A Glimpse of 2009 Bordeaux

Earlier this week, a small selection of retailers from around the state were invited to a barrel sample tasting of 2009 Petit Chateaux from Bordeaux over in Fairfield at The Brasserie, a wonderful new French restaurant down there. The 2009 vintage is being heralded as THE vintage of a lifetime (yes, again). I just love the press is giving this vintage:

"The finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux!!!" - Robert M. Parker Jr.

"In France's most famous wine region, Bordeaux, some people are touting the 2009 vintage as the mother of great modern vintages." - James Suckling, Wine Spectator

But with all of this hype, and the prices I have been seeing for the classified growth futures which seem to be getting out of control, I was happy to have the opportunity to see if this vintage was all it is cracked up to be. Now the wines we set to try were only Petit Chateaux, meaning that they are not classified growths and that these bottlings are only the babies of the vintage. This means that these will be bottled early and meant for earlier, rather than later consumption.

The entire tasting lasted a mere two hours or so with something to the tune of 25 or so wines being tried from all corners of Bordeaux. I have to admit that I was damned impressed. The previous Vintage of a Lifetime (2005) was one that when tried in barrel, exhibited wonderful structure and character that proved to only enhance when the finished products finally landed here in the states. With that said, these Petit Chateaux barrel samples were showing in the same capacity; bright, well structured fruit, silky tannins (barrel sample tannins never seem to be over the top) and lovely complexity.

What truly surprised was which side of the river I preferred more. As most know, Bordeaux is basically split in two by the Gironde River, and the two land masses on either side are referred to as the Right Bank and Left Bank. The Left Bank is where Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominate grape whereas the Right Bank is where Merlot is dominate. With that said, I had expected to be severely blown away by the Left Bank wines (this is where Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and the like reside) but much to my surprise, I was blown away by the Right Bank wines! Although both sides were well defined and delectable, the Merlot based wines really showed some amazing definition and dimension, more so than I ever expected.

Below are a few of the wines that stood out and will be here in the store NEXT MONTH!

2009 Chateau La Borne Bordeaux

- 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot

87 Pts Wine Exchange Team - A deep purple color. Slightly jammier blackberry fruits but with a nice balance of herbs on the nose. The palate was much more complex than expected with toasted coffee notes, almonds, black fruits and soft, silky tannins.

2009 Chateau Le Petit Courret Bordeaux - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
88 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Wonderfully deep ruby color. Restrained nose with juicy red black cherry fruits and subtle cocoa notes. Rich red and black cherry fruits and softer tannins than expected and a slight spice towards the finish

2009 Chateau Lieumenant Bordeaux Superieur - 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
88 Pts Wine Exchange Team - A nose of black berries, licorice, tobacco and nutty notes. Wonderfully unfiltered and murky (being a barrel sample) with big spicy notes and rich, robust fruits however not overly oppulent. Lingering finish.

2009 La Roche-Pressac Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
88 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Ruby red color. Chocloate covered strawberries with coffee bean aromas and red fruits. Bigger red fruits with leather and spicy hints on hte finish with relativelysoft tannins. Nice complexity.

2009 Chateau Sainte Barbe Bordeaux - 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
87-89 Pts Robert Parker - Another sleeper of the vintage, this well-made, low level Bordeaux offers delicious black currant fruit notes intermixed with notions of loamy soil and spice box. Its dark ruby/purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with a velvety texture. Enjoy it over the next 3-4 years.

2009 Chateau Maillard Graves - 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot
89 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Dark rich color with huge cracked black pepper notes with layered earthy characterisitcs towards the end. Needs a lot of time to breathe. Red fruits and currants with Herb de Provence hints and a well balanced finish.

2009 Chateau Haut Beyzac Haut-Medoc - 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot
90 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Deep ruby red color. Red cherried nose with raspberries and licorice kicks. Slightly candied fruits coming through as well. Soft and supple but extremely minerally with huge red fruits dominating throughout. Will be great in 5 years!

2009 Chateau La Rose Cantegrit Moulis en Medoc - 80% cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
91 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Chocolate covered candied strawberries are all throughout the nose with very unique aromas for this appellation. Complex fruits and currants with coffee and anise hints. A truly wonderful treat.

2009 Chateau Guillon Nardou Montagne Saint-Emilion - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
90 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Dark ruby color. Hugely earthy and red pepper spiced nose with licorice and black berries. Soft, velvety and fruity with a full-bodied, candied finish.

2009 Chateau Puisseguin La Rigodrie Puisseguin Saint-Emilion - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
89 Pts Wine Exchange Team - An intense garnet red color. Rich red fruits with jammy blackberries on the nose with violets and subtle floral hints as it opens. The palate is lively with black fruits and plums with well integrated tannins and a smooth silky finish.

2009 Clos Albertus Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion - 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
89 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Wonderful scarlet color. Sexy and huge black fruits on the nose with jammy raspberry fruits emerging out. The palate is a lovely mix of plums, blackberries and raspberries with touches of white chocolate and herbs on the finish.

2009 Chateau Nardian Saint-Emilion - 100% Merlot
90 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Deep garnet color. Toasted black and red berries with cedar box touches of the nose. The palate is a mix of darker berries, anise, toasted coconuts with a wonderfully long finish.

2009 Chateau Saint Valery Saint-Emilion Grand Cru - 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
91 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Deep garnet color. Rich limestone hints with blackberry and herb notes. The palate is round and well-constructed with white pepper hints and thyme notes. The finish just lingers on and on.

2009 Chateau Bois de Laborde Lalande de Pomerol - 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
91 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Dark, opulent color. Cherries and blackberries with earthy notes on the nose. The palate dominated with cooked blackberry fruits and a wonderful minerality. Then the finish is smooth and slightly spicy.

2009 Chateau Moulin Delille Saint-Estephe - 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot 90 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Sexy garnet color. Dark chocolate and chocolate covered cherries are all over this nose. The palte is slightly aggressive with tannins initially then balances out. Blue berries and chocolate push through on the finish.

2009 Chateau Tayac Margaux - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
92 Pts Wine Exchange Team - Deep, deep garnet color. Earthy and smoky nose with rich ripe red fruits coming out. The palate is silky and smooth with those wonderful red berries throughout and well integrated tannins with a long lovely finish.