The Jadot 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques smells of black cherry, charred beef, high-toned cherry pit and almond as well as of an alkaline and wet stone minerality. It has density and real grip on the palate, displaying low-toned meatiness and smoky, stony, salty minerality in its long finish. And for all of this wine’s manifest extract and tannin, it displays a flattering creaminess of texture that few of Jadot’s wines possess. Jacques Lardiere has once again presided over a collection for the most part not intended to flatter in its youth, but rather to achieve an eventual balance of fruit acidity with (in this instance frequently quite prominent) tannin. Prolonged post-fermentative extraction promoted a formidably-structured group of wines, which Lardiere expressed no hurry about bottling. Certain of these – particularly from the Cote de Beaune – displayed a slightly drying finishing astringency or simply an austere lack of charm to match their concentration, traits Lardiere suggested might be traceable to drought stress in those sites. A brief July rain that reached the Cote de Nuits but not the Cote de Beaune was critical, he asserts, and all of Jadot’s vines in the northern Cote were picked before the harvest in the south commenced. (Wines from the Domaine Louis Jadot, Domaine Heritiers Louis Jadot, or Domaine Gagey, have been identified with a letter “D” in their listings.) Also recommended: 2005 Cote de Nuits-Villages Le Vaucrain ($25.00;86+?), 2005 Santenay Clos de Malte ($27.00; 85-87), 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Guettes (84-86+?), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges ($37.00; 85-87+?), 2005 Chambolle-Musigny ($50.00; 85-87+?). Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel.(212) 490 9300

Beautiful, aromatic wine, with raspberry fruit floating above the spice and toast. This is shot through with acidity and some dense tannins, but above all it is the piercing fruit that dominates. One of Jadot’s signature wines, it is wonderful, with considerable aging potential.——R.V.(8/1/2008)—— 96