2009 Burgundy
There’s been a whirlwind of press, and an immense amount of interest in the 2009 Burgundies since the word emerged at harvest time that a potential beauty of a vintage had been born.
Nature gave the Burgundians a warm, dry, nearly perfect growing season in 2009. No major weather events brought about any bother, and everyone was able to harvest beautifully clean and fully ripe fruit at their leisure in September. This does not happen all that often in Burgundy, as you well may know. We’ve had a string of good vintages recently, and one of the all-time greats in 2005. So how does 2009 stack up?
It is undoubtedly a great vintage. Overall it is not the equal of 2005, but perhaps only in the respect that most ‘09s are generally not capable of the extreme long-term (50+years) ageing that the best ‘05s do. Conversely, the ‘09s are more immediately accessible, enjoyable, and will give more pleasure than the ‘05s, especially over the first 5-10 years of their lives.
The world’s leading Burgundy authority is Allen Meadows, publisher of the quarterly review Burghound. Here are some key excerpts from Allen’s overview on the 2009s –
“An Excellent, and Very Consistent Vintage of Opulence, Charm, and Seduction.” There’s been no question from the beginning that 2009 was at the very least an extremely good vintage. The only question has been, how good? In Allen’s estimation – “not quite as good as 2005 overall, but there are certainly some growers who performed better or made a few better wines than their 2005 counterparts.” And you may recall that he rated 2005 as the best overall Burgundy vintage he’d ever tasted. More Meadows – “Perhaps the best news of all is that 2009 is a highly consistent vintage.”
So we know that 2009 is up there among the very best. But what are the wines like? From my tastings last September and November of between 400-500 examples, I can sum it up in two words – Pure Pleasure. Allen explains it this way – “The 2009s are much more forward and accessible wines than the 2005s were at the same time, in fact I would go so far as to say that they are more accessible today even with their four years of youthful remove relative to the 2005s. While the 2009s will age just fine and better than many recent vintages, it is also fair to observe that they are not the ‘05s in terms of potential longevity.”
In short, it’s a vintage full of wines to love. To love now, over the next several years, and for the longer term in the best cases. For those who complain that Burgundy lacks fruit, 2009 is the vintage that will prove them wrong. All of the glory of elegant, succulent Pinot Noir is on display in its finest form here, and I for one am very excited. So appears to be Monsieur Meadows - “There is a real sense of volume and punch but at the same time, no sense of undue heaviness. Indeed I would go so far as to say that the best ‘09s, again as with the greatest of the ‘05s, epitomize the intrinsic genius of a great burgundy’s ability to deliver power without weight. Stated differently, the better ‘09s are gorgeously balanced wines with a real sense of underlying harmony as there is everything they need to age gracefully for years if not as long as the ‘05s.”
Some of the older growers have been comparing 2009 to 1959, a great vintage that remains one of my personal favorites. The ‘59s were thought not to have the potential to age at the time, though many are still drinking beautifully today, some 50+ years down the line. A lot of our producers compared the vintage to the gorgeous 1985s – another of my all-time faves. The ‘85s never went through a shut-down phase, and I expect that may be the case for thee 09s as well. Only time will tell, of course – as the wine always has the last word!
Another top voice in the world of Burgundy is Stephen Tanzer, publisher of International Wine Cellar. Tanzer does not cover Burgundy in anywhere near the depth of Meadows, but he always offers valuable insight into the producers and wines. His first report on the 2009s is out – here are some of my favorite remarks –
“The 2009 red Burgundies are the wines most Americans thought they were getting when they paid through the nose to snag the much-hyped 2005s four years ago.”
“…. the majority of wines from the top producers I visit every year should provide pleasure to their lucky owners pretty much throughout their lives in bottle.”
“The best are wonderfully silky, scented pinots, fully ripe but not roasted, with a rare level of fleshiness and compelling sweetness of fruit. I love their surprisingly fresh red fruit character. They will likely be delicious on release, but they also appear to possess the stuffing and phenolic ripeness for at least mid-term aging.”
In a nutshell, what’s not to like? Stay tuned and watch your emails for all of our offerings of these exciting 2009s. If you’re not already on our mailing list – sign-up now!
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