The day's top wines live from the Burgundy 2009 en primeur tastings in London
Côte d’Or
By Stephen Brook
Today has been an immersion course in 2009 Burgundy: 4 importers’ tastings, over 200 wines tasted and noted, and ten hours on my feet. But the wines have not been difficult to taste. Acidity is moderate in the white wines, and the red wines, while quite tannic, are rarely hard or extracted. This is a vintage that will give much pleasure over the next few years, and the top wines will age well. Is the hype fully justified? I think not. This is not a uniformly great vintage, but I may need to revise that view over the next few days, as more wines from more growers are tasted. David Roberts of Goedhuis & Co hit the nail on the head when he told me: ‘This is a year when climate often overrides terroir. In a more difficult year such as 2008 the differences between the crus was striking. In 2009 the sheer ripeness of the grapes dominated.’ That seems spot on to me, and it’s both a strength and a weakness. Tomorrow I shall comment on the character of both the white and red wines.
Domaine François Lamarche, Grand Cru, La Grande Rue 2009
Rich dense cherry nose. Plump, rich, and full-bodied, spicy, powerful, with energy and depth, complexity and persistence. Drink 2015-2030. (18.5 points)
£1750/case (in bond) Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 (020 7484 6400)
Joseph Drouhin, Grand Cru, Le Montrachet 2009
(white) Closed nose, but the palate is powerful and super-concentrated. Rich and full-bodied, this packs a punch, yet remains lifted, elegant, and very persistent. Drink 2015-2030. (18.5 points)
£3395/case (in bond) Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 (020 7484 6400)
Domaine Méo-Camuzet, Aux Brulées, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru 2009
Muted raspberry and cherry nose. Rich and suave, voluptuous, very concentrated, seamless texture and magnificent fruit; spicy, complex, and very long. Drink 2016-2030. (18.5 points)
£2100/case (in bond) Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Jean-Noël Gagnard, Grand Cru, Bâtard-Montrachet 2009
(white) Closed nose. Fresh attack, powerful and compact, almost earthy, with a lot of extract and grip, and exemplary length. Drink 2014-2020. (18 points)
£1490/case (in bond) Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 (020 7484 6400)
Colin-Deléger, Grand Cru, Chevalier-Montrachet 2009
(white) Sweet oaky nose, very ripe. Rich, plump, and concentrated, almost earthy, has weight and power and grip, and a long. nutty, stony finish. Drink 2014-2020. (18 points)
£1500/case (in bond) Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Domaine Robert Chevillon, les Vaucrains, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru 2009
Dense brooding cherry nose. Very rich and dense, powerful and compact, a deep brooding wine but has refined tannins and fine length. Drink 2018-2030. (18 points)
£490/case (in bond) Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 (020 7484 6400)
Domaine Bruno Clair, Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 2009
Sweet elegant perfumed nose, very refined. Rich, concentrated, and sleek, tightly structured but elegant and pure, with firm but not tough tannins. Good length. Drink 2016-2030. (18 points)
£895/case (in bond) Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 (020 7484 6400)
Sylvain Cathiard, les Malconsorts, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru 2009
Spicy oaky nose with lifted red fruits aromas. Rich and suave, fleshy and concentrated, has depth and weight without being heavy-handed or extracted; spicy, nuanced, and long. Drink 2015-2030. (18 points)
POA Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Côte Chalonnaise & Mâconnais
By Margaret Rand
Well, the difficult thing today was finding wines from the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais – and since this was my brief from Decanter it was all a bit frustrating. First stop was Goedhuis, tucked away in Vauxhall. Umpteen bottles, of which about five were my area. So off to Haynes, Hanson & Clark, which turned up another couple. And then to Genesis, where there were another couple. It’s odd, because this should be a vintage that favours these areas. It was warm, and the Côte d’Or wines (if I’m allowed to venture a comment outside my patch; I didn’t spend the entire day tasting ten wines, believe it or not) strike me as a bit up and down. On the strength of these three tastings I don’t think it’s a superb year, though it’s certainly very ‘flatteur’, as François Carillon described it to me at Genesis. But great ripeness isn’t the be-all and end-all in Burgundy, and to my mind some of the wines just lack zip and zing; they lack the drive that makes burgundy compelling. But I did find some nice Chalonnais and Mâconnais wines, and here they are (as I hastily scramble off Stephen Brook’s territory)…
Domaine Laurent Mouton, Grand Pretans, Givry 1er Cru 2009
Lovely bright fruit and supple tannins, very confident, and with the alcohol nicely wrapped into the wine. Drink 2011-8. (16.5 points)
£165/case (in bond) Genesis Wines, London SW1 (020 7963 9060)
Domaine Jean-Pierre Charton, Clos du Roi, Mercurey 1er Cru 2009
Lovely bright fruit with some spice and grip; a thoroughly enjoyable, spicy, brisk wine. Drink 2011-7. (16.5 points)
£150/case (in bond) Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Domaine Faiveley, Champs Fulliot, Monthélie 1er Cru 2009
Distinctly coconut nose: Bernard Hervet of Faiveley points out that it may seem oaky now but it has yet to finish its élevage. It’s a substantial wine with rich, ripe tannins; supple, with a sturdy backbone. Drink 2013-20. (15.5 points)
£165.50/case (in bond) Haynes, Hanson & Clark, Gloucestershire (01451 870808) or London (020 7259 0102)
Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot, Vieux Château, Montagny 1er Cru 2009
(white) Rich, quite exotic fruit with a firm core clothed with elegant flesh; rich smoke and quince flavours. Drink 2011-7. (16 points)
£140/ case (in bond) Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Domaine Jean-Pierre Charton, Naugues, Mercurey 1er Cru 2009
Ripe, with a lovely balance of bright fruit and opulence; very fresh. Drink 2011-7. (16 points)
£175/case (in bond) Goedhuis, London SW8 (020 7793 7900)
Written by Stephen Brook & Margaret Rand
