Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières was showing plenty of new oak on the vanilla-laced, almost buttery bouquet. There is too much botrytis here. The palate is well balanced with candied orange peel and peachy notes, rich and generous but missing genuine Puligny-like characteristics. This was another 2013 white closed under DIAM that seemed a little denuded of character. Tasted May 2016.

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru les Folatières from Louis Jadot has a vibrant and energetic bouquet with just a touch of reduction, though it blows off to reveal a compelling bouquet with lovely mineral, granitic scents. The palate is crisp and fresh, well balanced with impressive power and intensity without compromising the tension and race. There is clearly fine length here. This is a Puligny-Montrachet with grand ambition. Yes, it's still a little oaky and more modern in style, but I have faith.

The 2011 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres offers attractive scents of honeysuckle, apricot and almond that are well-defined. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry with crisp acidity, hints of quince and apricot with a citric twist on the long finish. It just needs a little more terroir expression. Drink 2015-2025. 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

The 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres is pure class and elegance. Floral aromatics lead to beautifully sculpted, delineated fruit in this impeccable, nuanced Folatieres. The 2010 impresses for its centered, poised personality and terrific overall balance. Today, the 2010 is quite closed, but it should emerge more fully over time, although it is likely to remain feminine. I look forward to checking in the 2010 in another year or two. Note: This is the Heritiers de Louis Jadot bottling that is sold in the US. There is also a Maison Jadot bottling that I did not taste. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. Once again, I tasted with Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier during a marathon session that lasted several hours. Lardiere has been on a whirlwind tour celebrating his last year at Jadot before his long-announced retirement, but I will believe he is stepping down when I see it. Lifers like Lardiere simply don’t retire. As for the wines, Jadot’s 2010s are unqualified successes across the board. Of course, the wines from the most prestigious appellations are often compelling, but frankly I find just as much joy in discovering the many fabulous Burgundies from unheralded villages that are sprinkled throughout this portfolio. Lardiere and Barnier first thought 2010 was better for reds than whites, but that gap has narrowed recently in their opinion. Yields were down 15-20% for the whites (less than the reds), because of the December, 2009 frost and irregular flowering the following spring. A number of wines were chaptalized approximately 0.5%. The 2010 whites were bottled between February and March 2012. I also tasted a handful of 2009s and 2008s, which I have included here as part of my goal to revisit wines from bottle on a regular basis. I continue to be thrilled by the Jadot 2009 whites, while the 2008s I tasted are mostly equally succesful. Jadot fans know that this venerable winery is composed of several brands; Maison Louis Jadot, Domaine Louis Jadot, Heritiers de Louis Jadot, Domaine Duc de Magenta and Domaine Gagey. In the interest of simplicity, I have listed all of the wines in this section under Domaine/Maison Jadot. There are two cases in which a wine is made by more than one of the labels, in which case the corresponding tasting note indicates which wine was tasted; they are the Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru Garenne and the Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Folatieres. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres is vivid and wonderfully alive in the glass. Slate, crushed rocks, pears and white flowers meld together in this utterly impeccable wine. The 2009 is still vibrant and very young. Stylistically, it has quite a bit more energy and pure verve than the 2009 Combettes tasted alongside it. The 2009 clearly needs another few years in bottle. This is a great showing in a tricky vintage for white Burgundy. Note: This is the Heritiers de Louis Jadot bottling that is sold in the US. There is also a Maison Jadot bottling that I did not taste. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Once again, I tasted with Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier during a marathon session that lasted several hours. Lardiere has been on a whirlwind tour celebrating his last year at Jadot before his long-announced retirement, but I will believe he is stepping down when I see it. Lifers like Lardiere simply don’t retire. As for the wines, Jadot’s 2010s are unqualified successes across the board. Of course, the wines from the most prestigious appellations are often compelling, but frankly I find just as much joy in discovering the many fabulous Burgundies from unheralded villages that are sprinkled throughout this portfolio. Lardiere and Barnier first thought 2010 was better for reds than whites, but that gap has narrowed recently in their opinion. Yields were down 15-20% for the whites (less than the reds), because of the December, 2009 frost and irregular flowering the following spring. A number of wines were chaptalized approximately 0.5%. The 2010 whites were bottled between February and March 2012. I also tasted a handful of 2009s and 2008s, which I have included here as part of my goal to revisit wines from bottle on a regular basis. I continue to be thrilled by the Jadot 2009 whites, while the 2008s I tasted are mostly equally succesful. Jadot fans know that this venerable winery is composed of several brands; Maison Louis Jadot, Domaine Louis Jadot, Heritiers de Louis Jadot, Domaine Duc de Magenta and Domaine Gagey. In the interest of simplicity, I have listed all of the wines in this section under Domaine/Maison Jadot. There are two cases in which a wine is made by more than one of the labels, in which case the corresponding tasting note indicates which wine was tasted; they are the Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru Garenne and the Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Folatieres. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756