2009 Pommard Jarollieres

The 2009 Pommard Les Jarolieres saturates the palate with its round, ripe fruit. This shows lovely depth and richness, then turns quite a bit more powerful and tannic on the finish. Sweet menthol and crushed rocks wrap around the close. Les Jarolieres is on the border with Volnay. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2039. This is a stunning set of wines from Patrick Landager. The vintage yielded a set of super-sized, big wines that may shock some readers for their sheer intensity. These are among some of the most backward 2009s I tasted and will require considerable patience. The estate now farms a total of 19 hectares, which includes the vineyards Landager acquired when he bought Domaine Moine-Hudelot a few years back. In 2009 Landager started harvesting on September 22, when most people were already finished picking. Cuvaison started with 5-6 days of cold maceration and lasted a total of three weeks with one punchdown in the morning and a second in the afternoon. The wines spent 12-15 months in oak (roughly 30% new) on their fine lees with no rackings until they were prepared for bottling, which took place with no fining or filtration. (Note: the Chambolle saw 50% new oak). All of the 2009s were bottled in early February 2010. Importers: North Berkeley Wine, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880; a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

(from vines adjacent to Volnay) Deep ruby-red. Wild smoky reduction currently dominates the nose; one smells the site's warm red soil. Then sweet and fine-grained in the style of a Volnay, showing no roughness of texture even at this early stage. This big, rich wine boasts plenty of phenolic material but the broad tannins are fine and horizontal. Finishes saline and long, with some acidity yet to be integrated. (ST)