91

2009 Château Genot-Boulanger, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

Mid garnet with a pinkish rim. Ginger spice and some reduction on the nose: smoky, well balanced and structured. The wine is both jammy and a teeny bit reduced on the palate, but it’s sustained by fresh acidity and medium weight tannins. It should age, but the alcohol may start to dominate in bottle. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-20Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
90

2009 Régis Forey, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

Youthful, mid garnet. The nose is a little closed and showing some meaty, reductive notes that hang around in the glass. A hint ot redcurrant, sweet oak and also some evidence of over-ripeness, with a figgy, currant-like note. A good wine, but the tannins are a little dry. Not a Pinot to cellar for a long time. 

BuyDrinking window: 2013-18Similar Wines: Under £5, 86-90, France, Red, Pinot Noir
98

2009 Hubert de Montille, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

The De Montille family (remember them from Mondovino?) are more commonly associated with the Côte de Beaune, but that is beginning to change thanks to some recent acquisitions in the Côte de Nuits. This is very pale in colour, showing marked whole bunch character on the nose and palate. And what a wine it is: a Grand Cru that lives up to its name: balanced, sweet, nuanced and very long with refined tannins and complexity to age. 

BuyDrinking window: 2015-25Similar Wines: Under £5, 96-100, France, Red, Pinot Noir
96

2009 Méo-Camuzet, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

An impressive wine from one of the star names in Vosne, very much on the up at the moment. Mid garnet with some purple notes. Big, rich, bold and oaky, but backed up witt lots of dense fruit, ostensibly from low-yielding vines. Spice, plum and balckberry on the palate, some stems and a long, silky, harmonious finish. Lovely wine. 

BuyDrinking window: 2015-25Similar Wines: Under £5, 96-100, France, Red, Pinot Noir
99

2009 Laurent Roumier, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

Pale garnet/red. Aromatic, leafy, wild strawberry nose, with just a hint of oak. Fine and nuanced. Lovely, sweet, textured fruit, with acidity underpinning the flavours. The oak and extraction are perfectly judged here. The wine is very long: Pinot wizardry showing real mastery of the vintage and the cru

BuyDrinking window: 2015-25Similar Wines: Under £5, 96-100, France, Red, Pinot Noir