97

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. 

BuyDrinking window: 2015-2022Similar Wines: Under £5, 96-100, France, Red, Pinot Noir
91

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. 

Drinking window: 2014-20Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
93

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. 

BuyDrinking window: 2013-20Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
95

2009 Faiveley, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

Mid garnet, pale rim. Still quite closed. Red cherry and some Asian spices on the nose. Quite a powerrfu, dense wines with plenty of tannin and oak. Ripe and silky, very well rounded with good ageing potential. Textured and plush, this underlines recent improvements at this Nuits St Georges-based négociant house. 

BuyDrinking window: 2013-20Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
97

2009 Georges Mugneret-Gibourg, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

If you can get past the outrageously heavy bottle (and I had trouble lifting it off the table), this is a superb wine. Bright, youthful, ruby red in colour. Lovely bramble and wild strawberry fruit on the nose. Plush and sweet with good acidity for balance. So Pinot? Silky, scented, beguiling, gentle with impressive delicacy for the vintage. 

BuyDrinking window: 2012-13Similar Wines: Under £5, 96-100, France, Red, Pinot Noir
94

2009 Domaine Denis Mortet, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

There’s no denying the quaility or ambition of the wines from this revitalised domaine. This is a very powerful Pinot, closer to a top Gevrey than a Clos de Vougeot. There’s a lot of oak on the wine at the moment, but this is a wine that is built for bottle age. The underlying fruit is excellent, just waiting to strut its stuff in five years or more. 

BuyDrinking window: 2017-25Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
91

2009 Château de la Tour, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy

( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )

Intense mid rubyintense colour. Ripe, aromatic, heady (almost hedonistic?) nose, showing some forest floor and fresh leather notes. Big, ripe and bold, this is something of a statement wine. It’s arguably a little simple, reflecting the vintage as much as the terroir. The wine is ripe, with plenty of extraction and a slightly hot, dry finish. 

BuyDrinking window: 2013-20Similar Wines: Under £5, 91-95, France, Red, Pinot Noir
93

2009 Domaine de l'Espigouette for Harvey Nichols, Plan de Dieu, Côtes du Rhône Villages

( £12.50, 14.5, Harvey Nichols )

A really first class Rhône blend specially blended for Harvey Nichols by Domaine de l’Espigouette. It’s a spicy, full-throated number from a warm vintage, based on Grenache but with 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre for support and complexity. It’s still youthful (though very drinkable) with dense black fruits, lovely balance and the sort of perfume that really reminds you of the south of France. Heady stuff. 

BuyDrinking window: 2012-17Similar Wines: £10-£20, 91-95, France, Red, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah/Shiraz
91

2007 Arché Pagès Bonfill, Empordà

( E18, 15%, El Celler Petit )

A blend of Grenache, Samsó and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bonfill Pagès’ vineyards in Capmany, with lots of oak and a dense, concentrated palate. The wine is a little too marked by alcohol perhaps, but the tannins are sweet and well managed here. Wild, sweet, herby and minerally with impressiv freshness and a lift of volatility. 

BuyDrinking window: 2012-14Similar Wines: £10-£20, 91-95, Spain, Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache