90-92

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

(a blend of purchased wine from two sources): Good full red. Aromas of cherry, herbs and oak show a youthfully medicinal quality. Powerful but a touch dry; this strikes me a bit energetically extracted at the expense of the vintage's potential silkiness. The medicinal menthol quality is complicated by notes of brown spices and earth, but the wine's primary fruit is very much in the background today. Finishes dry and imploded, with strong tannins. Not my favorite style of Clos de la Roche. Jadot has eight barrels of this wine, four made via a classic vinification, according to Barnier, and four using more modern, extractive techniques. 12/2016

92-94

Neal Martin

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2015 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a voluminous and extravagant bouquet with blooms of red berry fruit, although I found myself more drawn to the complex and intellectual Clos Saint-Denis. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin. This is a masculine, assertive Clos de la Roche, quite saline in the mouth with a feisty, spicy finish. This is a fine grand cru from Louis Jadot, though not one of their top releases this vintage. As is customary, I conducted two tasting sessions devoted to almost the entire range of wines from Louis Jadot, one for the white and the other reds, with head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. "In 2015 there is not a huge difference in the cycle between Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. The beginning of the cycle it was very hot, reducing the windows between the warm and cooler place, so everything was quite ripe at the same time, even from Chablis to Beaujolais. There are 2 main periods: when it was very hot and dry, from May until the first half of July and after that, we had a more balanced summer with some water, whilst the weather was not as hot as before. Flowering was quick and véraison was later compared to the cycle at the end of July (although early compared to another vintage like 2016). This was important to have good balance in the grapes, and not too low in acidity. The rain rejuvenated the vines. When the grapes were picked, the weather was not extreme. In 2015 you feel the concentration and ripeness, but also the freshness with good acidity. Nothing is 'cooked' as you can have in a hot summer." 12/2016