2009 Domaine des Heritiers Beaune Clos des Couchereaux 1er Cru

Interesting iodine and medicinal character. Strong aromatic muscle. Bold tannins, gripping on the finish. Fine-boned, interesting. (RH)

Medium red. Redcurrant, rust and tobacco on the nose. Then drier in the mouth than the Greves, with less buffering sweetness and pliancy. Hints of leather and minerals carry through to the aftertaste.

The 2009 Beaune Clos des Couchereaux is impressive. Silky tannins frame a radiant, expressive core of fruit. This is a beautiful, refined Beaune that should drink well right out of the gate. Clean mineral notes frame the gorgeous finish, where floral notes add lift and freshness. 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. Wine Advocate.May, 2011