. The saline finish makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate May 2011