"Aux Malconsorts - Christiane" 1er cru de Vosne Romanée 2009
The vintage
We harvested between the 5th and 18th of September.
The 2009 vintage arrived softly with a mild spring and a rather hot June and July, even if rains tried to upset the weather's balance at the end of July and for part of August. The harvest began fairly early, especially for Domaine and Maison de Montille, where freshness, precision and balance are always favored rather risking over-ripeness. We started on the 5th and finished on the 18th of September. The results give a freshness and balance on the palate that favor a lift and a savoriness in our wines that don't give a typical impression of the vintage.
2009 is an excellent red wine vintage. Its quality compares to 2005, even if the profile of these two vintages and their optimal drinking windows are different. In fact, the 2009s resemble the 1959s or perhaps the 1989s with their ripe, yet still crackling red fruits as well as some black cherry notes melting into a background of spices mixed in with floral notes, if for no other reason than that we left in whole clusters, which we often do.
The mouthfeels are suave and vinous with freshly acidic notes and finely tuned a tannic structure that gives the wines more suppleness than the 2005s. The finishes are persistent and fresh to the point of being vibrant.
Most will be ready to drink between 2015 and 2025, while the Grands Premiers Crus and the Grands Crus can wait until 2030 or even 2040 and will be magnificent bottles.
Tasting notes
- Good full red. Darker on the nose than the "regular" Malconsorts, with a strong soil character to the aromas of black fruits and flinty, smoky minerality. Bigger and denser than the Malconsorts but also more saline and earthy, and less open to inspection today, as its fruit sweetness is in the deep background. These two wines are remarkably different, with the Christiane displaying a much more muscular, powerful style and finishing with serious tannins. I should add that this very backward wine is also a bit hardened today by CO2, which makes it trickier to taste. Stephen Ttanzer
- Mild wood sets off a similar if perhaps not quite as fresh a nose though the sophisticated flavors are denser and more concentrated with more obvious dry extract that confers a velvety and seductive texture onto the serious, long and austere finish. While the difference is relatively minor, there is a bit more underlying material as well as slightly better length though whether this will make a material difference at full maturity is an open question. No matter the answer to that question, this is a striking wine of immense potential. Comments: Outstanding Tasted: May 06, 2011 - Score: 93-95 - Drink: 2024+ -
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