2007 Meursault Genevrieres

Jobard’s 2007 Meursault Genevrieres had not been given its second and final racking when I tasted it, and it struck a more placid rather than energetic tone in comparison with most of its stable mates. It’s clear that 2007 is an outstanding vintage for Genevrieres in general, and this exemplar pulls out a wealth of stops, featuring lemon, grapefruit, white peach, and bitter-sweet inner-mouth floral perfume in a luscious, sleek palate display, yet with rich suggestions of wheat germ and toasted hazelnuts adding depth. There are fewer elements here that one as to describe with mineral vocabulary than is the case with Jobard’s other 2007s and the sense of citric brightness is somewhat toned down, a feature likely to appeal to some tasters – assuming it persists in bottle, from which this ought to be worth following for at least 6-8 years. The first thing one notes about the 2004 when tasted alongside this are hints of asparagus, artichoke, and mushroom, followed by the tartness, alkalinity, and brininess to its formidably persistent, stimulating finish. Antoine Jobard’s avowed upholding of his father’s “classic style” – enhanced by late bottling but with exclusively passive lees contact – extends to his preference for 2007 over the obviously richer, lower-acid 2005 and 2006 vintages, and his analogy with 2004 “except finer, less vegetal, and straighter” is born out by parallel tasting. While these 2007s display the brightness of acids, strong mineral cast, and energy that are hallmarks of 2007, few white Burgundy collections of the vintage were as tight and restrained last summer as was Jobard’s. He began picking already on September 3 and finished in only a week, in large part to guard acidity, although his must weights were already ample, and the finished wines – certain of which were lightly chaptalized – typically in the upper 12s in percent alcohol. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524; also imported by Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400