2012 Louis Jadot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

Full red. Perfumed aromas of ripe red berries, red cherry, licorice pastille and flowers. Sappy, savory and a bit youthfully clenched and four-square on the palate, showing a rather austere, medicinal character accentuated by a slightly herbal peppery quality. Today the fruit is kept under wraps by the wine's firm spine of acids and tannins. Revealed a note of maraschino cherry with 48 hours in the recorked bottle but retained its menthol and licorice qualities. This will require patience.

Good bright, deep red. Very ripe aromas of black cherry, licorice, dark chocolate and espresso; less floral than the Gevrey premier crus that preceded it in my tasting. Backward but brisk, with good minty lift and energy to the liqueur-like black cherry, menthol and spice flavors. For all its ripeness, this wine also shows an enticing coolness. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins, very good cut and plenty of structure to support a slow evolution in bottle.

The 2012 Clos Vougeot is one of the most impressive of the Grand Crus I tasted at Jadot this year. Powerful, rich and layered, the 2012 has more than enough fruit to balance the tannins. Dark red fruit, scorched earth, chalk and iron are all layered into the supple, racy finish. This is a surprisingly finessed Clos Vougeot. Hints of rose petal and mint add lift on the close. There is so much to admire here.