By: AJ McClellan
Last night we had Morgan Delacloche, the export manager for Bouchard, in to taste us through a lineup of 09 Burgundies. 2009 has been heralded as possibly being the best vintage of the decade, competing with 2005 and 2002. Last night was my first opportunity to dive into the 09 vintage and see what all the fuss is about. Wow, all of the 09’s that I tasted were superb… Now it could be that Bouchard is such an excellent producer all of his wines were above and beyond what you might expect, but I must say that every wine from the low Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge to the Grand Cru’s were exceptional.
2009 was a slightly warmer vintage which showed in the wine, all the bottles I tried were slightly softer and more round than I remember the previous vintages being at this stage. Also, many of the wines showed excellent fruit and a slightly lower acidity. Will the 2009 vintage beat 2005? Who knows, but I can tell you that if yesterdays wines were any indication of how the rest of Burgundy went you don’t want to be the guy without any 09’s in your cellar…
2009 Bouchard Monthelie 1er Les Duresses – Fresh cherries on the nose with a slight woody backing. The palate is powerful, still with a wood ting, nice earthy notes and a long finish.
2009 Bouchard Beaune 1er Clos de la Mousse – Little hot on the nose but with excellent fruit and nice Bing Cherry, raspberry, and notes of spice. The palate had a dash of earth and a hint of barnyard.
2009 Bouchard Volnay 1er Caillerets Cuvee Carnot – Very nice nose, excellent balance, heavy toast with vanilla backing and excellent fruit. The palate has great balance with a long popcorn finish.
2009 Bouchard Pommard 1er – Very Bright on the nose with fresh red fruits, light on the palate but with great aging potential. Finish of dark cherry and barnyard.
2009 Bouchard Le Corton Grand Cru – Surprisingly heavy for a Corton with big funk and dark fruit. The palate shows pleasant forest floor with a crushed rock minerality.
2009 Bouchard Beaune 1er Greves Vigne de L’enfant Jesus – Amazing fruit on the nose with liquorish and black cherries. Mellow on the palate with soft tannins and a long plumy finish.
2009 Bouchard Chambolle Musigny – Fresh and light with a toasty backdrop and lively fruit. Very elegant on the palate with a earth driven rocky finish.
2009 Bouchard Gevrey Chambertin – I was very pleased with this wine, great fruit with powerful black cherries and lively acidity. Excellent earth tones with a subtle tobacco mixed in with great minerality.
2009 Bouchard Nuits Saint Georges 1er Les Cailles – Big cherry cola on the nose with a hint of leather and subtle spice. The palate was powerful and full in body with excellent earth and minerality. Long finish.
2009 Bouchard Echezeaux Grand Cru – This wine was drinking great with a focused nose of earth, dark fruit, spice, and a hint of toast. The palate was broad and soft with layers of earth and fruit. This wine will grow up to be a killer.
2009 Bouchard Meursault Les Clous – For the price point I thought this was a steal, very tropical on the nose and round in the mouth. A pleasant limestone and melon palate with a creamy finish.
2009 Bouchard Beaune 1er Clos Saint Landry – Key lime pie with big minerality and a note of tangerine on the back coupled with lemon/lime zest. Brilliant acidity.
2009 Bouchard Meursault 1er Genevrieres – Bubblegum and bananas with ripe pineapple on the palate. Fat in the mouth with plump fruits and a cleansing acidity that makes me think this wine will be a champ in 5 years.
2009 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru – Wow. Zebra Stripe Bubblegum with huge tropical fruits and ripe peach. Big limestone with a mellow toast and an easy going vanilla beans. Very complex on the palate with luscious ripe cantaloupe, honeydew, peaches, and pears. Notes of white rock, popcorn, and caramel are intermingled in the complex palate and long finish. Great balance, this wine is a stud.
2009 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru – Big lemon/lime with fresh pineapple and green apple. The palate was rich with excellent minerality and a note of butter.
2009 William Fevre Chablis 1er Vaillons – A touch of flint with a very clean palate. Great mineral notes, classic Chablis.
2009 William Fevre Chablis 1er Vaulorent –Very tropical on the nose with excellent acidity, nice tropical melon notes with a long finish.
2009 William Fevre Chablis Bougros Grand Cru – Great flint and green apple notes on the nose with lime zest. The palate was very crisp with a long finish of schist, crushed white rock, and a note of pineapple.
2009 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru – Excellent wine with a slight toast, unbuttered popcorn with lemon/lime and brilliant flint and steel. Very complex with a lean palate of crisp acidity and classic Chablis Notes.