Jadot (and Clair Dau) Chapelle-Chambertin Dinner with Thibault Gagey

As We Arrive

• N.V. Georges Laval Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Cumières - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
  Bright citrus with good power, while still nicely rounded and harmonious. Brut Nature lets the wine shine without trying to make a statement here. (91 pts.)

Whites to Start

• 2000 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Not as good as some previous bottles. Tired aromatically, still tasty on palate.
• 2016 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Noticeably reductive to start, that dissipated slowly but never fully let the wine's obvious richness shine. Previous bottles were never so reductive. (FLAWED)
• 2005 Louis Jadot Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  A brilliant bottle. Wide array of fruits and spice in perfectly harmonious combination. A handsome gent in a tuxedo. (96 pts.)

Exciting Intermezzo

• 1996 Louis Jadot Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
  Spice galore, you know you're in Vosne. ripe throughout, showing as much black fruit as red, lots here. A rare high-end 1996 that is showing its age, but in a wonderfully graceful way. At its peak, (94 pts.)

Chapelle-Chambertin

• 1990 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  Corked (FLAWED)
• 1996 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  In Jadot Chapelle flight. Big black fruit, just still firm and tannic. Lots here, but not the most composed vintage of this wine. I have had this wine many times, and this vintage never thrilled me. (90 pts.)
• 1997 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  In vertical. Great aromatics, still youthful. Great concentration with very good flavors. More may still emerge with further cellar time. Few producer's 97s consistently crush their 96s, but that is routine for Jadot. (93 pts.)
• 2002 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  In vertical. Textbook Gevrey, textbook Grand Cru, this is a charmer with pure and precise black fruit. Not quite as exciting to me as the 1997 in the next glass, but I understand why some tasters enjoyed this 2002 even more. (92 pts.)
• 2010 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  In vertical. This is NOT the domaine bottling we all know and love, but rather a negociant cuvee they have occasionally made. Unfortunately found out when I opened the 6-pack. Still tasty, with the elegant balance of the vintage and classic Gevrey black fruits plus meat, but lighter than expected. (89 pts.)

Clair-Daü

• 1971 Domaine Clair-Daü Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Perfect color and fill. Lots of rich, mature, near-sweet black and red cherry everywhere. We only gave these two CDs a few minutes of air before serving, and that helped because this started losing steam after 30 minutes in glass. Exactly what you would hope to be able to taste from a great vintage that has generally aged well. (96 pts.)
• 1966 Domaine Clair-Daü Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
  Single blind alongside the CD 1971 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny, I correctly identified this as the Capelle based on its greater sheer concentration. This was more mature and earthy, yet still very clean and precise. Not quite as complex as the Fonteny but more heft, and this persisted longer in glass. (94 pts.)