Dense, almost opaque colour that could be a Syrah or a Cabernet in appearance. Big, oaky, concentrated, yet a little ponderous with too much extraction for the level of fruit. This is a decent dry red, but it doesn’t really stack up as a Grand Cru Burgundy, even from Clos de Vougeot. May soften with age, but I have my doubts.
Food Match: Chicken
2009 Château de Santenay, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Pale garnet/ruby with a splash of pink. Youthful, elegant and complex perfume: savoury, some oak and supple red fruits. The acidity is very crisp, lending the wine balance and harmony and freshness. There’s quite a bit of stuffing on the palate, suggesting that the wine will develop in bottle. Good and likley to get better.
2009 Drouhin-Laroze, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Vibrant, purple-hued Pinot from one of the top producers in Gevrey, specialising in deliberately modern style. Yes, it’s a big, bold, powerful wine, but it’s harmonious too. Youthful, vigorous and sweet with a subtle interplay between red and blacks fruits, succulent tannins and a finish that promises more to come in the bottle.
2009 Dufouleur Frères, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )A pale, almost translucent Pinot. Scented, leafy and complex with gentle understatement and a touch of smoky oak. The palate is very sweet, but the oak is a little intrusive here. A shae because the fruit is of high quality and the acidity gives the wine a refreshing lift. Maybe the oak will integrate with time.
2009 Alex Gambal, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Pale ruby red, slightly coudy. Elegant, perfumed, nuanced Clos de Vougeot with light red fruits and subtle oak on the nose. The palate has a little more oomph, but it’s still made in a gentle, quite forward style. Raspberry and redcurrant with some grip, a touch of leafiness and a long, harmonious finish. Likely to be reasonably priced, too.
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.
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.
2009 Gros Frère et Soeur, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Slightly cloudy mid-garnet hued. Leafy, truffley, red fruits nose. The wine is oaky and dense on the palate with fresh acidity. It’s pretty closed at the moment, but this is serious stuff: concentrated, smoky and naunced. Give it at least five years.
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.
2009 Hubert Chauvenet-Chopin, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid ruby/garnet. Smoky, oak-dominated nose that is still closed at present. There’s a hint of volatility here, but it adds a lift to the sweet, concentrated fruit. The wine is a little over-ripe and jammy, but it has hidden depths.
2009 Frédéric Magnien, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Light, mid garnet. Slightly cloudy. Smoky oak is prominent on both the nose and palate, but there’s a lot matter and texture to soak it up. Red fruits, savoury tannins, fresh acidity and good ageing potential. But less new oak would have been welcome.
2009 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Very pale garnet/pink, verging on a rosé in hue. The alcohol is a little prominent on the nose, but there’s good acidity and some texture too. The fruit is a tad over-ripe and confected, but the tannins are gentle, the flavours palate-caressingly sweet.