The 2010 Savigny-les Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses has a certain strictness and conservatism on the nose with rocky aromas taking centre stage in lieu of the fruit. The palate is well-balanced with a pert, stem ginger-tinged entry. There is a fine grip to this Vergelesses and it boasts a waxy, phenolic, hazelnut-tinged finish that lends it character. Very fine. Drink now-2016. This was the first time I had been back to Louis Jadot’s expansive winery on the northern outskirts of Beaune since their memorable 150th anniversary tasting back in 2008. As I quipped in the previous issue, Jacques Lardiere was then talking about his imminent retirement that seemed to never come. But on this occasion, there was new winemaker Frederic Barnier there to greet me. He has large shoes to fill but he seems up to the task of steering this important Burgundy name to a new chapter, having worked alongside Jacques for a couple of years. “At the beginning, we were not so confident about the whites,” he explained in reference to his 2011s, “but it has been a nice surprise. The dry spring of 2011 affected the level of ripeness but it has lent freshness, but with low acidity.” We did not have time to taste the entire portfolio of over 80 crus, but instead took a sample of 20 white and reds from both the 2010 and 2011 vintages. Importer: Kobrand, Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700

Jadot’s white 2006 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Vergelesses smells of lemon candy, marjoram, oak spice, and white peach. Uniting a doughy sense of substantiality with refreshing brightness and clarity, it finishes with impressive intensity, promising the potential for 4-6 years of bottle maturation. Might this have been more expressive with less than its one-third new wood? The impressive collection of Jadot 2006s were slow both in their alcoholic fermentation and their malo-lactic evolution, which director Jacques Lardiere considered all to the good when it came to imposing structure and building complexity in wines of such ripeness and relatively high alcohol. In any case, Jadot whites seldom complete their malo-lactic transformation, and if one seeks a vintage to demonstrate the virtues of that approach, surely 2006 is the poster child. Furthermore, anyone who thinks that there are no values left in white Burgundy today has clearly not given Jadot’s wide range the attention it deserves. (These wines were assembled from barrel for my tasting and/or tasted from a range of individual barrels. I have generally made note of those wines not owned by Jadot and its associates by at least indicating whether grapes or juice were purchased.) Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel.(212) 490 9300