1985 and 1986 Jobard Meursaults Blindtasted

Introduction by Ross B., our tasting organizer
Francois Jobard is a tall, lean man who speaks in slow, measured tones that might remind you of a French Clint Eastwood about to say"fait mon jour." He has been a gymnast all his life, and is president of the Meursault Gymnastics Club. But of course his real passion is making wine. He founded his domaine in the early 1970s and began releasing his Meursaults to the public in 1976. He owns acreage in three of the Premier Cru vineyards in Meursault: Poruzots, Charmes and Genevrieres and makes five different Meursaults in total.

Jobard ages his Meursaults for two years in oak barrels, much longer than most Meursault makers. Yet because of the small proportion (10-15%) of new oak, the wines don't taste oaky. If anything, because Jobard favors relatively high acid and largely avoids malolactic fermentation, the wines taste austere, almost unapproachable when young. After 5-10 years, they start to fill out and blossom as top white Burgundies have a tendancy to do. Part of the key is that Jobard leaves the wine for a long time on the lees (dead yeast), a technique also used by Kistler for their Chardonnays, and a practice which, when used right, increases the Chardonnay's ageability and character.

Old Jobards can be spectacular, tasting of toast and butter and green lemons. They are often so different from the lean, young Jobard Meursaults that is it difficult to connect the old and young versions. As Matt Kramer, one of the world's experts in Burgundy, says Jobard's Meursaults are "among the greatest, unusually long-lived".

Tonight we'll try five Jobard Meursaults from 1985 and 1986, both outstanding vintages:
1985 Meursault-Genevrieres, Francois Jobard (12.5%)
1985 Meursault-Charmes, Francois Jobard (12.5%)
1985 Meursault, Francois Jobard (12.5%)
1985 Meursault-Poruzot, Francois Jobard (12.5%)
1986 Meursault-Poruzot, Francois Jobard (12.5%)

A nice glimpse of age-worthy Meursaults 22 years or so on. Only one, the '85 village Meursault, was showing oxidation. The '86, the Poruzot, was showing a bit of the botrytis the vintage is known for, but that only added to the richness and complexity of the wine—it was the group's and my 1. All but the '85 Poruzot, for me, had great flavors, texture and minerality. Age definitely favors these wines.

• 1986 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Group's 1 (my 1) – 23 pts; 3 firsts, 1 seconds, 3 third, 1 last place – golden yellow color; sweet butter, citrus and botrytis nose; sweet, focused, citrus and lemon palate; medium finish

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• 1985 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Group's 2 (my 4) – 25 pts; 3, 2, 0, 2 – dark golden yellow color; sea urchin nose; tangy, tart grapefruit and clarified butter palate with minerality and a little oxidation; medium finish 89+ pts.

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• 1985 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Group's 3 (my 2) – 28 pts; 1, 1, 4, 1 – golden yellow color, a shade lighter than the others; tight, faintly cheesy nose and touch of chlorine; good tart lemon and citrus palate, with good minerality; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.

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• 1985 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Group's 4 (my 5) – 29 pts; 0, 4, 1, 2 – golden yellow color; lemon rind and orange zest nose; sweet, austere with an off note, and the highest acidity of the group; medium-plus finish

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• 1985 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Group's 5 (my 3) – 30 pts.; 2, 1, 1, 3 – golden yellow; briney, tangy, umami nose; rich, tangy, citrus cream palate with sea bream and minerals; medium finish 90+ pts.

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