An Exploration of 2009 St. Emilions (plus a few bonuses)
Los Olivos, CA
Tasted April 25, 2023 by JonnyG with 216 views
Introduction
Our generous host supplied all of these amazing bottles, not to mention ample stemware and delicious food. What a treat. The eight featured wines (my flights 2 and 3 below) were all served blind, though we of course knew the chosen appellation. There were plenty of humbling moments, as always with a blind tasting, and a few remarkable surprises.
Flight 1 - A lovely Riesling opener (1 note)
White
2009 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Ried Schütt
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Non-blind. I was really impressed by this bottle, though its slightly cloudy appearance made me wary at first. This ticked all the boxes: acid, complexity, length. Lime and tropical fruits, plus a touch of chalky minerality.
Flight 2 - St. Emilions 1-4 (4 notes)
The Canon is sheer class, with perhaps the highest typicity of the evening's wines. The Rol Valentin continues to impress.
Red
2009 Château Canon
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. A restrained nose showing hints of dark fruits and a slightly yeasty note which blew off with time. Dense and complex, displaying blackberry and raspberry notes, some cigar box and spice. Balanced and energetic. Very approachable, but I am optimistic it will develop positively from here.
Red
2009 Château Rol Valentin
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. Ripe and generous aromatics, the most overt of the flight of four from the appellation, showing plenty of dark fruit and substantial oak. Black fruit-dominated palate, still quite primary. There was a nice spice backbone, tampering down the hedonistic aspects. Impressive length.
Red
2009 Château Troplong Mondot
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. An affected bottle, with a mustiness which never blew off but was much more impactful on the nose than in the mouth. Primary, with muted fruit and evident heat. I was stunned when the label was revealed.
Perhaps asleep, or maybe an affected bottle?
Red
2009 Château La Gaffelière
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. Rich, open nose showing loads of ripe red and blue fruit and a touch of soy. A polished and modern wine, with good grip. Came off as a flamboyant Merlot -- no sign of the Cab. Franc at this stage.
Flight 3 - St. Emilions 5-8 (4 notes)
A bit of an uneven flight to say the least, but highly instructive and great fun. The Cheval Blanc remains a headscratcher for me...
Red
2009 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. The nose was quite offputting, either VA or Brett (or both?), kind of vegetal (think mushrooms and onions). Disjointed on the palate as well, rustic, textured and ungenerous, almost astringent. I was disappointed when the label was revealed, as this same bottling had shown beautifully 2-1/2 years ago, besting the Pichon Baron and Trotanoy served alongside it.
Red
2009 Château Bellevue Mondotte
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. A much better showing than when had 2-1/2 years ago as that bottle was pretty soundly asleep. The nose showed black fruit notes and a touch of malo-like aromas. While still quite primary, there was plenty of fruit and good power and length, though I found the wine to be a touch flabby.
Red
2009 Lynsolence
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. Impressive freshness and purity, clean and balanced. Blackberries, cassis and fennel. A somewhat gentle, elegant wine despite the evident oak, with ample structure, sweet, fine-grained tannins and very long finish. Lush yet complex, with a nice spice thread and something akin to verbena notes, presumably from the oak. A new bottling to me. Color me impressed.
Red
2009 Château Cheval Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind. A vexing wine, initially marred by overwhelming oak-derived coffee aromatics along with some green pepper. While less dominant, the oak remained very overt on the palate as well, at least until paired with food. Reductive, with a somewhat short finish. I was floored when the bottle was unbagged. Give these a decade+, if this bottle is any indication.
Flight 4 - A bonus Pomerol (1 note)
Red
2009 Château L'Eglise-Clinet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Non-blind. Another stellar showing, even better than one enjoyed 2-1/2 years ago. An opulent powerhouse, loaded with dark red fruit. Some smoky notes added complexity. All purity and balance, with lifted black fruit notes and good length.
Flight 5 - A sticky to wrap the night up in style (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2009 Château Suduiraut
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Non-blind, from a 375. Not the best showing, at least when compared to another bottle tasted a few years ago. Fresh pear compote and a touch of caramel, but lacking bite as well as density and complexity. There must be some real bottle variation going on here, as another one we left unopened was much darker in appearance despite consistent storage.
Closing
My three main takeaways:
For the most part, these 2009s have really turned the corner, though the prospects for favorable evolution are quite high.
The "big boys" can be less consistent than some of the more value-oriented bottlings.
St. Emilion offers such a diversity of styles and blends that comparability can be difficult, a minor observation given the strong appeal of the wines as a general matter.
I am grateful to have had this opportunity, and glad to be long many of these wines.
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