2005 Volnay Clos de la Barre
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Jadot’s 2005 Volnay Clos de la Barre smells pungently of mace-spiced plum and black cherry laced with lemon zest. A meaty dimension emerges on the palate, which also displays firm tannins and a note of alkalinity. Clear, juicy and brightly-fruited in its finish, with wet stone, lemon zest and cherry pit bitterness, this relatively austere wine should hold more appeal after a few years rest. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these – particularly from the Cote de Beaune – displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of Jadot’s vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. (Wines from the Domaine Louis Jadot, Domaine Heritiers Louis Jadot, or Domaine Gagey, have been identified with a letter “D” in their listings.) Also recommended: 2005 Cote de Nuits-Villages Le Vaucrain ($25.00;86+?), 2005 Santenay Clos de Malte ($27.00; 85-87), 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Guettes (84-86+?), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges ($37.00; 85-87+?), 2005 Chambolle-Musigny ($50.00; 85-87+?). Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel.(212) 490 9300
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Good deep red-ruby. Deeply pitched, serious aromas of dark cherry and dark chocolate. Densely packed and meaty; classically dry and concentrated. A firmly structured, rather backward wine that finishes with solid, late-arriving tannins and a lingering note of chocolate.
This is extremely ripe (though not roasted) with an expressive nose of plum and black raspberries where this extract of dark berry fruit continues onto the exceptionally rich, full and mouth coating flavors, all wrapped in a mocha and café suffused finish. This is a big and somewhat atypical Volnay that is powerful if a bit one-dimensional at present. Allen Meadows, Burghound Apr01,2007
Jadot’s 2005 Volnay Clos de la Barre smells pungently of mace-spiced plum and black cherry laced with lemon zest. A meaty dimension emerges on the palate, which also displays firm tannins and a note of alkalinity. Clear, juicy and brightly-fruited in its finish, with wet stone, lemon zest and cherry pit bitterness, this relatively austere wine should hold more appeal after a few years rest. David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007
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.