Robert Parker’s eagerly anticipated new scores have been released on the Bordeaux 2009s. I say eagerly awaited as the scores were released in the print version of the Wine Advocate hours before they were posted on erobertparker.com – and when they finally came online the site crashed (definitely an indication of how much interest there is out there about the 2009s).
However I am delighted that Chateau La Fleur Morange has achieved 96+ points, congratulations to Jean-Francois!
“Even more impressive is the absolutely prodigious 2009 St.-Emilion, the finest wine I have ever tasted from La Fleur Morange. The average age of the vines at this tiny estate is close to 100 years, and this 2009 blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc came from yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare.
The vines sit on the famous iron-rich soils that the French call crasse de fer, and the result is an amazingly opaque purple wine with an extraordinary nose of blackberries, charcoal, graphite and crushed chalk. It is tightly knit, with full-bodied power and relatively elevated tannins. Its noble sweetness and expansiveness as well as its broad, savory finish make this is a compelling wine of great quality that should hit its stride in 4-5 years and keep for two decades. Bravo to Claude Gros!
The brilliant Narbonne-based oenologist Claude Gros is the brain trust behind these two cuvées from this St.-Emilion grand cru.”
Their Second Wine Mathilde has attained 92 points. These wines are reasonably priced (£365 for 6 bottles of the 09 Grand Vin and £190 for a case of 12 for the Second Wine) and are an excellent way to sample what Parker says is the greatest vintage he has tasted in Bordeaux since 1982.
Parker has awarded the following 19 wines 100 point scores:
Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse – “clearly the greatest Beausejour-Duffau since the immortal 1990.”
Bellevue Mondotte – “one has to admire a proprietor who is making a wine for the history books, not for near-term gratification.”
Clinet – “the 2009 appears to be the greatest wine ever made at the estate, surpassing even the late Jean-Michel Arcaute’s monumental 1989.”
Clos Fourtet – “it is certainly the finest Clos Fourtet ever produced.”
Cos d’Estournel – “the greatest Cos d’Estournel ever produced.”
Ducru Beaucaillou – “Magnificent!”
Haut Brion – “one of the most compelling examples of Haut-Brion ever made.”
L’Evangile – “An astonishing effort from the Rothschild family, the 2009 l’Evangile may be the reference point offering from this estate for decades to come.”
La Mission Haut Brion – “a candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion stood out as one of the most exceptional young wines I had ever tasted from barrel, and its greatness has been confirmed in the bottle.”
La Mondotte – “perfect”
Le Pin – “This is undeniably the greatest Le Pin I have tasted at such an infantile age.”
Latour – “one of the most remarkable young wines I have ever tasted. Will it last one-hundred years? No doubt about it. Can it be drunk in a decade? For sure.”
Leoville Poyferre – “one of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage.”
Montrose – “A colossal effort, the 2009 Montrose represents a hypothetical blend of the monumental duo of 1989 and 1990 combined with the phenomenal 2003.”
Pape Clement Blanc – “one of most exquisite dry whites I have ever tasted from anywhere – period.”
Pavie – “this structured, massively intense effort is typical of all the luxurious, perfect or nearly perfect Pavies produced under the Perse regime (which began in 1998).”
Petrus – “An opulent Petrus very much in the stylistic family of the 1990.”
PontetCanet – “An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet.”
Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge – “The finest wine ever made by proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard”
