I tasted this and a white Grèves (2006) with Jacques Lardière back in January – and was smitten. I placed my order right afterwards! Jadot’s reputation for whites has suffered due to oxidation, but it won’t make a difference to me because all of these bottles will be drunk over the next 3 years…

2010 Louis Jadot (Gagey), Beaune 1er Bressandes Blanc
Medium-pale, lemon-yellow. The nose is full and round, padded with spicy bread and soft, sweet oak notes – eventually a little citrus fruit joins the party – it’s a pastry delight. In the mouth this is oh-so direct; mineral and with very good acidity – you might, with hindsight, say the nose is redolent of Beaune – but never the flavour! Time in the decanter reduced the aromatic impact of the oak, but only a little. The palate also padding out very slightly – a little velvet on the handcuffs… Seriously great wine, which I suspect will be even better in 6-12 months.
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Chandon de Briailles, Volnay 1er Caillerets
On first opening, this is a lithe, tight, linear and slightly glossy thing – supermodel proportions – though in a ‘look but don’t touch’ vernacular (typical for the genre!). Time in a decanter will help you get to know this supermodel; the sulking, pouting approach to communication is replaced by confidence and complexity – it’s simply super. Finally we have just a stunning array of precise berries on the nose, the occasional suggestion of a flower-petal and even some dried currants as bass notes. For a 2009 this is rather linear with a crystalline minerality – whatever else I’m drinking, I’m drawn back to this wine. Pop-and-pour and you will never the meet the personality behind the wine, but a little preparation will give you the chance to curl up with a supermodel!
Rebuy – Yes like a shot…

This Volnay was part of a contract of Chandon’s which unfortunately has now lapsed – so no more of this wine – that said, they might anyway have struggled to find enough grapes to fill a barrel in 2012!

Bottles supplied for review by www.terroirs-originels.com

You know, it’s not such a bad combination; the mature white Burgundies of the last days and the counterpoint of fresh, crunchy fruit from young Beaujolais! These bottles were opened, contrasted and compared on Sunday, whilst also appreciating the sublime skills of the ‘swiss-master’: Herr Federer von Basel.

Actually, I rarely get to Beaujolais, simply because to do so, I have to drive through the Côte d’Or without stopping – and why would I do that? But taking wines from good producers, almost always demonstrates that, if there is real value anywhere in the ‘wine-world’, it is in the hills of Beaujolais. I could (probably!) have 5x the number of bottles in the cellar if I wasn’t so focused on vines just a few km to the north…

2011 Jean-Michel Dupré, Gamay à Petits Grains
Interesting; despite a back label that shows words ‘Beaujolais Villages’, here is a wine that seems to be coy about saying so. Good colour. The nose is pretty and shaded towards ‘fresh’ with some high-tones and an attractive floral dimension – with time the flowers fade, leaving a dense, dark-red core. With a little plushness to the texture and a little hint of minerality in the mid-palate too, here is a wine that begs to be consumed, indeed making an interesting point: why would anybody need ‘crus? Tasty and fresh, yet voluptuous. There can’t be better value in the wine world these days…
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Pascal Aufranc, Chénas
The label proudly states that the vines for this wine were planted in 1939, indeed the back-label gives the impression that this is the cuvée “Vignes de 1939”. Here the nose is very different. The floral aspect of the previous wine is taken to the tenth power, yet it is not the heavy perfume of a maiden aunt, it is much more beguiling – lovely. In the mouth, the acidity is on a higher level than the 2011 ‘BV’, but it is packaged so that you’ll have no complaints. The tannin is there – if you choose to search for it – and if you do you will then note the cushioned extra dimension of flavour in the mid-palate. Longer finishing for sure – and given sufficient aeration this becomes quite a mineral wine too. Very interesting and quite lovely!
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Laurent Gauthier, Morgon Grands Cras Vieilles Vignes
Here is a label that won’t help the producer sell bottles – it has so many names it is hard to decide what the wine’s called: I hope I got it right above! The aromas are much more mineral after the flowers of the Chénas, edged with dark-red fruit. Slowly this blossoms to deliver a simply gorgeous combination or very subtly creamy red fruits – it’s a sniffer’s wine. This is the most linear and direct wine of the trio, with similar (vintage) acidity to the Chénas – but with plenty of muscles to flex. This is very well put-together wine. Whilst drinking this I thought to myself that I’d rather drink the Chénas today, and sniff this – but switching to the Chénas underlined the gap between the two; the rippling muscle shown here, really makes the Chénas feel a bit ‘pinched’ after this – nice as it was. Super stuff.
Rebuy – Yes

1979 Philippe Thevenot, Meursault 1er Goutte d’Or
Golden. Whilst I may have decanted this, the nose needs no time at all to offer a round, white chocolate and lanolin invitation – lovely. Following the Charlemagne, this has a little more roundness and plushness of texture – let’s call it ‘richness’ – but it has perfectly judged acidity to offer balance. Clean, round and very, very pleasurable – though none of the mineral note of the Charlemagne. This seems all the more voluptuous for it. Simply super!
Rebuy – No Chance

1979 Andre Nudant, Corton-Charlemagne
Golden. Old oak notes, though nothing musty or obviously oxidative – given an hour or so and that typical old-white lanolin aroma comes through – pretty good! Silky with some fat and intensity. Long flavours have a hint of bitterness but plenty of interest. The bitterness quickly takes on a more mineral aspect. Drinking very well after 2 hours – good stuff!
Rebuy – No Chance