Louis Jadot : Clos Vougeot Grand cru Dom. Louis Jadot 2017

Tasted from bottle, the 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot) opens in the glass with an attractive bouquet of berry fruit, plums, orange rind and coniferous forest floor, framed by a deft application of new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, its succulent core of fruit framed by melting tannins. From barrel, I faulted this wine for being excessively open-knit, but while it certainly is unusually supple and giving by the standards of this cuvée, there's more depth than I perceived last year: what's more, and critically, this is simply immensely pleasurable to drink.

The 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru has a rich, opulent bouquet of baked red cherries, cranberry and just a faint touch of coconut. A little oaky, but seductive in a New World style. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and flashy for a Clos Vougeot. A Pinot Noir that wants to be noticed, but it lacks intellectual heft. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.