Wine Producing Countries

wines

The 2009 Raymond-Lafon has a slightly smudged bouquet although it gains clarity with time, offering pineapple and peach skin, lanolin and honeysuckle aromas. The palate is well balanced with a fresh entry, slightly edge thanks to the acidity with good concentration and persistence towards the tropical-tinged finish. Good potential. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMPale gold colored, the 2009 Raymond-Lafon gives compelling marmalade, honey nut, pineapple upside down cake and burnt sugar notes with wafts of petrol and paraffin wax. Opulent with savory undertones, the palate delivers loads of citrus fruit sparks among the richness, with a racy backbone and long, fruity finish. While showing some evolution, this still has plenty of cellaring potential.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPRich and intense, with dried pineapple, candied lemon peel and heather honey notes, followed by spice, crème brûlée and lemon meringue. The long, pure finish has great power and precision. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2013 through 2030. 3,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The more closed but potentially greater 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is a 480-case blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of licorice, creme de cassis, camphor and subtle toast. Full-bodied and concentrated, it represents 15% of the total Kapcsandy production. The wine finished with 13.7% alcohol, which in these days is relatively low, although the alcohol levels were down in 2009 through 2011 because of the cooler, less ripe years.Robert Parker | 95+ RPDeep ruby-red. If the Roberta’s smells like Pomerol, this one is Haut-Brion-like in its wild notes of leather and road tar. Wonderfully thick and sweet but a bit funky too, offering plush flavors of black raspberry, licorice, leather and game. Very densely packed wine with nicely integrated acidity and copious, fully ripe tannins. Really scrapes the palate clean on the rising finish. If there’s any brett here, it’s just another element of complexity, as it does not dominate or dry the wine’s fruit. (13.7% alcohol; 96% French oak--80% new--and 4% new Hungarian oak)Vinous Media | 93 VMA substantial effort that weaves together dense, earthy, clay-laced currant, dark berry, sage and cedar. Slow to unfold, but does so gracefully and gets better with each sip. Best from 2013 through 2028. 480 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This is notably fresher than the Chapelle with a strikingly elegant and highly complex nose that displays perfumed and notably ripe red currant and cassis aromas that are liberally laced with warm earth and spice hints. There is good intensity and detail to the opulently textured medium weight plus flavors that are blessed with a seemingly endless reserve of sap on the gorgeously long finish. This is a really impressive effort and if the palate complexity can eventually match that of the nose, this should be able to achieve, or perhaps even exceed, the upper end of my predicted range.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2009 Griottes is a dead ringer for the 1985 at the same stage of development, as the wine soars from the glass in a very ripe and very pure mélange of red and black cherries, cocoa, a great base of soil, grilled meats and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very opulent on the attack, with a great core of fruit, lovely, tangy acids and superb backend grip and focus on the complex and ripely tannic finish. This is voluptuous and almost syrupy in its sappiness, much like the 1985 was in its infancy. Superb wine. (Drink between 2018 - 2050)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is another big, super-ripe wine loaded with dark fruit. This is almost port-like in its intensity, with endless layers of blueberries, blackberries, spices and white flowers that build towards the substantial, textured finish. The Griotte is a totally seductive wine endowed with fabulous harmony and tons of personality. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-94 RPThe 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is another big, super-ripe wine loaded with dark fruit. This is almost port-like in its intensity, with endless layers of blueberries, blackberries, spices and white flowers that build towards the substantial, textured finish. The Griotte is a totally seductive wine endowed with fabulous harmony and tons of personality.Vinous Media | 91-94 VM

Almost as good, yet in a completely different style, the 2009 Cornas is about as sexy and voluptuous as Cornas gets! Loaded with kirsch, licorice, dried flowers and smoked meat-like aromas and flavors, this awesome 2009 has thrilling concentration, full-bodied richness and knockout length. It has the fruit to impress today, but needs 3-4 years of bottle age and will have over two decades of longevity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPPossesses the delicious ripeness of the vintage, replete with dense layers of braised fig, steeped plum and black currant alongside bitter cherry notes. The structure, however, is strident and authoritative, resembling a 2010 with chalk, olive paste and warm brick notes coursing through the finish. Lock this one away for a while. Best from 2016 through 2030. 1,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOpaque violet color. The nose offers a kaleidoscopic bouquet of red and dark berry scents along with incense, candied violet, licorice and smoky minerals. Pretty much a distillation of syrah, showing superb clarity and intensity on the palate, with excellent depth and clarity to the sweet black raspberry and floral pastille flavors. The mineral quality builds with air and adds focus and cut to the long, spicy, strikingly pure finish. This is one of the best wines I tasted from the northern Rhone this vintage and appears to be destined for a very long life.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The 2009 Musigny is a huge, structured wine within the context of the domaine. Big, tannins support a highly expressive core of dark fruit, smoke and licorice. This is a decidedly powerful, almost extreme style of Musigny that will require considerable patience to settle down. An explosive, mineral-drenched finish lingers on the palate. The 2009 is flat-out dazzling. Wow. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2009 Musigny is a huge, structured wine within the context of the domaine. Big, tannins support a highly expressive core of dark fruit, smoke and licorice. This is a decidedly powerful, almost extreme style of Musigny that will require considerable patience to settle down. An explosive, mineral-drenched finish lingers on the palate. The 2009 is flat-out dazzling. Wow.Vinous Media | 98 VMAs brilliant the nose of the Amoureuses might be, this ups the ante considerably as this offers fireworks in a glass with its positively kaleidoscopic array of spice, violets and ripe fruit elements that if anything are even fresher. The rich, dense and overtly powerful broad-scaled flavors possess a tight muscularity yet remain elegant and refined with a linear, palate staining and explosive backend that delivers simply huge length. An incredible effort that should live for a very long time indeed. The word fabulous does not do this monument in the making complete justice.Burghound | 98 BHThe 2009 Musigny had been racked the day before my visit, but was still showing very well indeed. This too is quite a bit riper and more fruit-driven in profile than is customarily the case chez Mugnier, but there is an awful lot to like here in that riper style. The bouquet offers up a ripe and flamboyant mélange of black cherries, plums, cocoa, lovely soil tones, a bit of coffee bean and a nice topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and voluptuous on the attack, with a beautiful, sappy core of fruit, great length and grip and a very focused, pure and opulent finish. This will of course never be the most soil-driven vintage of this great wine, but Musigny brings an awful lot to the table in terms of fruit complexity, and this is a pretty stunning wine. I am sure that there are some Burgundy lovers out there that are going to taste this flamboyant vintage of Musigny and conclude that I have underscored it by three or four points! (Drink between 2016 - 2050)John Gilman | 94 JG

The 2009 Echezeaux comes across as rich, powerful and totally seductive. It shows considerable richness and depth in a more immediate style than the 2010. The aromatics and nuance of the 2010 are missing, but in exchange readers will find a deep, fleshy wine that will deliver considerable pleasure with minimum cellaring. I especially like the intensity of the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2034.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2009 Echézeaux comes across as rich, powerful and totally seductive. It shows considerable richness and depth in a more immediate style than the 2010. The aromatics and nuance of the 2010 are missing, but in exchange readers will find a deep, fleshy wine that will deliver considerable pleasure with minimum cellaring. I especially like the intensity of the finish.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2009 Mugneret Echézeaux is one of the riper wines in the cellar this year, but it does not lose any of its purity or fidelity to its underlying soil as a result. Rather, the wine takes on a very Henri Jayer-like flamboyant aspect to it that is a bit out of character for this bottling in most vintages, but is really very attractive and quite a classic interpretation of 2009. The bouquet soars from the glass in a stunning and sappy mélange of red and black cherries, woodsmoke, gamebirds, cocoa, complex soil tones, fresh herbs and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with superb purity, ripe tannins and stunning length and grip on the beautiful finish. Stylistically, this is worlds away from the very pure and transparent 2008 Echézeaux chez Mugneret, but qualitatively it is every bit as fine. (Drink between 2018 - 2060)John Gilman | 95 JGA blend of both wood and natural spice adds breadth and interest to the notably ripe red raspberry and black cherry suffused nose that also displays a delicate floral note that is picked up by the supple but detailed medium weight plus flavors. There is unusually good energy here, particular for the vintage, and this culminates in a driving and impressively long finish that exhibits a velvety and seductive mouth feel. Overall, this is a suave and quite powerful effort that delivers outstanding quality.Burghound | 94 BH

Also incredibly concentrated, with burly structure and a mountain of tannin, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard (99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot) delivers a seriously intense array of blackberry and kirsch-styled fruit, licorice, charcoal and spice box on both the nose and palate. Aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak and a big, broad shouldered, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, it possesses a rocking mid-palate and fabulous length on the finish. Really showing the power of its Red Mountain terroir, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age to become civilized and will have decades of evolution. Drink 2017-2034.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPQuilceda Creek’s Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a dense, exotic and luxurious nose: a mix of roasted coffee, dark fruit and Asian spice. At first it’s quite dense and unyielding, but it opens slowly over a period of days—not hours—remaining dense and compact, with a remarkable array of dark fruits and barrel flavors. As with its companion reds from Quilceda Creek, this is a wine to cellar for decades. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(includes 1% merlot): Bright medium ruby. Cassis aroma lifted by sandalwood. Densely packed and intense, with terrific energy to its chewy flavors of dark berries, licorice pastille and minerals. Less plush and harmonious today than the estate’s flagship cabernet but this superconcentrated wine (made from a yield of just 1.5 tons per acre, according to Paul Golitzin) boasts a serious tannic spine and great energy and length. Should be the best release for this bottling. It’s blacker than the cabernet and less seamless today but I would not bet against this chewy bottling in the long run.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

The 2009 Bonnes Mares opens with gorgeous aromatics that lead to a muscular core of fruit. The wine finds its inner elegance on the mid-palate and finish, where hints of candied fruit and violets come together, adding lift and elegance. The combination of aromatic expressiveness and nuanced fruit elevate this to a very high level. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RPThe 2009 Bonnes Mares opens with gorgeous aromatics that lead to a muscular core of fruit. The wine finds its inner elegance on the mid-palate and finish, where hints of candied fruit and violets come together, adding lift and elegance. The combination of aromatic expressiveness and nuanced fruit elevate this to a very high level.Vinous Media | 93-96 VMModerate reduction kills an evaluation of the nose. However there is marvelous density to the serious and muscular broad-shouldered flavors that brim with tannin buffering dry extract and flat out incredible length, indeed it’s possible that this, along with the Richebourg, possesses the longest finish of any wine in the range. A stunner of a Bonnes Mares built for the long haul.Burghound | 93-96 BH

This is aromatically much more reticent at present with more obvious floral and spice influence along with the somber and quite earthy red berry fruit notes. There is good richness and intensity to the medium-bodied and fleshy flavors that possess an emphatic finishing austerity. I like the Cistercian character this displays though it will not be to everyone’s taste. Note that I suspect the current reserved quality will pass with a few years of bottle age.Burghound | 89-91 BH

This impressively complete wine offers up very ripe aromas of spice, earth and game that introduce strikingly rich, naturally sweet and mouth coating big-bodied flavors that explode on the formidably long finish. This is a classy wine with absolutely superb complexity, impeccable balance and almost uncanny presence, all delivered with grace and power. Be prepared to be patient however as this will need plenty of time. A ’wow’ wine that possess excellent verve, especially within the context of the ’09 vintage.Burghound | 96 BHThe opulent 2009 Clos de la Roche seems a bit more black fruity in its personality than the equally flamboyant, but much more red fruity 1985 version, at least at this early stage in its evolution. The nose is deep, pure and sappy, as it offers up scents of black cherries, plums, roasted venison, fresh herb tones, coffee and a very complex signature of soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with a huge core of sappy fruit, excellent focus and balance, suave, but substantial tannins and brilliant length and grip on the opulent and palate-staining finish. (Drink between 2020 - 2070)John Gilman | 96+ JGThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering Burgundy that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way. Anticipated maturity: 2029-2049.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-97 RPThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering wine that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way.Vinous Media | 94-97 VM

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard gives up bold blackcurrant cordial, blackberry compote and raspberry pie scents with hints of chocolate-covered cherries, roses and lilacs plus hints of charcuterie and yeast extract. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully elegant, with wonderful vivacity and perfume and a satiny texture with a very long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPure sensuality in the glass, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth. At the same time, the Kayli Morgan has a track record of developing beautifully in bottle, and I imagine that is exactly what will happen here. Cedar, spice box, cassis and plums burst from the glass in this impressive, layered wine. A hint of mocha develops later, but it is pretty clear the 2009 is playing its cards close to the vest. There is enough inner tension to make me think the 2009 has a very bright future. Jayson Woodbridge describes 2009 as a year with a tiny crop and equally small berries. It is also the year Woodbridge brought in a helicopter to dry out the fruit after the mid-October typhoon dropped a huge amount of rain on Napa Valley.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGPure and understated, with a charming mix of elegant ripe black cherry and plum, subtle fresh earth, tobacco and cedar, ending with fleshy, fine-grained tannins. Less opulent than prior vintages. Drink now through 2024. 600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2009 Dom Ruinart has been absolutely fabulous on two separate occasions. Chef de Caves Frédéric Panaïotis turned out a brilliant edition of this tête de cuvée that offers a compelling balance of richness and vibrancy. Citrus, mineral, spice and dried flowers are all beautifully delineated throughout. In 2009 Dom Ruinart has a bit less fruit from the Montagne de Reims and more from the Côte des Blancs (specifically Cramant, Avize, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger) than has often been the case. This approach gives the wine more tension and steeliness than readers might expect in a vintage known for generally forthcoming Champagnes. I would not be in any rush to open the 2009, as it very clearly needs time. The only question is how much. Superb. (Originally published in May 2021)Antonio Galloni | 97 AGAn expansive and luxurious blanc de blancs Champagne with incredible depth of toasty and creamy character from long contact with the yeast. Flows over the palate in a single, great wave that extends into the enveloping and energetic finish, making you forget all the troubles of the world. Subtle floral, peach, candied-citrus and spicy notes. Spot-on balance and so lively, it surely has many years ahead of it. 80% of the cuvée is from Avize, Chouilly, Oger and Le Mesnil, plus 20% Montagne de Reims. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSIt was monk Dom Thierry Ruinart who, three centuries ago, inspired his nephew Nicolas to create what is widely held to be the oldest Champagne company. This cuvée is a creation inspired by only the most exceptional vintages of Chardonnay. The first Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs was created in 1959. Simon Field MW: Bright and persistent mousse. Has finely grained acidic structure, deferential to the ripe and generous fruit, holding everything together with real gusto. Alan Bednarski: Marvellous, crisp and still fresh, getting into slightly ripe and dry stone fruits with a scent of dry herbs, orange peel and yoghurt pie. Tim Hall: A struck-match style but nevertheless crowd-winning appeal here. A triumph of pure and well-wrought texture, spice, developed fruit and length. Very good in its style. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is showing very well out of the gates, wafting from the glass with aromas of stone fruits, wheat toast, blanched almonds and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, with an ample core of fruit, bright acids and chalky grip, it's complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is a charming, generous Dom Ruinart, yet it's also quite structured for the vintage and should enjoy a long life.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThere's a lovely, buoyant vibrancy to this round and harmonious blanc de blancs, with well-honed acidity wrapped in the fine mousse. Flavors of baked pineapple, ripe apricot, candied ginger and lemon thyme expand on the palate through to the minerally finish of chalk and smoke. Disgorged March 2018. Drink now through 2031.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2009 Gruaud Larose is blended of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot. Medium to deep garnet colored, it charges forth with warm black raspberries, crème de cassis and redcurrant jelly notes with touches of potpourri, cigar box, new leather, hoisin and molten chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with black fruits and savory layers with a firm, grainy texture and seamless freshness lifting the long earth-laced finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA spicy and fat rich wine, atypical of Bordeaux. There is grip and depth of flavour here with blackcurrant coulis and some lovely menthol edging. A balanced wine. (Drink between 2016-2024)Decanter | 90 DEC

A notably floral, spicy and very cool nose is trimmed in noticeable but reasonable wood and leads to very rich, round and velvety big-bodied and powerful flavors that culminate in a moderately oaked but strikingly long finish. Again, the oak is not subtle on the palate but there appears to be more than enough concentration to handle it.Burghound | 91-94 BH

What a nose. You see the chocolate, orange peel, sweet tobacco. Goes to milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and round tannin structure. Creamy texture. Like the great 1995. Sweet and beautiful. Try in 2016.James Suckling | 95 JSThe second wine, the 2009 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, is almost as large a cuvee as the grand vin. This 7,000-case cuvee is a blend of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest small quantities of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Once again the burning ember/scorched earth characteristic that often comes from Haut-Brion is found in the second wine, along with more kirsch and cassis, fewer nuances and less complexity than its bigger sibling. The wine is full-bodied with the minerality offered by this terroir as well as plenty of sweet tannins. This is the finest second wine Haut-Brion has produced since the astonishing 1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion. Enjoy it over the next two decades.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 2009 Clarence de Haut-Brion has a refined and elegant bouquet with pure red fruit, undergrowth, clove and leather, perhaps just a little brettanomyces becoming more obvious with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, rounded in texture with truffle and leather infused red fruit. There is fine grip on the finish and it should continue to age extremely well in bottle. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis delivers the textbook profile of the appellation and vintage, with dense but mouthwatering tar, cassis, blackberry, bay leaf and dark cocoa notes all melded together and driving through the grippy finish. Approachable, but better with some time. Best from 2013 through 2023. 6,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe second wine of Haut-Brion, the 2009 Le Clarence Haut Brion checks in as 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Offering a classic bouquet of blackcurrants, scorched earth, roasted herbs and earthy, gravely nuances, this beauty is broad, expansive and full-bodied on the palate, with ample depth, density, and structure. There’s no harm drinking bottles today, yet it has two decades of longevity ahead of it as well.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDA rich wine, with soft, juicy tannins, some spice, the tannins dry at the center. Good structure, touch of wood.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Clinet has been on a hot streak lately and the 2009 appears to be the greatest wine ever made at the estate, surpassing even the late Jean-Michel Arcaute’s monumental 1989. A blend of 85% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc (12%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%), this big Pomerol boasts an opaque, moonless night inky/blue/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of blueberry pie, incense, truffles, black raspberries, licorice and wood smoke. Viscous and multi-dimensional with silky, sweet tannin, massive fruit concentration and full-bodied power, there are nearly 4,000 cases of this thick, juicy, perfect Clinet. It should drink well in 3-5 years and keep for 25-30.Robert Parker | 100 RPA big-shouldered, powerful and classic Pomerol. Inky black in colour even at 11 years old, this is concentrated yet juicy and built for pleasure, filled with dense black cherries, fleshy raspberries, liquorice and shaved chocolate. On soils that are largely clay and gravel, with sandier sections, making it an excellent reflection of the appellation, and more than showcasing its ability to deliver superbly brushed tannins that gently pillow the Merlot-dominant fruit. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECAromas of dark fruits, hazelnut and dark chocolate, follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins that are polished and refined. Beautiful depth of fruit to this. Best in 2018.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2009 Clinet has an impressive and complex bouquet with liquorice and truffle infused black fruit, hints of desiccated orange peel and even a dab of honey. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, succulent, and fine tannins (although not as fine as the 2009 La Conseillante) with a dense, precocious and heady finish. There is hedonism here, but it is on a tight leash. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMVery lush and exotic, boasting plum sauce, crushed fig, warm raspberry confiture and steeped black currant fruit all dripping over a racy but buried graphite spine. The long, dark finish has plenty of stuffing for the long haul. Really beautifully rendered. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2015 through 2034. 3,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA smooth, superripe wine, full of the sweetest fruit, big and rich. It is opulent, a powerhouse of dense Merlot fruits, rounded out with soft tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Pale gold in color, the 2009 Doisy Daëne features expressive notes of honeyed lemons, dried mango slices, apricot tart and Seville orange marmalade with a touch of shaved almonds. The palate delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and citrus preserves layers with great purity and a lively backbone, finishing wonderfully zesty and youthful.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPQuite high-pitched now, with lots of green plum and green almond notes laced with bright honeysuckle and heather. The background shows more lemon shortbread, grapefruit pâte de fruit and persimmon, while the finish offsets the sweetness with a lively quinine note. Distinctive, but will need time to come together. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2015 through 2030. 4,509 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA fresh and aromatic bouquet sets off this light, dancing style of wine. It has acidity and a lemon curd flavor, proving to be sweet and citrusy at the same time. It’s developing well.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2009 Doisy-Daëne is missing a little cohesion at the moment. Scents of dried honey and caramelised pears with nice definition but I would like more energy. The palate is better than the nose: fresh on the entry with honeyed, mango, quince and spice, well balanced with good botrytis on the finish. If the aromatics improve it will merit a higher score. This may be going through a dumb phase. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 90 VM(Château Doisy-Daëne (Barsac)) Doisy-Daëne has been on a real tear for this entire decade and the 2009 will be yet again another outstanding bottle of wine and one of the great steals from the vintage. The bouquet is deep, pure and classy, as it offers up a lovely mélange of pears, pineapple, orange blossoms, gentle notes of honey comb, spring flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and racy, with great focus, fine mid-palate depth and excellent length and grip on the bouncy and light on its feet finish. A terrific vintage of Doisy-Daëne. (Drink between 2016-2040).John Gilman | 90-92+ JG

The 2009 Dominus is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it rolls easily, sensuously out of the glass with evolving fruit notes of baked blackcurrants, plum preserves, mulberries and fruitcake plus underlying suggestions of charcuterie, camphor, chocolate-covered cherries and candied violets with just a touch of cast iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in balance, with loads of emerging black fruit and earthy layers and a solid line of finely grained tannins, finishing very long with a perfumed lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPDeep ruby opaque colored, the 2009 Dominus is a killer bottle of wine made from 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot. Loaded with notions of black currants, black cherries, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and crushed flowers, this beauty is full-bodied, deep, concentrated, and decadent. Perfectly balanced, pure and layered, it’s a sensational wine and you should count yourself lucky if you have bottles of this in the cellar. It will keep for another two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDStunning nose of lavender and flowers. Currants and raspberries. Subtle and intriguing. Full and dense but wonderfully balanced with firm and silky tannins and a persistent finish. Dusty texture. A wine so balanced that you want to drink it already. Better in 2017.James Suckling | 98 JSBright, full ruby-red. Highly complex, thoroughly ripe scents of black raspberry, cassis, dark plum, tar, tobacco, mocha and minerals, lifted by a violet topnote. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained but still quite youthful, spreading out to coat the palate without leaving any undue impression of weight. Shows a distinct black cherry medicinal reserve. This very smooth wine finishes with a broad dusting of ripe tannins and steadily building length. Approachable now owing to its successfully integrated acidity and tannins, but I'd rather give this beauty a bit more time in the cellar.Vinous Media | 94 VMDelightfully harmonious given its intensity, with complex aromas of savory herbs, flowers, ripe and dried currant and berry, crushed rock and cedar flavors. Well-proportioned, focused and persistent. Very youthful and vibrant. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2030. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSWhile this is not the best Dominus vintage, it does show elegantly smooth tannins, dryness and earthiness that accompanies the black­berry and cassis fruit. It's curiously soft, which might limit its ageability. Shows an uncanny similarity to the 2000.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Dark and structured, this is a firm wine. It has a smoky wood character, powerful tannins over intensely ripe fruit. Acidity and sweetness balance to give a dense wine, powered with richness and destined to age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WESilky and rich, this showcases black cherry with gourmet touches and swirls of black pepper and rosemary. There’s certainly an exotic edge here, with the natural drawing in of its Médoc tannins and highly enjoyable mouthwatering finish. It’s a good Giscours with clear personality, focus and balance. Decant if drinking it in the next five years. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECThis powerful, yet well-structured Margaux has a lot of positive cabernet sauvignon character (cassis, ripe plum) for the appellation. Long, very clean positive finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2009 Giscours has a generous and complex bouquet with well defined blackberry, cedar, mocha and light ferrous notes, more like a Saint-Julien than Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, fresh and vibrant with curry leaf and graphite. A dash of white pepper pops up towards the finish. This is a very fine Giscours to enjoy over the next 15 to 20 years. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting..Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is alluring, with lots of incense, warm espresso and roasted mesquite notes leading the way for a sleek core of mouthwatering black currant and blackberry fruit. The long finish lets the mesquite edge linger, with well-embedded grip. Rock-solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2009 Gracia competes handsomely with the spectacular 2005 and 2000 vintages. A slightly more evolved and fleshy effort, the inky/purple-hued 2009 (75 % Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a massive, thick powerhouse with 14.5% natural alcohol. Proprietor Michel Gracia often makes a wine that is similar to that of his friend, the proprietor of Ausone. Blueberry, blackberry, licorice, forest floor, smoke and graphite aromas jump from the glass of this unctuously textured, layered, multidimensional St.-Emilion. Displaying an inner core of extract (yields were only 19 hectoliters per hectare) and not a hard edge to be found, this youthful 2009 tastes more like a barrel sample than a finished wine. It will benefit from 5-10 years of cellaring and should last for 3-4 decades.Robert Parker | 98 RPBlackberry with earth and spices follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a long caressing finish. Plenty of ripe fruit underneath the structure. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 94 JS(15% alcohol): Bright, deep ruby-red. Sexy blueberry, mineral and smoky oak aromas are lifted by a violet topnote. Fat, sweet, dense and plush but not monolithic, showing good spicy lift and delineation to the superconcentrated black fruit and smoky oak flavors. Finishes with very suave tannins and a hint of chocolate mint. This may well surpass Michel Gracia's outstanding 2005 release, as the new wine shows flamboyant early personality.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis exhibits ripe, succulent flesh and nice concentration to its core of plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, all laced with anise, toasted spice and sweet tobacco notes. Has heft but stays nicely polished through the finish. Very solid. Drink now through 2019. 375 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

One of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage, this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrilling levels of opulence, richness and aromatic pleasures. A soaring bouquet of creme de cassis, charcoal, graphite and spring flowers is followed by a super-concentrated wine with silky tannins, stunning amounts of glycerin, a voluptuous, multilayered mouthfeel and nearly 14% natural alcohol. Displaying fabulous definition for such a big, plump, massive, concentrated effort, I suspect the tannin levels are high even though they are largely concealed by lavish amounts of fruit, glycerin and extract. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe greatest wine I’ve ever tasted from this address is the 2009 Léoville Poyferré, which is a step up over both the 2000 and the 2010. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit 13.9% alcohol, it offers everything you could ask of a wine and reveals a saturated purple color as well as incredible notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, lead pencil, exotic Spices, and dried flowers. Incredibly full-bodied, super concentrated, deep, and opulent, yet still pure, fresh, and lively, it has sweet tannin and a hedonistic vibe that hides its underlying structure. Drink it anytime over the coming three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDBeautiful blueberries and blackberries with some blackcurrants and flowers on the nose. Some black olives and crushed stones, too. Full-bodied with creamy tannins and lovely depth. The tannins are so integrated and plush, but fine-grained. Persistent finish. A red that gives wonderful pleasure now, but will continue to do so for decades ahead.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2009 Léoville Poyferré has an outstanding bouquet with blackberry, mint and cedar aromas, almost Pauillac in style, very dense and with plenty of horsepower. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannins that frame layers of blackberry infused with graphite and white pepper. I love the symmetry and control of this Poyferré, in particular its persistent finish. This is a magnificent wine from Didier Cuvelier. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMRich, exotic and generous, this is still young and firm but light on its feet, dancing through the palate. There’s lovely depth to the fruit, with a great silky texture. Those tannins bite in all the right places. Very good indeed. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 96 DECAn immensely structured wine, packed with dark tannins promising aging potential. It is complex, powerful, layered with new wood and concentration, finishing with dark plum fruits and acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WESolid notes of steeped black currant, ganache-coated fig and plum eau de vie pump along in this very dark red, but with well-integrated structure. Long and winey through the finish, with the grip extending everything nicely. Best from 2016 through 2026. 17,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A brilliant wine that stands out as one of the high points of the vintage, the 2009 Montrose unwinds in the glass with a rich and incipiently complex bouquet of dark berries, cigar wrapper and loamy soil, framed by a deftly judged touch of new oak. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it’s a velvety, layered and impressively dynamic wine that’s deep and concentrated, exhibiting terrific balance and a long, resonant finish. While it is still five or six years away from showing all its cards, I have drunk this benchmark for contemporary Montrose with immense pleasure three times this year. In style, it’s hard to find an obvious comparison (and I have drunk Montrose back to 1895), but I would be inclined to invoke a fresher, more complete and more powerful version of the estate’s very successful 2003.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2009 Montrose has a taut, brilliantly defined bouquet with intense black fruit laced with crushed stone, forest floor, crushed rose petals and a touch of slate. Magnificent. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, good depth and grip, plenty of graphite locked in here with a bravura finish that indicates that this Saint-Estèphe is in for the long-haul. It may well deserve a higher score as it evolves in bottle. Everything you wish for in a Montrose. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 98+ VMFor the very ripe vintage this has a herbal and wet earth nose that’s very cool. Then on the palate there’s a ton of ripe cassis, polished fine tannins and a tremendous freshness powering the very long dry finish. One of the stars of the vintage that’s just beginning to enter its best form. This is normally a perfect wine but perhaps not a perfect bottle? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 98 JSA bit of a brute, with a very chewy bittersweet ganache, tobacco and roasted fig core splayed open right now by a dagger of roasted apple wood, allspice and cedar. Long and dense through the finish, with a strong singed iron edge. The stuffing is certainly there, but this will take a while to come together as it’s running unbridled right now. Proves you can still get classic old-school Bordeaux. Best from 2020 through 2040. 17,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA brilliant Montrose, and a great window into what St Estèphe can deliver. This is fresh and concentrated, with ripe cassis fruits, sweet vanilla bean and black pepper spice notes alongside robust tannins, 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Jean-Bernard Delmas was estate director for this wine, and is making the most of the complex soils that are gravel-dominant towards the river, with pockets of sand over clay and limestone where the Merlots tend to be planted. Starting to feel ready to drink, but is going nowhere in a hurry. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042.Decanter | 97 DECEnormous tannins, dominant black fruit and a solid, dense structure. The wine, packed with dark fruits, dry tannins, very firm in character. With its huge tannins as well as fruit, this is a wine that really needs many years of aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Château Montrose) For lovers of old school claret, the 2009 Montrose is your wine! Jean Delmas has eschewed every modern accoutrement in this traditionally-styled, broad-shouldered and very structured Montrose, and I am hard-pressed to think of any vintage since the legendary wines of the 1920s that have emerged from this property with this kind of potential. The bouquet is deep, reticent and bottomless, as it offers up scents of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, cigar ash, a very complex base of gravelly soil tones and a bit of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and powerful in a very classic way (in comparison to the caricature of a wine at Cos this year), with a rock solid core of fruit, very firm, but ripe and well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and a very, very long, focused and soil-driven finish. This is the real deal in 2009 and clearly one of the wines of the vintage. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 93-95 JG

Revealing incredible quality and performing better than it did from barrel, the 2009 appears to be the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron since the 1990 and 1989. An amazing opaque blue/purple color is followed by scents of spring flowers, graphite, smoky charcoal, incense, blackberries, blueberries and hints of coffee and chocolate. Incredibly intense, pure and flawlessly constructed with extravagant layers of fruit and richness, this offering has developed beautifully under the management of Christian Seeley. It is a voluptuous, opulent Pichon Longueville Baron that may eclipse anything they have made in the past. This brilliant wine should be at its peak between 2018 and 2045.Robert Parker | 98 RPStraight away the deep, rich colour tells you that this is a sexy, powerful wine, barely hitting the next stage of evolution at seven years old. The nose is rich and spicy, and carries through perfectly onto the palate of exotic, spiced plum flavours with a tarry, liquorice edge. Great confidence on display. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot. Drinking Window 2017 - 2045Decanter | 98 DECThe 2009 Pichon-Baron replicates its epic performance at the vertical tasted last year. It has one of the finest bouquets among the group of Pauillac with copious blackberry, mint, melted tar and graphite notes, fresh and supremely well focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very well judged acidity. Harmonious with plenty of tobacco and pencil lead infused black fruit towards the persistent finish. Awesome. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis delivers a massive core of black Mission fig, black currant paste and roasted fig fruit, backed by alder wood, bay leaf, singed cedar and maduro tobacco. The finish lets a racy iron note take over. Long and authoritative, with gorgeous acidity giving the balance for long-term cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2030. 13,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSBold, smoky and chocolatey, this is a concentrated and massive wine for the Medoc, the alcohol showing slightly at the bold warm finish. Where is that T-bone steak? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 95 JS(Château Pichon Longueville) The 2009 Pichon Longueville is a very, very successful example of the “luxe” style in Pauillac. The nose is deep and very enticing (in its strumpet manner), as it offers up scents of sappy black cherries, cassis, coffee, Cuban cigar smoke, a lovely base of gravelly soil tones and plenty of nutty, beautifully integrated new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, utterly suave and polished, with excellent mid-palate depth, great focus and balance and a very long, ripely tannic and seductive finish. This will not demand a lot of time structurally before it is drinkable, but it would still make good sense to give it a full decade in the cellar to allow its secondary layers to fully blossom. A very well-made wine that is obviously inspired by the new Lafite style, and does an admirable job in turning out a luxurious example of the vintage. But should not a Comtesse be more of a strumpet than a Baron? Ah, well, it is all very much above me. (Drink between 2020-2070)John Gilman | 92-93+ JG

An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically – a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries. A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2075.Robert Parker | 100 RPA consistently perfect wine every time I’ve had it, the 2009 Château Pontet-Canet is the greatest wine from this address to date as well as one of the greatest Pauillacs out there. Still youthfully ruby/purple and with a gorgeous perfume of blackcurrants, lead pencil, graphite, crushed rocks, and damp earth, it’s still youthful but is just now starting to show more nuance and complexity. Full-bodied on the palate, with a powerful, concentrated mid-palate, incredible depth of fruit, and flawless balance, Bordeaux simply does not get any better. You couldn’t have too much of this in the cellar, and this magical wine is going to drink brilliantly for another 50 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA superb wine, with the purest fruit, great freshness and ripeness. It is certainly structured with dry tannins, but the blackcurrant freshness is all there. The wine has a great limpid, flowing feel, lbut also power.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEStunning aromas of fresh flowers, with blueberries, blackberries and currants that follow through to a full body, with super balance and finesse. The tannins are super polished. Such class here. Best ever from here. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2018.James Suckling | 98 JSThis is amazingly expressive now considering how huge it is, with stunning espresso and warm fig confiture aromas followed by lush layer after layer of blackberry paste, cassis and plum sauce. A terrific loam underpinning strides in on the finish, which is weighty but sports serious cut. Equal parts fruit and earth. Best from 2018 through 2038. 26,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2009 Pontet-Canet needs more encouragement from the glass than its peers, but it rewards the imbiber with seductive pure cassis and blackberry fruit, touches of autumn leaves and pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with firm but fine tannin, a lovely bead of acidity. A harmonious, brown spice and smoke tinged finish fans out with confidence. You could open this now but it still has two more decades of drinking pleasure to give. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMSumptuous black-fruits nose, vividly aromatic, as well as minty, stylish, and toasty. Very rich, broad, full-bodied and generous, with very ripe tannins and a lot fo spice. Perhaps slightly lower acidity than usual but has punch and persistence all the same. Approachable, just, but will benefit from more age. Good length with a chewy but not astringent finish. Drinking Window 2018 - 2035Decanter | 95 DEC