Tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare have produced a wine with terrific fruit intensity, a moderately tannic structure, and hints of chocolate, cedar, spice box, and earth. Although not as big as I expected given the vintage, it is well-made and impressively endowed. Enjoy it over the next 12 years. (Tasted four times.)

  Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194)

This may be the finest d’Armailhac I have ever tasted. Made in a textured, full-bodied, sumptuous style, it is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the balance primarily Cabernet Franc with a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue along with floral, red and black currant, cedar, and spice characteristics. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and impressively pure as well as long, it should drink well for 25 years. (Tasted three times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The basic cuvee, the 2009 Arnauton (98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc) tastes just as good, and has even more punch with 14.5% alcohol. A sleeper of the vintage, its opaque purple hue is followed by sweet aromas of blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, incense, and graphite. Full-bodied, powerful, and layered, like its sibling, it is very impressive, and for the significant difference in price, this would be my choice. Both wines should drink well for two years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

This estate’s top cuvee, the 2009 Grand Sol, has not yet surged ahead of the regular offering. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, it exhibits an opaque purple color, lots of blue and black fruits, a hint of chocolate, an opulent, powerful style, and good texture. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

Long-time readers know d’Aurilhac is one of my favorite under-the-radar Bordeaux in top vintages. This impressively made Medoc offers a lot of quality for its price. The 2009 reveals copious black cherry, black currant, earth, and spice notes intertwined with a hint of background oak. A luscious texture, a succulent style, and a juicy, long finish suggest it will drink well for 5-7 years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

The 2009 Ausone, was produced at probably twice the yields of the absolutely remarkable 2008, but is another profound effort from Vauthier. Dense purple in color, with an almost liqueur of limestone intermixed with acacia flowers, blueberry, raspberry, and boysenberry fruit, the use of 100% new oak is completely concealed by the wealth of fruit and the lavish richness this wine exhibits. Nevertheless, there is a striking precision, minerality, and purity to Ausone. This wine might be far more drinkable in 7-8 years than the 2005 or 2008 will be with the same amount of aging. Nevertheless, any person lucky enough to latch on to one of the 1200 or so cases of this wine should realize it is going to evolve for 20-50 years. (Tasted once.)

Two more brilliant wines from Alain Vauthier, but you might have to forgive me for not giving a potentially perfect score in 2009. Readers (and I) have been spoiled by my reviews of 2008, 2005, 2003, and 2000. Certainly, his 2009 may turn out to be as riveting, but at this stage, I would have to rate all those vintages just a notch or two higher.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

A tiny crop of 18 hectoliters per hectare (the result of the mid-May hail damage) lead to an opaque purple-colored, richest, most concentrated, biggest Barde-Haut made to date. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2009 possesses an intense bouquet of mulberries, boysenberries, charcoal, toast, and graphite. Extremely full-bodied, thick, and viscous with good freshness and definition as well as sweet, but high tannins, this beauty can be enjoyed over the next two decades. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Not to be confused with St.-Emilion’s Bellevue, this has been one of the most consistent Medoc cru bourgeois over a number of years, and the 2009 may reach new quality heights. A big-time sleeper of the vintage, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 20% Petit Verdot boasts a dense purple color as well as notes of creme de cassis and spring flowers, terrific fruit, sweet but noticeable tannin, and medium to full body. It can be drunk young or cellared for 8-10 years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

2009 Chateau Bellefont-Belcier 93-94
Tasted at the Association de Crus Classé tasting at Grand Pontet. A very modern, quite glossy bouquet, although one of the better of its kind with pure black cherry, plum and cassis fruit, nicely delineated in an opulent style. The palate is full-bodied with fine tannins, judicious extraction here and it tells on the vibrant, minerally finish with excellent definition. Good length. This is a top class Saint Emilion. Tasted March 2010.

Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com

  Wine notes

2009 Chateau Bellevue 93-95
Tasted at Chateau Angelus. A blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the Bellevue ’09 has a rounded, silky smooth nose of kirsch, orange liqueur, honey and cedar with fine definition and focus. This is a very classy bouquet. The palate is full-bodied with firm, structure tannins, very fine balance and focus, great purity and expression. Very good grip, a more masculine Bellevue but with greater breeding than in previous vintages, the minerality on the finish quite enthralling. Superb. Tasted March 2010.

Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com

  Wine notes

There is virtually none of this wine to be found, as it is Gerard Perse’s tiniest property, a five-acre parcel on a high limestone plateau at an elevation above that of Pavie Decesse and nearby Pavie Macquin. The vines average 47 years of age, and the blend here is 90% Merlot and the rest split between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields were a meager 22 hectoliters per hectare, and the alcohol is 14.5%. This wine is fermented in oak tanks, malolactic in barrel, aged on its lees, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. A brilliant wine, opaque blue/purple in color, with an extraordinary nose of the essence of wet rocks intermixed with a floral perfume aspect, it displays enormous creme de cassis, mulberry, and boysenberry fruit, full-bodied opulence, viscous texture, tremendous purity, yet a vibrancy and vivacity due to the unusual vintage conditions, which have provided both massive concentration and huge tannins, yet clarity, precision, and elegance. This is a monster wine that should drink well for 30 or more years. (Tasted two times.)

RobertParker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

2009 Chateau Berliquet 91-93
Tasted at the Saint Emilion UGC, this has a ripe, almost exotic nose that flirts with over-extraction (but only flirts.) The palate is well balanced with layers of sappy black fruit, good acidity and a finesse on the finish that counterpoises its power to the right degree. Harmonious and modern in style, this is a very fine 2009 from the estate. Tasted March 2010.

Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com

  Wine notes

The finest La Bernadotte made to date, this 2009 is an undeniable sleeper of the vintage. Composed of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, it reveals a dense purple color along with a big, sweet kiss of black cherries, black currants, charcoal, and spice. With layers of fruit, decent acidity, freshness, and precision, and an opulent, fleshy, succulent style, it should drink easily for a decade or more. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Another exclusivity of negociant Jeffrey Davies, this wine seems built to evolve for up to a decade or more. A blend of 43% Merlot, a whopping 35% Petit Verdot, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon that all tip the scales at 14% natural alcohol, the result is a wine with loads of structure that seems more backward than many of its peers, especially at this price point, but displays an impressive concentration of black currant and black cherry fruit with some licorice and spicy oak. This is a seriously endowed wine that needs to shed some tannin, but it is all there. Give it a year or so of bottle age and drink it over the following decade. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

Another terrific offering from well-known oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2009 may or may not eclipse their 2005 and 2008, but it offers wonderful notes of caramel, mocha, black cherries, and black currants in a seamless, full-bodied, opulent style. It possesses a dense ruby/purple color, lots of glycerin, superb purity, and a textured, long, concentrated mouthfeel. As always, the brilliance of this team transcends its terroir in Pomerol. Enjoy the 2009 Bon Pasteur over the next 15-20 years. (Tasted once).

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Only time will tell whether the 2009, another great effort from Branaire, will eclipse the 2005 and 2003. Certainly at 13.6% alcohol it is the most powerful Branaire ever made, and the final blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot showcases what a great vintage 2009 is for Cabernet Sauvignon. An inky/blue/purple color is followed by raspberry, boysenberry, crushed rock, graphite, and floral notes, and an opaque, broad, dense, substantial, impressively structured wine without any hardness. It requires 4-5 years of cellaring, and should last four decades or more. (Tasted two times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Only 37% of the production made it in to the 2009 Brane Cantenac (slightly lower than most properties because the fruit was so good). This is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.87 and finished alcohol of 13.2%. It is another offering that reveals no evidence of wood even though 70% new oak barrels were utilized. A dense plum/purple color is followed by a lovely perfume of flowers, boysenberries, black cherries, and black currants. Seamless in the mouth with stunning concentration, a seductive style, an exquisite Margaux delicacy, and levels of richness and intensity I have never before seen in Brane Cantenac, it should drink effortlessly for 30+ years. (Tasted four times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Having just had the 2000 Branon, which performed unbelievably well, this is definitely a wine for connoisseurs to seek out. The problem is that just under 500 cases were made, all from relatively old vines planted in the early sixties. This blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc is from a parcel of the Branon vineyard sandwiched between Haut-Bailly and Malartic Lagraviere in the heart of Leognan. The 2009 reveals smoky, earthy, barbecue notes intermixed with creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, charcoal, and graphite. This hugely concentrated, intense, dense, full-bodied powerhouse possesses silky tannins, plenty of glycerin, an over the top, extravagantly rich mouthfeel, and a finish that lasts nearly 60 seconds. A potential legend in the making, this wine should drink well for 30+ years. (Tasted once.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This is the best Canon since 1982, and it is possibly capable of eclipsing that legendary vintage. It has taken a while for the proprietors, the Wertheimer brothers (the owners of Chanel and the Margaux estate Rauzan-Segla) to get Canon back to its former glory. Yields in 2009 were 35 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred between September 28 and October 5. The blend is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, with a natural alcohol level of 14%. Dense ruby/purple and full-bodied, with terrific blueberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with spring flower garden scents, with extraordinary density, purity, and a multi-layered texture, this is a prodigious Canon with sweet tannins and lots of viscosity. It should drink well for 30 or more years. Bravo! (Tasted three times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the Cabernet dominating, looks to be the best they have ever produced, even eclipsing the 2005. Dense purple in color, with extraordinarily elegant floral notes intermixed with raspberry, black currant, cherry, and spice box, it is medium to full-bodied, not massive, but again, very seamless, with beautiful precision, sweet tannins, and an endearing fleshiness and depth of flavor that are neither heavy nor fatiguing. This wine will be relatively approachable in 3-5 years and drink well for 25-30. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The greatest Cantenac Brown I have ever tasted, this monumental effort possesses enormous concentration, with loads of black and blue fruits intermixed with damp earth and forest floor. I have never seen a Cantenac Brown so seamless, so powerful, yet at the same time, so elegant and densely complex. They have certainly done something here that has not been accomplished over the last three decades I have been tasting this estate’s wines. Opaque purple in color and full-bodied, this big-time sleeper of the vintage merits serious attention for the first time in my professional career. Kudos to the new ownership and team at Cantenac Brown. This wine should evolve over a 30-year period. (Tasted two times.)

  Wine notes

The relatively new proprietor, Silvio Denz, has made his finest wine to date from this Cotes de Castillon property. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14% natural alcohol, it is a full-bodied, super-concentrated effort displaying excellent purity as well as lots of minerality and floral notes imbedded in black and blue fruits. The oak is totally masked, the tannins are prominent but sweet, and the wine is fresh and precise. A sleeper of the vintage, this beauty should drink well for 10-12 years. (Tasted four times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Soft, silky, incredibly sexy notes of licorice, tobacco leaf, cigar tobacco, cassis, and cherries soar from the glass of this full-bodied Carbonnieux, which seems to have a few extra layers of fruit, glycerin, and depth than usual. The wine has great fruit, purity, and lots of personality. Give it a couple of years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25+ years. (Tasted twice.)

Bordeaux lost one of its favorite sons and a great gentleman, the former proprietor of Carbonnieux, Anthony Perrin. His son now manages the estate and must be proud of what he has achieved in 2009. 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

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.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This classic over-performer has turned out another super-attractive, supple-textured, dark ruby/purple-colored wine displaying notes of flowers, licorice, spice, and background oak. It should drink nicely for a decade or more. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The second wine, which used to be called Bahans Haut-Brion, is now Le Clarence Haut-Brion. The 2009 is a 7,000-case cuvee made of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. The wine has a fabulous nose of incense, burning embers, forest floor, and black cherry liqueur. Fleshy, rich, full-bodied, but not over the top as the minerality and structure move in, this is a super-duper effort, and the greatest second wine made at Haut-Brion since the 1989 Bahans Haut-Brion. It should drink well for 20-25 years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Relatively restrained and less aggressively oaked than usual, the 2009 has a dense plum color, a sweet smell of ripe cherries, mocha, and white chocolate, and medium to full body. The wine is, at the least, excellent, as well as capable of 15 or so years of evolution. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

After the brilliant 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2005, I didn’t think proprietor Helene Garcin and consulting winemaker Dr. Alain Raynaud could do any better, but the 2009 Clos l’Eglise may turn out to be superior to the aforementioned vintages. An extraordinary wine of compelling intensity, opulence, and breadth of flavor, it possesses a dark purple color as well as copious aromas of sweet mocha, coffee-infused blackberry and black cherry fruit, and no hint of oak. Fleshy and extravagantly rich with terrific purity and precision, it is a very full-bodied, powerful Pomerol that should drink well for 25+ years. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This is the well-run St.-Emilion property of the talented Jean-Philippe Janoueix, who does such a great job with his generic Bordeaux, Croix Mouton, and Pomerol’s La Croix St.-Georges. Yields were cropped at 32 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend is 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc coming in at a whopping 14.8% alcohol. I had it four separate times, three of which were very consistent, and once slightly less evolved, but that was on the first day I was in Bordeaux rather than the 12th day, and wines made like this – aged sur-lie with a “hands off” philosophy – were often coming off their post-malolactic lees. Dense purple in color with a beautifully sweet nose of charcoal, red, blue, and black fruits, licorice, and a hint of toasty oak, this opaque wine has tremendous density, thick, juicy, fruit, and unctuous texture, and a long, long, finish. It should be relatively approachable in its youth, since the tannin, alcohol, and wood are largely concealed by the overwhelming density of the wine, and last for up to 20 or more years. (Tasted four times.) 

 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Now that La Conseillante is making a second wine with more severe selection, think of the 2009 as a version of the 2000 on steroids. This is never going to be a blockbuster wine, because the terroir just seems to produce silky, elegant wines, but in this case, the 2009 has an extra kick and level of concentration that is unprecedented. Inky bluish purple, with an extraordinary nose of framboise, black raspberries, spring flowers, spice box, and a hint of truffle, the wine has great depth, full-bodied opulence, silky tannins, enormous power and richness, but again, a vibrancy and uplift that are just freakish in this vintage. That’s one of the great hallmarks of 2009 and one that will always stand out over the next 30 years. This wine should be drinkable in 5-7 years and last 40 or more. (Tasted three times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Much more narrowly defined than most 2009s, the opaque purple-colored Cos Labory reveals some jagged, raspy tannins. Although it appears to have plenty of concentration, its disjointedness is worrisome. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This estate sits on a gentle hillside near Alain Moueix’s biodynamically run Chateau Fonroque. A strong effort for the vintage, this blend of 70% Merlot and the rest split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc possesses a dense ruby/purple color, silky tannins, loads of black cherries, plums, and iron-like notes. Medium to full-bodied and round, with the natural alcohol hitting 14%, this wine should drink well for 10-15 years. (Tasted four times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This dark ruby/plum-hued, soft, seductive, round effort reveals lots of purity along with sweet cherry and mulberry fruit, and a medium-bodied, easy-going finish. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)