2009 St. Emilion Bordeaux wine Report Pt 2

 

One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer along with several great St. Emilion wines might seem like a lot, especiallly after the tasting with Stephane Derenoncourt, pictured above. But not with the right Hooker.

2009 Magdelaine  opens with minerals, dark raspberries, chocolate and licorice aromas.  The wine is medium bodied, soft textured and ends with dark berry and chocolate flavored finish.  89/91 Pts

2009 Monbousquet is dark ruby in color. Spice, jammy dark berries, oak and licorice make up the perfume. The wine ends with jammy black raspberries, chocolate and spice. 90-92 Pts

2009 La Mondotte comes from a 4.5-hectare vineyard planted at a density ranging from 5,500 to 7,500 vines per hectare on clay and limestone soils.  The property is located directly above Pavie-Decesse and across the road from Bellevue-Mondotte.   Net yields in 2009 were a whopping 18 hls/ha! Malo was conducted in 100% new oak and the wine will be aged on the fine lees for an estimated 18 months.  From 80 Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the wine is inky dark in color. The perfume starts with deep black raspberry, minerality, spice, and forest aromatics,  builds in the nose and mouth.  Concentrated with multiple layers of stone and fruit, fresh, intense, powerful, filled with crushed rocks, very silky, round, lush,  blackberry jam, this is serious wine that requires aging, but the purity of fruit is stunning. 95-97 Pts

2009 Moulin St. Georges is filled with floral scents along with blackberry, plum, spice and licorice notes.  Medium to full bodied, this elegant wine is slightly short in the finish. 89-91 Pts

2009 Pavie from vines close to 50 years of age is as black as a moonless sky with hints of purple.  Incense, licorice, ripe jammy dark put fruit and minerals are the first things you smell.  This incredibly concentrated wine fills every nook and cranny of your palate with dense, ripe, decadent berry sensations.  The wine finishes with a mélange of chocolate, plum liqueur and jammy black cherries. This is a hedonistic style of wine.  96-98 Pts

2009 Pavie Decesse is inky in color.  Jammy black fruit, plums, licorice, minerals and dark cherry aromas are easy to find. This sexy style of Bordeaux wine is sweet, ripe and lush, ending with a blast of licorice coated, dark berries. 95-97 Pts

2009 Pavie Macquin from clay and lime stone soils is a blend of 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The moment the wine hits your nose, scents of crushed stone, sweet blackberries, fresh black plums, licorice and chocolate are all over the place. Full bodied and intense, with silk and satin textures, this exciting Bordeaux wine ends with a supple, long, sweet black cherry filled finish. 95-97 Pts

2009 Pierre de Lune is owned Tony Ballu, the wine maker for Clos Fourtet. This small, 1 hectare, biodynamically farmed vineyard is planted on sand and gravel soils. From a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the wine offers black and blue fruit aromas, with licorice and espresso notes.  Full bodied with round textures, this rich Bordeaux wine ends with supple, ripe, dark jammy berry flavors. 92-94 Pts

2009 La Prieure is filled with minerality, anise, spicy dark berries and smoke. Soft, round, fleshy and flashy, this opulent wine should deliver pleasure early. 89-91 Pts

2009 Quinault L’Enclos is being produced in a different style since being purchased by the owners of Cheval Blanc. The wine is fresher, less ripe and should probably age better as well.  One of the key reasons behind this is the fruit is being harvested earlier. Dark berries and licorice scents mesh well with the fleshy, soft textures. The wine ends with a blast of ripe black cherries. 90-92 Pts

2009 Rol Valentin has new owners who are related to the Robin family, the previous owners of the famed Chateau Lafleur from Pomerol.  Interestingly, the fruit is sourced from two separate vineyards. 60% of the crop emanates from vineyards located in the eastern sector of St. Emilion, not far from Valandraud on clay and limestone soils.  The remaining 40% comes from property located close to Gomerie on sandy soils.  The wine opens with stone, floral, black cherry and fresh plum aromatics.  Soft and velvet textured, this elegant style of wine should drink well after a few years of bottle age. I’ve always liked the style of this wine, but the lack of the wines ability to age has put me off from buying it.  This is the best vintage I’ve tasted from this chateau and hopefully the quality and style of this vintage will allow it to age better than previous years.  90-92 Pts

2009 Soleil – St. Emilion – Licorice, dark berries, soft textures and dark, jammy berry finish. 5,000 cases retails for $25. 87-90 Pts

2009 Soleil le Rival offers simple ripe berry flavors, soft textures and a ripe, plum, blackberry filled finish.  This will drink well early.  89-91 Pts

2009 Tertre Daugay is another candidate for one of the top value plays from 2009.  With licorice, chocolate and sweet, berry aromas, this richly textured wine finishes with a round, chocolate covered plum finish.  88-90 Pts

2009 La Tour du Pin is now produced by the same team that makes Cheval Blanc.  Made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the offers dark berries, licorice and fresh herb scents.  Round in texture, the wine finishes with soft, ripe kirsch flavors. 90-92 Pts

2009 La Tour Figeac is made by Christine Derenoncourt.  Soils are a mix of gravel, and sandy-clay, atop a subsoil of rich clay. This Biodynamically farmed estate, with a blend of 78% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc expresses minerality, floral and jammy berry notes in the perfume, this fleshy, round textured Bordeaux wine ends with ripe, spicy berry and anise flavors. 89-91 Pts

2009 Teyssier is filled with fennel, chocolate, plums and spearmint scents. The wine finishes with spicy dark cherries and blackberry. Some dryness is noted in the finish. 87/89 Pts

2009 Troplong Mondot is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine is opaque with purple tints. Sweet jammy plums, licorice, coffee, minerality caramel and dark berries occupy your nose.  Full bodied and intense, this thick, intense, Bordeaux wine is filled with ripe jammy dark berries, chocolate, licorice and plums. Even at 15.4% alcohol, only a minor touch of heat is experienced in the palate.  94-96 Pts

2009 Valandraud is deep, dark ruby with purple tints. This pungent wine offers aromas of freshly picked flowers, ripe jammy blackberries, licorice, black raspberries, kirsch, coffee and black cherry notes.  This richly textured, full bodied wine is concentrated with pure ripe fruit. The long, clean, powerful finish offers freshness, paired with cherry and blackberry flavors. This is the best Valandraud since the stellar 1995!  95-96 Pts

2009 Vieux Chateau Mazeret is deeply colored with a strong mineral presence.  From 65% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Franc, this limestone based wine feels like pure stone and fruit, coupled with coupled with licorice, dark berries, chocolate and cherries.  89-91 Pts

2009 Villemaurine located not far from the village of St. Emilion starts off with minerality, spicy dark berries and fennel. With soft textures and a medium body, this wine should offer pleasure early.  87-90 Pts