2023 Clos Vougeot

The 2023 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot) reveals aromas of raspberries, orange zest and spices, followed by a medium-bodied, supple and tangy palate that's not especially deep or layered this year. Winemaker Frédéric Barnier and his team have once again delivered a strong portfolio chez Jadot. Barnier stressed the importance of sorting and of vigilance during élevage, in particular where acid rot made an appearance, and he didn't hesitate to perform a saignée for cuvées where yields where high. As I've written before, in the cellar, foudres and 500-liter barrels now complement classic 228-liter pièces, a further evolution adapting to warmer, riper vintages. What's more, barrels are now used four rather than three times, meaning the percentage of new oak overall has fallen. A cold room also helps chill down any fruit that's too warm when it enters the winery, something especially important during the warm 2023 harvest. This vintage also marks the third vintage of organic conversion for the Domaine Louis Jadot and the Domaine Gagey.

Cask sample. Vibrant cherry red. Intensely floral and sweet-red-fruited. Firm, dry, almost chalky tannins. Like the Corton-Pougets, it could do with a little more fruit depth on the mid palate but even so there’s harmony and freshness, leading to a long, bone-dry, fine-grained finish. There are better-value wines though this is notably persistent. And needs time.

The 2023 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, a blend from foudre and large cask, is a little "gawky" compared to Jadot's other Grand Crus: the fruit is slightly darker but it needs more cohesion and vigor. The palate is medium-bodied and lightly spiced with svelte tannins, a silver bead of acidity and a bit more grip coming through on the slightly mealy finish. This is actually not a million miles away from the previous vintage. Drink over the next 15 years. As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. "The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity," he adds, after I had filmed the video. "Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022."