Téléchargements
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.
At the top of la Crau on round pebbles, Les Gardioles, Courthézon, Mourre des perdrix.
Type of soilRound pebbles
AgeingNew oak - Allier and Tronçais.
14,5%
BottlingWithout fining and filtration
CépagesGrenache : 80 % Mourvèdre : 10 % Syrah : 10 %
100% 100-year-old Grenache from sandy soils at the bottom of Le Crau. Late picked (early October) and whole bunch. Pale crimson. Full, sweet, very particular with a sort of cross between jewelly fruit and something almost metallic but very fresh – thanks to those stems? Rather beguiling and very different from the intense Châteauneuf norm. Sweet finish – something really very appetising about this. Sweet and fresh. Very energetic.
Jancis Robinson
, 17,5/20
Deep ruby. Candied dark berries, pipe tobacco, cola and licorice on the deeply perfumed nose. The palate offers lush, weighty blueberry and blackcurrant flavors that expand with air and pick up a peppery, spicy nuance. The clinging finish is firmed by youthful, chewy tannins.
Josh Raynolds
Wine Advocate
, 92/100
, 2012-01-01
"Offers a singed anise frame, with hints of wood spice and licorice root carrying the core of fleshy plum, blackberry and black currant fruit. A ganache note hangs on the finish."
James Molesworth
Wine Spectator
, 91/100
, 2013-11-01
Inky ruby. Intensely perfumed scents of cherry-cola, blackberry, and Asian spices. Weighty but focused dark fruit preserve flavors show striking clarity and palate-staining concentration, with silky tannins sneaking in on the back end. Balances richness and vivacity deftly, with impressive finishing energy and length.
Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzers International Wine Cellar
, 91-93/100
, 2013-02-01