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I will not begin to extol the quality of the quite exceptional 2009 vintage. Others have done this and some long before the wines were finished fermenting, which for me to do would be strange as I don’t see myself as a fortune teller reading tea leaves!
In fact, I wished to be a little more cautious. Perhaps it is my hidden pessimism, which was telling me to hold back. Or, maybe it is the obvious difficulty of finishing wines from a rather whimsical (very low quantities) and late (especially in the southern Côtes-du-Rhône) vintage. In any case, I was both right and wrong. In the north, the vintage is superb. There were no great difficulties, the rains arrived at the right time, and the harvest and vinification ultimately went well.
The wines are concentrated, yet without aggressive tannins. They show both fruit and mineral with unusual balance. 2009 is akin to 1999, which produced rather exceptional wines. All of this you will experience for yourself with your first glass of wine from this vintage!!!
I will not detail the climatic conditions of the 2009 vintage except to say the Mistral was missing and a very hot period at the end of August placed rather stressful water conditions on certain parcels. As is often the case, we had to wait for the first rains to restart everything. The harvests were slow and difficult—we had to work on a parcel-by-parcel basis and not hesitate to stop and wait for more favorable conditions.
In the end, after a particularly tough vinification we can report the best wines will be quite exceptional. Not in the tannic way we predicted at the start of fermentation, but in a pleasant, concentrated way with incredible finesse. The maturation of the wines will reveal the full potential of the vintage—we have not seen the last surprises from this rather refined, unusual, and still secretive vintage.
Finally, a quick word to say that more and more of our sources, particularly in the southern Côtes-du-Rhône, have converted, or are in the process of converting, to organic methods, which we are most happy about. We do not wish to stress this information from a commercial perspective, but we have included this new information in the fact sheets. It is important enough in our relationship to be highlighted and each year you will be able to track the progress.
La Crau.
AgeingOne wine selection of Allier and Tronçais casks.
VinificationNon destemmed.
Exceptional style with a delicate aromas of flowery petals and intense fruit. Winemaking tailored to the fruit results in a wine
that makes an impression of authenticity.
14,5%
BottlingWithout filtration.
CépagesGrenache : 100 %
Even more impressive, with more richness and flesh, the spectacular 2009 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale is 100% Grenache that comes all from sandy plots in the famed La Crau plateau. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color, it’s loaded with exuberant, ripe aromas of juicy blackberry, black currant, lavender, garrigue, pepper, and crushed flower like characteristics that literally soar from the glass. This is followed up by a full-bodied, decadently styled 2009 that has a rich, seamless texture, beautiful mid-palate depth, and classic, clean finish that highlights chewy, ripe tannin.
Jeb Dunnuck
The Rhone Report
, 94+/100
, 2012-06-01
Sports ripe, lush linzer torte, blackberry confiture and warm fig sauce notes, but also has a grippy, pebbly feel, with lively spice, tobacco and ganache driving through the finish, where an iron edge lurks in reserve. This has range and character.
James Molesworth
Wine Spectator
, 94/100
, 2012-06-15
Bright ruby. Exotically perfumed bouquet displays candied raspberry, lavender, rose and cola, with smoke and pepper notes that build with air. Deeply pitched but energetic on the palate, offering intense red and dark berry flavors and suggestions of spicecake and floral pastilles. Finishes sweet and long, with resonating spice and floral notes.
Stephen Tanzers International Wine Cellar , 92/100 , 2012-02-01
The wine that blew me away was the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau. I think this will probably end up being called “Cuvee Speciale,” which is what Tardieu has done in the past. This 100% Grenache cuvee tips the scales at 16% natural alcohol. Blueberry, black cherry jam, plum, marmalade, hoisin sauce, balsam wood, and licorice all seem to jump from the glass of this inky/purple-colored wine. Remarkably concentrated, dense, and multi-dimensional, it is a sensational Chateauneuf du Pape that should age for at least 20+ years.
Robert Parker
Wine Advocate
, 93-95/100
, 2010-10-01