2009
2009
Serge Mathieu 2009 Brut Millesime
French Sparkling
A Pinot Noir-led Champagne with yellow apple, Williams pear and citrus over fine stony notes. The palate has real breadth and structure, but freshness and a precise mineral line keep it elegant. Dry, persistent and lightly grippy on the finish, it is a serious table Champagne for roast poultry, richer seafood or firm, nutty cheese.
Von Buhl 2009 Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese
German White
White flowers and chalk lead the aroma, followed by ripe peach, pear and a light touch of honeysuckle. The palate is gently sweet yet carried by clear mineral freshness, keeping the fruit precise rather than heavy. Peach and pear broaden through the middle, while the chalky line brings definition. The finish remains floral and lightly honeyed, with a clean, balanced sense of sweetness.
Opus One 2009 Napa Valley
American Red
Deep garnet and finely layered, with redcurrant, baked plum, dried blackberry and stewed cherry joined by dark chocolate, espresso and sweet spice. The palate is silky but substantial, carrying ripe fruit through polished tannins and a savoury mineral line. Balanced and persistent rather than heavy, it opens well with air and is an excellent partner for roast beef or lamb.
Taylor Fladgate 2009 Vintage Port 375 mL
Portuguese Fortified
Inky black with a purple rim, opening on concentrated woodland fruit, raspberry and plum. Citrus blossom, mint and lavender lift the dense core, while a mineral edge adds definition. The palate is powerful and richly fruited, supported by thick, sinewy tannins that draw the wine into a long, tightly structured finish. Decant carefully before serving with blue cheese.
Bruno Paillard 2009 Assemblage Champagne
French Sparkling
Candied citrus, kiwi and fresh lemon lead a bright, focused bouquet, with white fruit, ginger and a gentle brioche note adding depth. Low dosage keeps the palate taut and precise, while fine bubbles and a chalky mineral line carry the flavours cleanly. Serve well chilled with oysters, sashimi or gougères.
Charles Smith Wines 2009 Kung Fu Girl Riesling
American White
Floral, mineral and pear scents accompany lime, wet stone, apricot and tangerine. Key lime, clove and nectarine are also present in a smooth, vibrant profile. The wine is just off-dry. Made entirely from Riesling grown at Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes area of Columbia Valley, it can accompany spicy dishes or appetizers. The bottle uses a screw cap.
Elderton 2009 Barossa Valley Merlot
Australian Red
Deep crimson colour accompanies black cherry, dark plum, earth and liquorice. The palate is medium bodied, with fine-grained tannins. A spicy note also appears on the back palate, and the aftertaste is long. The wine spent eighteen months predominantly in French oak puncheons. Merlot comes from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. The wine contains 14.5 percent alcohol.
Zenato 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 375 mL
Italian Red
Dark fruit, raisin and toasted notes meet black cherry, vanilla, black pepper, nutmeg, oak and tobacco. The palate is lush and smooth, with velvety tannins. Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina form the blend. Grapes from Sant’Ambrogio in the Valpolicella Classica area are harvested and dried by the traditional method. The wine contains 16.5 percent alcohol.
Domaine Bernard Baudry 2009 Chinon La Croix Boissée
French Red
Dark pomegranate and black-cherry character appear with black pepper, rose petals and other floral notes. The wine is mineral and intensely structured, with ripe tannins and a long finish marked by acidity. Fruit comes from a steep, south-facing site covered in chalk with little topsoil. Cabernet Franc was fermented in wooden vats for twenty to thirty days and matured in oak for as long as eighteen months.
Chateau d’Aydie 2009 Madiran
French Red
Deep ruby colour accompanies black fruit, coffee, graphite and dark chocolate. The palate is rich and weighty, with black plum, juicy acidity, silky tannins and precise oak. Tannat comes from three clay-based soil types, including limestone, gravel and rounded stones. The fruit is harvested by hand, followed by a five-day cold maceration and twenty to twenty-five days of skin contact.
Gulfi 2009 Nerojbleo
Italian Red
Ripe fruit, maraschino cherry and blackberry preserves sit within a chewy, soft and slightly sweet texture. The wine is made entirely from Nero d’Avola grown around Chiaramonte Gulfi. Grapes are harvested in late September and remain on skins for a prolonged maceration. Maturation includes at least twelve months in French oak barriques and tonneaux, followed by at least one year in bottle.
Poplar Grove 2009 Merlot
Canadian Red
Cassis and vanilla aromas accompany plum, black cherry and chocolate flavours. The palate is rich and full, with rounded, light tannins. Tobacco, liquorice, cedar, mint, cocoa, kirsch, orange peel and dried herbs are also present. Made entirely from Merlot, the wine spends eighteen months in French oak and another eighteen months in bottle. It comes from Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley.
Miner Family Winery 2009 La Diligence Marsanne Stagecoach Vineyard
American White
Ripe stone fruit, buttered bread, liquorice and honeycomb meet a mineral element. The texture is lush and thick, with ripe fruit and a long finish. Marsanne comes from Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa Valley. The wine spent five months in French Burgundian oak, approximately forty percent new. Production totalled four hundred cases, and alcohol is 14.4 percent.
Quinta da Carvalhosa 2009 Campo Ardosa Douro
Portuguese Red
Old vines exceeding forty years grow as a traditional mixed planting of Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa. Fermentation takes place in conventional vats and traditional granite lagares. The wine matures for about twenty months in French barriques before being bottled without filtration. Full fruit and roasted aromas accompany ripe, velvety tannins. It is a dry red with thirteen and a half percent alcohol.
Elena Fucci 2009 Titolo Aglianico del Vulture
Italian Red
Morello cherry, ripe blackberry and plum appear with cinnamon, cardamom and Asian spice. The tannins have a thick, velvety texture, while freshness and vibrancy accompany the profile. Red berries, rose, grilled herbs, smoke, tobacco, liquorice and incense are also present. Aglianico grows on volcanic soil with pozzolana, lapilli and clay. The wine contains fourteen percent alcohol.
Hammeken Cellars 2009 Oraculo Ribera del Duero
Spanish Red
Deep ruby colour accompanies black cherry, toasted oak, cigar box, game, tobacco and Asian spice. The palate is dense, layered and succulent, with soft, velvety tannins and a long finish. Tinta del Pais comes from vines eighty to one hundred and fifty years old. Fermentation lasts twenty-five days in cement, and ageing lasts twenty-four months in new 500-litre French-oak barrels. Production totals 7,452 bottles.
Fontodi 2009 Flaccianello della Pieve Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Sangiovese is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated for at least three weeks in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Maturation lasts twenty-four months in Tronçais and Allier oak. Toast, ripe red fruit and violet form the profile. The wine is dry, robust and harmonious, with an intense garnet-red colour. The vineyards are farmed organically.
Château Tronquoy-Lalande 2009 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Boysenberry, spring flowers, blackcurrant and ink accompany a supple texture and a long finish. The colour is dense purple, and the profile is full-bodied. The blend is fifty-one percent Merlot, forty-two percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. Alcoholic fermentation lasts six to seven days, with an average maceration of eighteen days. Harvest ran from September 18 to October 7.
Château Rieussec 2009 Sauternes 375 mL
French Dessert
Citrus and fresh fruit appear with candied apricot and green almond. Honey and acacia blossom are also present, together with length, freshness and vivacity. The blend is eighty-four percent Semillon, twelve percent Sauvignon Blanc and four percent Muscadelle. Individual lots were pressed separately, followed by cold settling and barrel fermentation. Maturation lasted twenty-four months in barrel. Alcohol is listed at 13.5 percent.
Tahbilk 2009 1860 Vines Shiraz
Australian Red
Bright crimson colour accompanies rich berry fruit, vanilla, spice, ripe black cherry and dried herbs. Integrated oak and fine-grained tannins are also present, with elegance and substantial length. The Shiraz comes from a half-hectare of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines. Grapes are hand picked and fermented in old open-oak vats. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak, with further bottle ageing.
Remoissenet 2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1.5 L
French Red
Dark red fruit, flowers, spices and liquorice appear in this Pinot Noir. Black cherry, pepper and a hint of tobacco are also present, while the wine is structured, juicy and balanced. The fruit comes from two village-level parcels, Bas de Combe and Aux Lavières. The grapes are hand harvested, and fermentation uses indigenous yeasts in open-top oak vats.
Querciabella 2009 Chianti Classico 3 L
Italian Red
Dark cherry, violets and berries appear on the nose and palate. The finish is fresh. The blend is ninety-five percent Sangiovese and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Cool spring temperatures and abundant rainfall accompanied the vintage, and alcohol and acidity are balanced. The wine is made from biodynamic grapes, comes from Chianti Classico in Tuscany and is listed at thirteen-and-a-half percent alcohol.
Antinori Guado al Tasso 2009 Bolgheri DOC Superiore
Italian Red
Balsamic notes appear with ripe fruit and spices. The palate is velvety, with soft tannins and finesse. Savoury mineral notes, length and persistence are also present. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are joined by a small amount of Petit Verdot. Malolactic fermentation and eighteen months of ageing take place in small oak barrels. Bottle ageing lasts ten months.
Marqués de Murrieta 2009 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial
Spanish Red
Tempranillo accounts for eighty-one percent of the blend and Mazuelo for nineteen percent. Dried flowers, eucalyptus, smoke and violets accompany depth of fruit, concentration and fine tannins. The finish is elegant and ethereal. The grapes come from the La Plana vineyard in Rioja Alta and spend twenty-six months in 225-litre American and French oak barrels.
Nittardi 2009 Riserva Selezionata Chianti Classico 1.5 L
Italian Red
Sangiovese and Merlot form a 95/5 blend from the single south-facing Vigna Alta hill at 500 metres. Fermentation lasts fifteen days in stainless steel at twenty-eight to thirty degrees. The wine spends twenty-four months in French oak barriques and six months in bottle. Warm ripe-fruit aromas and freshness are present. This Riserva was produced only in a year selected for its quality.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots Vieilles Vignes
French White
Rich gold colour shows green reflections. Honey, toast and hazelnut are joined by fresh fruit, lemongrass, verbena and menthol, with vanilla and toasted wood also present. The Chardonnay is powerful and fleshy, combining maturity, freshness and generosity. Fruit, mineral and wood elements are integrated in the profile. Production for this old-vine Chablis grand cru totalled twelve hundred bottles.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
French White
Hand-harvested Chardonnay grows on Kimmeridgian ground with south to south-east exposure. Vinification uses stainless steel, and maturation lasts eighteen months in tank. Pale gold colour carries green reflections. The nose is fine and complex, with citrus, vanilla, fresh butter, hazelnut and an iodized mineral touch. The wine is pure and rich, with an exceptionally long finish.
Château Coufran 2009 Haut-Médoc
French Red
Deep crimson colour accompanies blueberry, blackcurrant and fine woody hints. The palate is full and ample, with concentrated, fleshy substance and tender tannins. Merlot forms eighty-five percent of the customary blend, joined by fifteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard lies on gravel and clay in the Haut-Médoc appellation, with vines averaging about fifty years of age across a single seventy-six-hectare block.
Château Malescasse 2009 Haut-Médoc
French Red
Garnet colour with amber hints accompanies ripe red and black fruit, cocoa, truffle and liquorice. The palate is deep and flavourful, with soft, dense and rounded tannins. Full body, smooth texture, generous character and a long finish appear together. This Bordeaux red comes from the Haut-Médoc appellation. Grilled red meat and roast chicken are suggested at the table.
Tahbilk 2009 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz
Australian Red
Rich chocolate, mocha and liquorice appear with fresh primary fruit intensity, secondary notes and sweet oak. The Shiraz is textural and flavourful, with complexity. The reserve range is used for Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings chosen from selected vintages. This wine comes from the Nagambie Lakes region in Australia and forms part of that reserve programme.