Pauillac - 2009 Bordeaux Futures List - VINTAGES

Pauillac - Red Wine

BATAILLEY
5^e Cru

195529 (XD) 750 mL

$56 per btl $168 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 17 WE: 93-95 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Currant and blackberry on the nose, with hints of toasted oak. Full-bodied, with big, chewy tannins. This is the biggest Batailley in years. Lots of improvement here. Score: 92-95 (WS)

CARRUADES DE LAFITE ROTHSCHILD
2nd Wine of Ch. Lafite Rothschild

199992 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 92-94+* DEC: **** WS: 89-92 JR: 17 WE: 91-93 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: The best Carruades de Lafite I have ever tasted is the 2009. Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, 55% of the crop was included in this second wine. It is an atypically powerful Carruades with slightly higher alcohol than usual as well as considerable structure. There are plenty of creme de cassis and crushed rock notes as well as a subtle wood component, and super intensity and lushness. It is an amazing effort! For technocrats, Lafite began its harvest on September 23 and finished on October 8. (Tasted once.) Score: 92-94+* (RP)

CLERC MILON
5^e Cru

197806 (XD) 750 mL

$89 per btl $267 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92+ DEC: **** WS: 93-96 JR: 17 WE: 94-96 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Delivers blackberry galore, with fabulous floral and currant undertones. Complex on the nose. Full-bodied, offering chewy tannins and lots of black licorice and currant character. Chewy, but reserved at the same time. A top Clerc. 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 44 percent Merlot, 4 percent Cabernet Franc, 1 percent Petit Verdot and 1 percent Carmenère. Score: 93-96 (WS)

D'ARMAILHAC
5^e Cru

197533 (XD) 750 mL

$69 per btl $207 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-93* DEC: **** WS: 91-94 JR: 16.5+ WE: 93-95 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Love the minty, floral and dark berry aromas to this young wine. Full-bodied, with supe fine and polished tannins. Long and racy. Wonderful texture. Perhaps the best d'Armailhac ever. 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot, 14 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Petit Verdot. Score: 91-94 (WS)

DUHART-MILON
4^e Cru

194522 (XD) 750 mL

$99 per btl $297 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96* DEC: **** WS: 91-94 JR: 17.5 WE: 92 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: 2009 may turn out to be among the greatest vintages ever in the Medoc. The 2009 appears to be the finest Duhart Milon yet made. The Rothschild family has invested heavily in this estate over the last 20 years in order to upgrade the quality, and their investments have certainly paid off handsomely. A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, the 2009's opaque purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of creme de cassis, violets, graphite, and subtle wood. This full-bodied, intense, voluptuously textured, pure, seductive wine seems more open-knit and opulent than the more structured Carruades de Lafite. Nevertheless, the Duhart requires 3-5 years of cellaring, and should drink well for 30+ years. Bravo! (Tasted once.) Drink: 2013-2043. Score: 94-96* (RP)

ECHO DE LYNCH BAGES
2nd Wine of Ch. Lynch-Bages

199489 (XD) 750 mL

$55 per btl $165 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 89-92 GD: 15 TJW: 9.1+

TASTING NOTE: Sweet berry and currant on the nose and palate, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. This is like Lynch from the 1980s. This is made with more Cabernet Sauvignon than the old second wines of Lynch, and shows more class. Score: 89-92 (WS)

GRAND-PUY-LACOSTE
5^e Cru

199406 (XD) 750 mL

$115 per btl $345 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93 DEC: **** WS: 94-97 JR: 17.5 GD: 16 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: Lovely nose of sweet currant and blueberry that follows through to a full body, with juicy, velvety tannins and a licorice, tar and dark chocolate finish. Like it. The new 1982? Score: 94-97 (WS)

HAUT-BAGES-LIBÉRAL
5^e Cru

197640 (XD) 750 mL

$62 per btl $186 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: **** WS: 91-94 JR: 15.5 WE: 91-93

TASTING NOTE: Currant and mint, with hints of fresh herbs. Lovely complex nose already. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, racy finish. Solid core of beautiful fruit. Score: 91-94 (WS)

HAUT-BATAILLEY
5^e Cru

197251 (XD) 750 mL

$59 per btl $177 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-90 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17 GD: 16 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Sweet berry, with currant and mint on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, yet reserved and silky. Lovely finish. Score: 90-93 (WS)

LACOSTE BORIE
2nd Wine of Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste

196493 (XD) 750 mL

$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 87-90 JR: 16 GD: 15 TJW: 9.1+

TASTING NOTE: Sweet berry and coffee aromas, with hints of China tea. Medium-bodied, with lovely sweet fruit and a balance of fine tannins. Clean and pretty. Second wine of Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Score: 87-90 (WS)

LAFITE ROTHSCHILD
1^er Cru

200006 (XD) 750 mL

$1,275 per btl $3,825 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 98-100 DEC: ***** WS: 96-99 JR: 19 WE: 95-97 GD: 18.5 TJW: 9.7

TASTING NOTE: The 2009 Lafite Rothschild is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” Although the 2003 was powerful (12.9% alcohol), the 2009 came in at 13.4% alcohol. It is a blend of 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. Only 45% of the crop went into the grand vin, which may be the most concentrated Lafite I have ever tasted. There is not a hard edge to be found in this inky/purple-colored wine displaying notes of charcoal, incense, black currants, and licorice. In the mouth, it represents a liqueur of black fruits offered in a remarkably full-bodied, incredibly elegant, lush style. Expansive, savory, staggeringly concentrated, and voluptuous as well as wonderfully precise with a hint of minerality, this sensational wine’s technical numbers are off the charts. Is this a replay of the 1959? Although it will be surprisingly approachable in its youth, this is a 50-100-year wine. Drink: 2010-2110. (Tasted once.) Score: 98-100 (RP)

LATOUR
1^er Cru

200956 (XD) 750 mL

$1,395 per btl $4,185 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 98-100 DEC: ***** WS: 97-100 JR: 19 WE: 96-98 GD: 19 TJW: 9.8

TASTING NOTE: The 2009 Latour has off the charts concentration in addition to the highest level of tannin ever measured at the estate. The final blend was somewhat unusual in that it consists of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot, and clocked in at 13.7% alcohol (even higher than the 2003). Possibly a 100-year wine, it boasts an inky/black/purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of super-intense blue and black fruits, graphite, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality. Enormously full-bodied yet at the same time incredibly fresh, vibrant, and precise, it coats the mouth, and builds incrementally to skyscraper-like texture, and a whopping finish that lasts over a minute. This remarkable wine reveals a certain accessibility already, yet one senses that it will be even richer, more nuanced, and fuller by the time it is bottled in mid-2011. A monumental wine from a monumental vintage in the Medoc, this is our children's children's children's elixir. (Tasted once.) Score: 98-100 (RP)

LE PETIT MOUTON
2nd Wine of Ch. Mouton Rothschild

200998 (XD) 750 mL

$139 per btl $417 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 16 WE: 89-91 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Impressive aromas of mint, mineral and black fruits follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and persistent finish. Dense and well-structured. 63 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 22 percent Merlot and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. Score: 90-93 (WS)

LES FORTS DE LATOUR
2nd Wine of Ch. Latour

200568 (XD) 750 mL

$209 per btl $627 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 93-95* DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 18 WE: 92-94 GD: 18 TJW: 9.4+

TASTING NOTE: Perhaps the finest example ever made (including the extraordinary 1982) of Les Forts de Latour, the 2009 (61.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32.3% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot) is nearly as potent as the Pauillac at 13.5% alcohol. An opaque purple color is followed by notes of black fruits, crushed rocks, spring flowers, and hints of blackberries and smoke. Prodigiously rich and thick with an amazingly long finish of 50 seconds, this astonishing second wine will undoubtedly put on weight before bottling, and should last for 25-30 years. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2040. Score: 93-95* (RP)

LES HAUTS DE PONTET-CANET
2nd Wine of Ch. Pontet-Canet

194548 (XD) 750 mL

$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

LYNCH BAGES
5^e Cru

201517 (XD) 750 mL

$175 per btl $525 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96+ DEC: **** WS: 96-99 JR: 17 WE: 95-97 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.6+

TASTING NOTE: The nose shows amazing aromas of mint, spices and currant, with underlying licorice and tar. Full-bodied, with amazing fruit and a long, long finish. Powerful. Blockbuster, but balanced. So structured. Lynch has not made a wine like this since perhaps 1989 or 1982. Better than Wine of the Year 1985 Lynch. Score: 96-99 (WS)

MOUTON ROTHSCHILD
1^er Cru

201822 (XD) 750 mL

$1,275 per btl $3,825 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98+ DEC: ***** WS: 97-100 JR: 18.5 WE: 97-99 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.7

TASTING NOTE: I am speechless over the nose in this wine. Mint, blackberry, currant and black licorice turn to flowers such as lilacs and roses. Wow. It fills your mouth with the same fruit, but with an intensity of superpolished tannins. It finishes with complex yet reserved coffee, toasted oak and ripe fruit and then in two or three minutes it becomes milk chocolate. Just a joy to taste. Best Mouton since 1982 or 1986; in fact, it's like a blend of the two. A perfect Mouton? 88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 12 percent Merlot. Score: 97-100 (WS)

PEDESCLAUX
5^e Cru

192104 (XD) 750 mL

$42 per btl $126 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 85-87 DEC: *** WS: 90-93 JR: 15.5 WE: 90-92 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: A wine with a solid core of berry and milk chocolate character. Full and round, with velvety tannins and a juicy, fruity finish. This shows great improvement for what was once considered the worst classified-growth. Score: 90-93 (WS)

PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE
2^e Cru

202200 (XD) 750 mL

$295 per btl $885 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98 DEC: ***** WS: 95-98 JR: 17 WE: 94-96 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: The blend for the 2009 Pichon Lalande is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, somewhat unusual at this estate which usually has more Merlot in the blend. As stated previously, the Cabernet Sauvignon reached levels of ripeness and intensity of flavor in 2009 never seen before in Bordeaux! The final blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot and a pH of 3.8 combines the best of a vintage such as 1996, in terms of structure, freshness, and precision, with the best of 1982, in terms of opulence, power, unctuosity, and thickness. The opaque purple-colored 2009 exhibits an intoxicatingly intense nose of red and black fruits, subtle smoke, charcoal, forest floor, and a hint of flowers. Unusually full-bodied for a wine from this estate as well as unctuously textured, voluptuous, and incredibly pure and precise, this dazzling wine should be drinkable at an early age, and evolve for 30+ years. Drink: 2010-2040. (Tasted once.) Score: 96-98 (RP)

PICHON-LONGUEVILLE-BARON
2^e Cru

201764 (XD) 750 mL

$209 per btl $627 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 93-95 DEC: ***** WS: 92-95 JR: 18 WE: 95-97 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Big ripe fruit, packed with classic blackcurrant flavors, topped with wood and sweet, juicy fruit tannins. An impressive, solid wine yet very elegant at the same time. Score: 95-97 (WE)

PONTET-CANET
5^e Cru

199497 (XD) 750 mL

$175 per btl $525 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 97-100 DEC: ***** WS: 95-98 JR: 18 WE: 98-100 GD: 18 TJW: 9.8

TASTING NOTE: It’s no surprise that proprietor Alfred Tesseron has produced a possibly perfect 2009. He’s been on a roll since 1994, and no other producer has done more work in the vineyard than Tesseron, who has moved to 100% bio-dynamic farming, reduced yields drastically, and instituted a draconian selection process. This vineyard, which sits on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, has produced a 2009 of extraordinary intensity and purity. It is outrageously concentrated, with silky tannin (the sweetest I have ever tasted in a Pontet-Canet as well as the highest measured), an opaque purple color, and copious notes of graphite, cassis, licorice, and subtle smoke and forest floor. Full-bodied and unctuously textured with striking purity and definition, it is a wine of colossal weight as well as elegance (in itself a poster boy for this paradox in 2009). This brilliant Pauillac requires a decade of cellaring despite its voluptuous texture. It should evolve for 50-75 years. (Tasted four times.) Drink: 2020-2095. Score: 97-100 (RP)

RÉSERVE DE LA COMTESSE
2nd Wine of Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

198663 (XD) 750 mL

$69 per btl $207 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93* WS: 88-91 JR: 16.5 TJW: 9.2

TASTING NOTE: The finest second wine they have made, the 2009 Reserve de Comtesse is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Flavorful and full-bodied with loads of texture and opulence, it offers up aromas of forest floor and black fruits. The surprisingly high tannin level is barely noticeable given the sweetness of the fruit and abundant glycerin. Nevertheless, the 13% alcohol is right in line with that of the Pichon Lalande. Drink the Reserve de Comtesse over the next 10-15 years. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2025. Score: 91-93* (RP)

Pauillac - Red Wine

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