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Burgundy 2009 E-L

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Our tasting notes are – phew – now just about complete. For a guide to our comprehensive coverage of this exceptional vintage, see Burgundy 2009 – a guide.

DOMAINE ARNAUD ENTE
Very good – manages to make whites as exciting as Coche and Lafon in 2009.

Dom Arnaud Ente 2009 Meursault

Very rich nose but not unappetising. Polished and satisfying. Great concentration with precision. Tastes better than many Premiers Crus. Clearly has the structure for future development. GV (JR)
Drink
2013
2018
£375 per case ib BBR
17

Dom Arnaud Ente, Clos des Ambres 2009 Meursault

Very rich start and then the structure comes bounding out the glass like an architectural drawing. So to speak. Lemony and round. But actually, I think I prefer the freshness of the village wine! (JR)

Drink
2013
2018
£246 per case of 6 ib BBR
17

Dom Arnaud Ente, Santenots Premier Cru 2009 Volnay

Mid crimson. Appetising nose without quite the brilliant precision of the Meursault – a little softer and sweeter – but lots of pleasure. (JR)

Drink
2013
2018
£225 per case of 6 ib BBR
16.5

DOMAINE FRÉDÉRIC ESMONIN


DOMAINE SYLVIE ESMONIN
Lots of angst as usual.

Dom Sylvie Esmonin 2009 Bourgogne

Finished malo in summer. Mulberry and spice on the nose but pretty tough on the palate – this is no easy charmer. Long cuvaison? Quite structured even though all destemmed. It’s a terroir that gives quite a powerful wine. All in third-use casks. (JR)
Drink
2017
2020
16

Dom Sylvie Esmonin 2009 Côte de Nuits-Villages

First to finish its malo in June. Quite deep crimson. 30% whole berries. From around Brochon. Very sweet and juicy and lots of appeal in a second-year oak. There’s a definite taste to this Brochon terroir, she says, which her customers confuse with new oak so she doesn’t use more than a third. Blend of juicy fruit and structure. Very punchy and attractive. (JR)
Drink
2015
2020
16.5

Dom Sylvie Esmonin 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin

Used a tiny bit of new oak because she over ordered it. 30% whole grapes. A little fresh smell of stems and then racy and juicy. Very forward and easy. Not much tension! (JR)
Drink
2015
2022
16.5

Dom Sylvie Esmonin, Vieilles Vignes 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin

Which she will élevé for Dom Laurent mostly. Same wine as the one she will add to her Gevrey-Chambertin in a new oak with 60% whole grapes, very sweet and silky and exotic. Exciting! Great texture and richness, energy – opposite of Rousseau style and halfway to Bernstein... (JR)
Drink
2016
2023
17

Dom Sylvie Esmonin, Clos St-Jacques Premier Cru 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin

70% whole grapes and this from new oak. Heady and sweet – the sweetness giving the impression of low acid. Quite a bit of gas. Somehow less dense than usual though certainly full of pleasure. A little bit easy. She leaves 25% stems to help her own pied de cuve. (JR)
Drink
2017
2026
17.5

Dom Sylvie Esmonin, Santenots Premier Cru 2009 Volnay

The only cuvée with 100% stems because they were ripe (green but ripe); only here, though she’d like to do this with Clos St-Jacques one year.
Bright crimson. Really very rich, meaty and vital, lots of vitality there, well done! Very little sulphur. She is perfecting this technique. (JR)

Drink
2016
2024
17.5

DOMAINE EUGÉNIE
Very sweet and as though made from the top down rather than the result of the vineyard dictating. Some excess oak but the top cuvées are pretty impressive.

Dom d'Eugénie 2009 Vosne-Romanée

Dark crimson. Some rather sweet oak on the nose. Juicy fruit with some sap but an overlay of this sweet spiciness – perhaps because they used so much new oak? 50% in 2009 for this cuvée. Rather dry finish. (JR)
Drink
2015
2020
16

Dom d'Eugénie, Clos d’Eugénie 2009 Vosne-Romanée

Biodynamic. First year it has been bottled separately. Bright crimson. Very juicy and friendly on the nose. A very big step up from the village blend. Some real freshness and life here. A teensy bit dry on the end but very serious and fine. (JR)
Drink
2016
2023
16.5 +

Dom d'Eugénie, Aux Brûlées Premier Cru 2009 Vosne-Romanée

Dark crimson. Very juicy indeed on the nose with real freshness. Round and supple on the palate. Lovely and silky – so much fruit you could drink this quite young! Very pretty and winning. Yet is expresses Vosne too. 60% new oak. Just hope it’s not too expensive! (JR)
Drink
2014
2024
17

Dom d'Eugénie, Grand Cru 2009 Échezeaux

From quite a way up the slope. Very dark crimson. A bit of sweet oak on the nose. Sweet fruit but not that much structure or grunt. Sweet, perfumed, a bit floral, but it doesn’t really seem to have a heart. I don’t think I would guess it were a Grand Cru blind. Although presumably one has to wait for it to mellow to show its best. All destemmed and quite fresh enough. (JR)
Drink
2015
2023
16.5

Dom d'Eugénie, Grand Cru 2009 Grands Échezeaux

Juicy nose. Very dark. Very smooth and polished but a little soulless. Bit of a hole in the middle at the moment? Lots of sweet fruit. Good skein of polished tannins. Really very flattering – almost drinkable! Very sweet and juicy. Then just a little chew on the end. Seems to be made from above rather than below. A very agreeable, well-balanced wine without too much of anything, Excellent balance. But I’m looking for the soil and spark. All destemmed. (One-third whole grape in 2008; unusual to destem more in 2009 than 2008.) (JR)
Drink
2015
2025
17

Dom d'Eugénie, Grand Cru 2009 Clos de Vougeot

From a parcel right in the middle at the top. Very dark. Very exciting nose with real depth. Here the polish helps! I really wish they had submitted their wine for the big blind tasting of Clos Vougeot – it would have been fascinating to see how it performed next to the others. Real energy and a bit of terroir too! Excellent. Rather more refined than most but in a Clos Vougeot context that is no bad thing. Lots of tension and length. Gouleyant. A beginning , middle and end to this wine that will clearly become even more complex. Half whole grape and half destemmed. (JR)
Drink
2015
2025
18

DOMAINE FAIVELEY
Mostly pretty impressive.

Dom Faiveley, Blagny Premier Cru 2009 Meursault

Greenish tinge. A caressing nose, lightly dusty herbs. Soft, slightly smudgy fruit, satsuma peel and some nectarine. Quite low key earthy character but all in balance. (TC)

Drink
2013
2016
£327 per case in Clarion
16

Dom Faiveley, La Garenne Premier Cru 2009 Puligny-Montrachet

Ripe and peachy on the nose and elegant. A surprising sweetness on the palate. Not sure if it is oak or lees effect. Minerality cuts in on the finish. Persistent. (JH)
Drink
2013
2019
£189.50 per case of 6 ib Haynes Hanson & Clark; £195 per case of 6 ib Armit
16.5

Dom Faiveley, Grand Cru 2009 Bâtard-Montrachet

Complex, lightly toasty nose, creamy, fresh and, again, rather soft. Nice flavour – citrus and creamy – but seems to lack structure at this level. (JH)
Drink
2013
2019
£765 per case of 6 ib Armit
16.5

Dom Faiveley, Grand Cru 2009 Corton-Charlemagne

Toasty, struck-match nose and equally – but attractively – reductive on the palate. Fine-grained texture, concentrated with lots of pure ripe citrus fruit and good length. (JH)
Drink
2014
2024
£500 per case of 6, £510 for 3 magnums ib Haynes Hanson & Clark; £590 per case of 6 ib Armit
17

Dom Faiveley, Grand Cru 2009 Échezeaux

Dark and ripe with a touch of spice. Sweet dark fruit. Surprisingly soft and approachable though there’s enough structure for a good life ahead.(JH)
Drink
2015
2026
£375 per case of 6, or £380 for 3 magnums ib Haynes Hanson & Clark
17

Dom Faiveley, Grand Cru 2009 Mazis-Chambertin

Cassis and slightly herbal but not underripe. Scented mid palate, fine light structure. Elegant, fresh but pretty lightweight. (JH)
Drink
2014
2020
£495 per case of 6 ib Armit
16.5

Dom Faiveley, Grand Cru 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

Dark and spicy on the nose with rich dark fruit under the oaky spice. Tannins are so fine they almost disappear and it is remarkably light on the mid palate. Not thin but rather too light and finish is equally light but not short. This lightness explains the minus. (JH)
Drink
2014
2020
£695 per case of 6 ib Armit
17 -

DOMAINE DE LA FERTÉ

Dom de la Ferté 2009 Givry

Very juicy with lots of fruit. A bit tough on the end. But honest and attention grabbing. (JR)
Drink
2011
2014
Imported by Montrachet
16

DOMAINE G ET...