2016 Clos St Denis
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Tasting notes
Healthy medium red. Pristine aromas of cherry, rose petal, red licorice and crushed stone. Compellingly savory, sharply delineated wine with serious power--even a bit youthfully aggressive for Clos Saint-Denis. Firm acidity and a solid stony underpinning give this wine a seriously penetrating quality, with its juicy flavors of crunchy red fruits, spices, minerals and flavors conveying razor-sharp focus. A real essence of 2016 in its combination of aromatic lift, definition and delicacy, this compelling Clos Saint-Denis finishes with superb length and thrust. (I will wait to taste the Clos de la Roche in bottle as my sample in January was seriously reduced and in need of a racking.)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has a clean and pure bouquet with ample smoke-tinged blackberry and raspberry fruit, controlled and focused, the mineral scents emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, plenty of dusky red fruit laced with graphite, although it deserves more complexity and detail to come through on the finish. That may come with time. It is not up there with the outstanding 2015 but it is still extremely fine.
Cask sample. 18–20 months in French oak. Mid cherry. I am sure there is plenty of oak influence here but the fruit intensity holds its own. Dark fruit combined with oak sweetness on the palate but overall the balance between fruit and oak is better than on the Clos de la Roche. Firm and smooth on the palate. Has both depth and length as well as a promising future. (JH)
About the producer
Louis Jadot is arguably the most consistent négociant house in Burgundy. It has managed to straddle both the entry-level and fine wine market, while retaining respect in both.