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.
Food Match: Chicken
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.
2009 Anne Gros, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid-garnet with a ruby/pink rim. Aromatic, oak-infused nose, made in a modern style. Juicy with a hint of stemminess. Structured with an appealing interplay between fruit, acid and oak. Good length, punchy, made to age.
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.
2009 Domaine d'Ardhuy, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid ruby/pink. Smoky, incense-like nose. A wine that needs time to express itself. At the moment, the tannins seem a little dry and extracted, possibly a result of the hot vintage. But there’s good underlying structure here and sweet, concentrated fruit.
2009 R. Dubois, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid-ruby/garnet. Youthful, but also on the over-ripe side. The sample I tasted was showing some oxidation and pruneyness. Curranty, slightly bitter with lots of oak. Rather four square. Maybe it was a bad sample?
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.
2009 Henri Boillot, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Pale purple with a pinkish rim. The nose is on the oaky side with a slightly feral note. The palate is leafy and a little dry, but there’s a refreshing twist that lifts the wine on the finish. It just needs a little more fruit in the middle for plumpness.
2009 Armelle et Bernard Rion, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )If you like your red Burgundies pale (and I’ve seen deeper coloured rosés than this), purchase a case of this wine. Very delicate on the nose with wild strawberry and a hint of spice. Sweet cherry fruit on the palate, with a touch of meaty reduction. Light and ethereal, this is a very drinkable Pinot, although arguably closer to Premier than Grand Cru quality.