Tasted in Meursault with Antoine Jobard, 22 October, 2018.
Domaine Antoine Jobard
2 Rue Leignon
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 21 26
Antoine on 2018:
“I had a really good harvest, the vines and weather were very capricious to start, lots of rain, chances of oïdium and mildew – really so much rain. July and August were really dry though. We harvested from 28 August, some small grapes due to the heat, the young vines starting to lose leaves, yet in the last week the grapes grew, which must be down to the water reserves that older roots could reach. The grapes pressed quite easily with a good volume of juice. I’m very happy, the fermentations are really taking their time, but we are patient. It won’t be down to the analytical acidity it will be down to the gustative balance…“
Antoine on 2017:
“Belle! It’s on about the same level as 2015 for volume – so correct – not too much! I see the 17s as having very similar aromatics to 2015, a similar bourbe (sediment) too – I kept it all as there wasn’t much. I see just a touch more acidity perhaps than 15, but I love these style of wines such as 2009, 2015 and seemingly 2017 – oh and I like the quantity too! (smile) We were touched by frost in a couple of parcels of bourgogne but mainly the problem was in St.Aubin – here we easily lost 30%. Since 2012 our Sentier de Clous has been put together small parcels of Perrières and Derrière Chez Eduard due to frost, but this year we’ve two barrels of that!
“I racked in July, so everything is now in tank with the fine lees. Just to note for the tasting that I sulfured a few fays prior as there was so little used during the elevage. I plan to start bottling December to January which is a little early for here, but the wines look ready and it will still be 15-16 months of elevage because of the early vintage. There is the power balance and length, the vintage is more material than 2016 I think, more a style of 2015 but fresher, but I love 2015 – I love ripe wine with some power with the right balance..”
The wines…
A question of corks? “Oh yes, I’m absolutely staying with cork, I’m not moving to DIAM because I don’t find it neutral. There’s a very light taste too – maybe its in my head. I also don’t think the evolution is the same, its really too slow… I feel sorry for somebody who buys the wine, keeps for 7-8 years and then has the experience of a 2-year-old wine when opened. We have a machine to wax now – but I still wait 3-4 months as there is a quick aging in the first few months that I don’t want to lose. I started with wax in 2016, I’ve much hope, I think the wax levels the playing field between those good and less good corks, but also since 2016 I have corks that are individually tested for TCA… those two things together give me confidence.“
I might (currently) disagree with Antoine about DIAM, but I absolutely love the quality of his 2017s – such a great range of wines!
5 parcels all from in the commune of Meursault
A very precocious, round, complex nose. Supple, beautiful, sinuous wine but with a certain richness too. Luxury bourgogne… another great bourgogne in 2017!
2017 Meursault
From Sous la Velle, Chaumes et Corbin.
A faint, metallic reduction. More direction and intensity, still a richness of flavour, troubled by a little reduction on the palate too – ‘yes I will have to rack this soon to get a little oxygen into to remove that’ – but this remains a silky, persistent wine, finishing with a beautiful note… And did I mention the great texture?!
“At 1.3 hectares, this is the biggest appellation here
A more mineral width, exciting… Richness of flavour, intense too, more together than the previous wine today, a weight of flavour. More weight of finishing flavour too – really super finishing – great villages here…
More open, fresh, faintly reductive nose. Directly more width and energy to the flavour – oof here is an excitable puppy of a wine! Richness of mid-palate flavour, again a wave of finishing flavour – hyper impressive – two distinct personalities to the last wines – calm or excitable you can choose – both great… But this to give you a tonic!
2017 St.Aubin 1er
The assembly of Perrières and Derrière Chez Eduard – the first vintage for the latter, planted in 2015…
Hmm, nice, wide, fresh and of yellow-fruited depth. Hmm, intense, concentrated wine but melting with precise fresh stony yellow fruit. Hmm this is excellent. Persistent too – you may not see this blend again, but its a great buy!
2012 was the first vintage, 2 barrels. Came from wife’s family – also have also Derrière Chez Eduard and Perrières now. Some parts planted in 1992 and 2002 but the average vine age is 40 years.
More volume and weight of aroma – good scale and of inviting presence. Vibrant, with depth of flavour – energy like the Tillets, ooh this is great! Vibrant in the finish too – such a great wine – bravo!
2017 Puligny-Montrachet Le Trezin
70 year-old vines here, quite high, ‘always a super quality with grapes that keep clean, whilst resisting the rot.’
Good weight of aroma, faintly touched with reduction, slowly letting a little citrus agrume escape. Wider, mineral impression, less overtly energetic than the last but lacking for nothing. Melting, delicious flavour. A certain extra poise vs the last here. Modestly vibrant but immodestly long finishing. Excellent…
2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Champs Gains
Last vintage for a while as pulled out the vines after the harvest…
Less width, but more depth and height including some floral notes in the heights. Wide, intense, faintly reductive, growing in intensity, really a fine intensity, slightly metallic today – this wine is not yet fully in place, but the various aspects have great presence. I great buy I think…
2017 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
A part of 60 year-old vines plus some from 2009.
A more modest nose in all directions, but still managing to be open and with fine clarity. A subtle gas, and more freshness and mid-palate energy – that certain Meursault spice, such a deliciously finishing wine – what a honey!
2017 Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots
More volume of aroma, a little inflection of the floral too. Also faint gas, also plenty of energy – the two are connected. A trace of oak on this one. Luxurious depth of flavour, but always with balance, more finishing power – delicious flavour too.
Together with Remi, part was replanted in March 2017. The vines were on the SO4 roostock and the longevity of those vines wasn’t great. Will have been cleared for 2 vintages before replanting – the first harvest will be in 2019.
A good width of aroma, some complexity, tighter below. More open over the palate, a fine vibrancy of flavour too – very faintly reductive, beautifully textured, more complex and layered wine. More floral complexity in the finishing flavours. Oh yes…
Good if not the largest volume nose. A certain clarity to the mineral base and yellow fruit above. Weighted, faintly reductive, layered, but with balance and reserves of flavour. Large, but hyper impressive wine. Mid and finishing flavours are more grand cru.