Corton Pougets, Louis Jadot 2016

The Pougets is one of the stars of the Jadot range in 2016, leaping from the glass with a deep bouquet of sapid black fruit, mossy soil, roasted game, coffee and game bird. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, bright and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, supple tannins and superb energy on the long, penetrating finish. 2024-2045

Only a trace of wood influence frames gamy red and dark currant aromas that are liberally laced with spice and earth hints. As is usually the case, the mouth feel of the middle weight plus flavors is powerful, tautly muscular and energetic while offering excellent depth and length on the serious, markedly austere and very backward finish where touches of wood and warmth show up. While I suspect that this will be approachable after only 8 to 10 years, it will need the better part of 20 to arrive at its full potential.

Happily, with the frosts in Aloxe-Corton further down the hill of Corton, the Pougets from Maison Jadot was untouched by the freeze and the 2016 is going to be an outstanding vintage of this superb bottling. The bouquet is deep, pure and refined, offering up scents of cherries, red currants, bonfire, venison, coffee, a complex base of soil tones, cedar and a fine, spicy topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and very soil-driven in personality, with a rock solid core, ripe, seamless tannins and perfect balance on the long and nascently complex finish. This is a complete wine in every respect and simply needs some time in the cellar to start to blossom.

Strong wood/menthol influence frames red and dark currant aromas that are liberally laced with spice and earth hints. As is usually the case, the mouth feel of the middle weight flavors is much finer than that of either the Grèves or the Clos du Roi but less concentrated while offering excellent depth and length on the saline finish.