Find out more about 2009 vintage for French wines? We share our opinions on this year's wines, a wine news not to be missed! Here's our complete guide to the wines of 2009.

> See all our 2009 wines in stock

 

• THE 2009 BORDEAUX VINTAGE

So watch out! The vintage to come is a vintage of anthology!

Well, we may be getting a little carried away, but it's true that 2009 was an auspicious year for the production of some very, very fine wines. In contrast to the 2008 vintage, 2009 is going to pose virtually no problems for winegrowers as far as the weather is concerned. The start of the year was perfect, with mild weather and slightly above-average temperatures. The following months will see light rainfall, nothing to worry winegrowers. So far, nothing exceptional, just good weather, but it's over the summer and into September that the 2009 vintage will take shape. The weather is going to be just perfect! Hot, dry weather during the day, helping the grapes to develop, and cool, rain-free nights, allowing the vines to gain acidity. In years like this, the tricky part is no longer achieving good ripeness - with so much sun, any vine can do it - but finding the right balance between richness of aroma, alcohol and acidity. And the 2009 vintage has succeeded in doing just that. The harvest will take place in very good conditions, and healthy grapes will enter the cellars. Secondly, the 2009 vintage is exceptional, because it is homogeneous, not just between AOCs, but across the whole vineyard.

There's not much difference between the Left and Right Banks in terms of wine quality. Both are very successful, with very ripe, powerful Cabernet on the left bank and very opulent Merlot on the right. In the end, the only risk the winemakers had to face was waiting too long to start harvesting. With the weather and sun being so strong, there was a risk of harvesting grapes with too much alcohol and slightly "cooked" aromas.

We can only encourage you to taste wines from the 2009 vintage. In their youth, the wines were highly aromatic, with present but well-balanced tannins and interesting acidity. Today, the wines have evolved. The tannins, though still present, are softer and the slightly tertiary aromas are coming through.

We have an exceptional selection of Grands Crus from the 2009 vintage:

Château Lafite Rothschild 2009 - Pauillac - 1er Grand Cru Classé - 99/100 Parker.

We no longer present Château Lafite Rothschild... However, we can only advise you to wait a few more years before tasting it. The same goes for the next wine. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 2009- Pauillac - 1er Grand Cru Classé - 99/100 Parker.

Château d'Yquem 2009 half-bottle - Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes.

Château Yquem is going to get the ultimate 100/100 Parker score. It has to be said that the grapes were just perfect. Heavy rains fell in mid-September, followed by hot weather, the perfect equation for botrytis to develop on vines that need a little moisture. Thanks to this, the Château will have a fine production and, above all, grapes of impeccable balance.

 

• THE 2009 VINTAGE IN BURGUNDY

As with Bordeaux, the Burgundy region can look forward to a magnificent 2009 vintage. Not dissimilar to the Bordeaux region, the weather was almost perfect throughout the vineyards in 2009. The vegetative cycle got off to a gentle start, with above-average temperatures, heralding a slight advance in the vine cycle. There was some rain, but this did not affect the quality of the vintage - on the contrary, it helped the vines to develop perfectly everywhere. The most important period, summer, was also of very good quality, with dry, hot weather in keeping with the vintage, as was September, enabling the winegrowers to harvest their grapes with peace of mind. The red wines are highly aromatic, with red fruits and even black fruits in some cases, and a pleasant texture when young. Tannins are very present, but offer a certain silkiness all the same. The balance of tannin and acidity is perfect, and promises long ageing potential. The same goes for the whites, which, depending on the appellation, will benefit from their terroir. The Chablis wines are straightforward and opulent, while the Beaune wines are round and mineral. So it's a great vintage that we have with 2009, which can be enjoyed now, but can still be kept for several years.

If you would like to taste Burgundy wines from the 2008 vintage, here is our selection:

Chablis Grand Cru les Grenouilles 2009 - Daniel-Etienne Defaix. We have 3 Chablis Grands Crus to offer you. It would be interesting to taste them together, to see how different these three climates are, even though they're located right next to each other. 

 

•  THE 2009 RHÔNE VALLEY VINTAGE

The 2009 vintage is one of the great Rhône Valley vintages. As in the rest of France, the weather will be perfect for the vines, leaving no room for bad wines. From start to finish, the weather patterns will be above normal in terms of sunshine, and below normal in terms of rainfall. In this context, one might think that the wines would be unbalanced, but the opposite is true. Because of the high temperatures, the vines will develop smaller berries and thicker skins. Ripeness will take longer to reach, but the thicker skin will bring the necessary character to the wine. 

Whether in the northern Rhône Valley, with perfect Côtes-Rôties, highly delicate and complex Hermitage or exceptionally aromatic Cornas, or in the southern Rhône Valley, with powerful, concentrated Châteauneuf-du-Pape or highly complex Gigondas, each appellation will be able to offer its very best.  

For lovers of red Rhône wines, we have one last reference to suggest.

Old Telegraph 2009 - Châteauneuf-du-Pape - 94/100 Parker.

A great classic, the Vieux Télégraphe is a powerful, rich wine with notes of black fruit. 

• THE 2009 VINTAGE IN THE REST OF FRANCE

The 2009 vintage is a great one all over France. The very hot summer weather will provide wine lovers with some very fine wines. 

In the LoireThis year will be just as perfect. Winemakers will be delighted with grapes that are well-balanced and rich in aroma. However, beware of certain appellations, as a period of water stress will result in a lack of acidity and therefore certain imbalances. So be careful when choosing certain whites. Nevertheless, appellations such as Saumur-Champigny and the Sancerrois are delighted with such ripeness.  

L'Alsace is part of the party in this 2009 vintage. As in the rest of France, the whites are very interesting, opulent, powerful and aromatic. Lacking a little rain, the older, more deeply-rooted vines will benefit from better balance. 

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