Bordeaux 2009 – Pauillac

See our guide to Bordeaux 2009 coverage.

There certainly was no shortage of ambition in Pauillac in 2009 with lots of really polished, refined, concentrated, super-ripe wines – particularly at the top. Pichon Baron and Pontet-Canet performed particularly well in their two very different styles (indoor and outdoor, one might say, respectively) and both Lafite and Latour seemed to be going full tilt. The only slight puzzle was the Mouton stable, which has been performing so well of late under the able aegis of Philippe Dhalluin. The tannins in all four wines here were notably drier and a little more...