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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.
The top of La Crau.
Type of soilRound pebbles
AgeingOne year casks - Allier and Tronçais.
Winemaking100% destemmed.
14,5%
BottlingWithout fining and filtration
CépagesGrenache : 85 % Mourvèdre : 10 % Syrah : 5 %
Oak aging remains a hallmark of the Tardieu-Laurent style, but it seems to fit with the 2010s from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Toasted coconut, vanilla and plum pudding notes work together to give almost the impression of dessert in a glass, despite the wine’s dry nature. It’s full bodied, richly textured and slightly warm on the finish yet surprisingly elegant.
Joe Czerwinsky
Wine Enthusiast
, 92/100
, 2014-11-01
Dark ruby. Musky cherry pit and dark berries on the pungent, floral- and herb-accented nose. Deep, chewy cassis and bitter cherry flavors become livelier with air, picking up vibrant mineral and spice notes. The long, clinging finish is marked by harmonious tannins and a sexy floral pastille quality.
Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzers International Wine Cellar
, 93/100
, 2013-02-01
This is a bit of a brute now, with roasted fig, espresso, mocha and ganache notes leading the way, but there’s a terrific core of blackberry, plum and black currant fruit in reserve and a gorgeous graphite-filled finish that can easily wait for everything to assimilate fully. Captures the power and drive of the vintage wonderfully.
James Molesworth
Wine Spectator
, 96/100
, 2012-10-31
The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes possesses a dark ruby/plum color and a sweet nose of red and black fruits, underbrush, forest floor and garrigue. Full-bodied with lots of glycerin…big, chewy Chateauneuf du Pape…
Robert Parker
Wine Advocate
, 92/100
, 2012-10-01
85% 80-plus-year-old Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah grown on higher ground in the Crau. Very voluptuous and sweet. Quite glowing with health and optimism. Lovely polished rich fruit. Such a panoply of Christmas cake flavours that overpower the dry tannins on the finish. Massively gorgeous.
Jancis Robinson
, 18,5/100
, 2011-11-28