Made in a very different style for this estate, the 2009 is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon (the highest I have ever seen here), 7% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, and achieved 13.8% natural alcohol. It is a big, rich, tannic, structured, dense ruby/purple-tinged wine offering a sweet kiss of creme de cassis, loamy soil, and spice box. Remarkably, despite the use of 100% new oak because of the 2009's power and intensity, there is not a hint of wood in either the aromatic or flavor profile. Never that showy from cask, this traditionally made St.-Estephe should be forgotten for 10-15 years, and drunk over the following 40-50 years. My rating is very conservative, and I expect it to rise considerably as this wine comes out of its infancy. (Tasted two times.) 

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

Proprietor Stephan von Neipperg has made so many terrific wines at this estate since the late 1980s, it’s hard to say that the 2009 is going to turn out to be the finest, but did it show well on the four separate times I tasted it! A final blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and a whopping 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (somewhat unusual for this area of St.-Emilion), the natural alcohol was 14%. Stephane Derenoncourt is the long-time wine consultant at all of Stephan von Neipperg’s estates. Yields were shockingly low here, 28 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is a beauty of both elegance and power. Dark ruby/purple, with notes of incense, sweet cedar, black cherry jam, cassis, and blackberry as well as licorice and subtle smoke, this wine has superb texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning concentration, and not a hard edge to be found. It is one of those remarkable 2009s with amazing power and density, but also tremendous finesse, precision, and freshness, an anomaly in itself. This wine should drink well for 15-20 years, based on the fact that the 1990, a vintage far lower in acidity and not nearly as concentrated, is still at the top of its game. Bravo! (Tasted four 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 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 second wine, La Chapelle d’Ausone, is remarkable, and in 2009, one of the great second wines of Bordeaux. Dense purple in color, with lots of incense, crushed rock, blueberries, and floral notes, the wine is dense, opulent, medium to full-bodied, and very pure and impressive. It should drink well for 20 or more 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.

RobertParker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The second wine, La Chapelle d’Ausone, is remarkable, and in 2009, one of the great second wines of Bordeaux. Dense purple in color, with lots of incense, crushed rock, blueberries, and floral notes, the wine is dense, opulent, medium to full-bodied, and very pure and impressive. It should drink well for 20 or more 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.

RobertParker, 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 2009 is the finest Chasse Spleen since the 1989. Its deep purple color is accompanied by notes of graphite, black currants, sweet spice, and a hint of Chinese black tea. Full-bodied and opulent with well-integrated acidity, tannin, wood, and alcohol, it is a lush beauty to enjoy over the next 20+ years. (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)

  Consultant Jean-Luc Thunevin has produced the finest wine yet made at Clement Pichon, a vineyard at the southern end of the Medoc. The 2009 reveals exuberant black currant fruit intermixed with incense, spice box, roasted herbs, and Christmas fruitcake. Fleshy, medium to full-bodied, opulent, and impressively pure as well as textured, it should evolve easily for a decade or more. (Tasted two times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

Despite the fact there is 44% Merlot in this wine (blended with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere), this is a tannic, structured, backward Clerc Milon, which is atypical for this estate. Perhaps I just caught it at a time when the structure was dominating. It is a deep ruby/purple-hued, concentrated, impressively endowed effort that requires serious cellar age, 4-5 years minimum. It should last for 20-25 years. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The 2009 Clos de l’Oratoire, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color along with a big, sweet nose of incense, blackberries, blueberries, cedar, and spice box. Rich, opulent, and full-bodied, this offering is a complete turn-on that should provide enormous pleasure over the next 10-15 years. (Tasted four times.)

Stefan von Neipperg’s 25-acre St.-Emilion estate (planted in clay and limestone) had slight hail damage, which resulted in somewhat smaller yields (28 hectoliters per hectare). 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

Clos du Marquis is being positioned by Jean-Hubert Delon as a separate single vineyard wine rather than Leoville Las Cases’ second wine. The logic is simple. It has come from the same vineyard for over twenty years, and is not a true second wine in the sense that it is not made from Las Cases’ discarded cuvees. The 2009 Clos du Marquis (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) came in at 13.75% alcohol. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue along with sweet notes of creme de cassis, great purity, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and terrific texture as well as length. It should evolve for 20-25 years. (Tasted once.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

The finest red wine I have ever tasted from this estate (I have long loved their whites), this sleeper of the vintage offers terrific fruit intensity, plenty of cassis, black cherry, loamy soil, graphite, and spice box notes, a fleshy, dense, unctuous style, and a long, heady finish with no hard edges. It should drink well for a decade. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This is a perennial superstar thanks to the efforts of proprietor Philippe Cuvelier and the estate’s manager, Tony Ballu. This beautifully-situated, nearly 48-acre vineyard, high on the clay and deep limestone plateau just adjacent to the town walls of St.-Emilion, was harvested between September 28 and October 13, with yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare. The natural alcohol turned out to be 14%. A magical wine, it may have a hard time eclipsing the 2005, but it is another prodigious effort in its own right. The dense purple color offers up notes of white chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, crushed rock, and white flowers. Textured, full-bodied, enormously pure, and voluptuously textured, it is nearly too easy to drink because of the exquisite balance and seamless integration of all its component parts. This is a killer Clos Fourtet that should drink well young yet evolve for 20+ years. (Tasted five times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

This 20+-acre vineyard, acquired by Gerard and Chantal Perse in 2001, is planted on a clay and limestone plateau. The 2009, a blend of 80% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, was cropped at 22 hectoliters per hectare, and possesses 14.2% alcohol. One of the top wines of the Cotes de Castillon, it boasts an inky/purple color as well as tremendous opulence, body, purity, and density, plenty of sweet boysenberry and blackberry fruit, noticeable, but subdued wood, full body, and an unctuous texture. It should drink well for 12-15+ years. (Tasted four times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

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

The 2009 Cos d’Estournel is one of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted ... in the world! An extraordinary effort I tasted on two separate occasions, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with a dollop of Cabernet Franc has a whopping 14.5% alcohol, but a remarkably normal pH of 3.69. Kudos to Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier for this amazing wine made from yields of 33 hectoliters per hectare. It will be a legendary claret that should last for 50-60 years. A black/purple color is accompanied by aromas of graphite, ink, creme de cassis, blackberries, cedar, and incense. Full-bodied and unctuously textured, with an ethereal personality, tons of nuances, and a burgeoning complexity, it is an enormously well-endowed, fresh, perfectly balanced tour de force in winemaking. As mentioned above, it should drink well for 50-60 years. This wine possesses this vintage’s classic characteristics of enormous power, massive fruit, and extraordinary freshness and precision - largely unprecedented, particularly for Cabernet-based wines in the Medoc. (Tasted two 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)

La Couspaude is often a modern styled, glaringly oaky wine, but the outstanding 2009 has pulled back from the oak, and the result is a far less aggressively woody effort than usual. Its dense purple color is accompanied by a big, sweet bouquet of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, loamy soil, and subtle oak. Full-bodied with copious glycerin, sweet tannin, and a long, silky finish, it should drink well for 15 years. (Tasted four times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

The Coutet 2009 is a sensational effort from Philippe Baly and his team. It has a fragrant nose of honey, vervain tea, pineapple, frangipane and apple-blossom, well defined if needing a little more vigour at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry, informed by touches of apricot and orange peel, very focused and tensile towards the long, sensuous, viscous finish. It has the same minerality exuded by Doisy-Daene and reminds me of a stellar ’62 tasted just a few weeks previously. A magnificent Coutet.

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Issue (188)

  Wine notes

The Coutet 2009 is a sensational effort from Philippe Baly and his team. It has a fragrant nose of honey, vervain tea, pineapple, frangipane and apple-blossom, well defined if needing a little more vigour at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry, informed by touches of apricot and orange peel, very focused and tensile towards the long, sensuous, viscous finish. It has the same minerality exuded by Doisy-Daene and reminds me of a stellar ’62 tasted just a few weeks previously. A magnificent Coutet.

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Issue (188)

  Wine notes

The Coutet 2009 is a sensational effort from Philippe Baly and his team. It has a fragrant nose of honey, vervain tea, pineapple, frangipane and apple-blossom, well defined if needing a little more vigour at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry, informed by touches of apricot and orange peel, very focused and tensile towards the long, sensuous, viscous finish. It has the same minerality exuded by Doisy-Daene and reminds me of a stellar ’62 tasted just a few weeks previously. A magnificent Coutet.

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Issue (188)

  Wine notes

One of the finest efforts I have ever tasted from La Croix de Gay, this dark ruby/purple-tinged 2009 offers up aromas of crushed raspberries, black cherries, vanillin, truffles, and caramel. Deep, richly fruity, and medium to full-bodied, with more substance and generosity than most vintages possess, the tannins are sweet and the finish is impressive as well as long. There is not a hard edge to be found in this 2009. It should drink well for 15-25 years. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

It’s too bad there are only 300 or so cases of this wine, made from 100% Merlot. I just had a bottle of the 2000, which was an off-the-chart, awesome wine with sumptuous texture. The 2009 strikes me as a worthy competitor to their brilliant 2005. Almost tasting like blackberry or blueberry ice cream with a hint of raspberry syrup on top, this opaque ruby/purple wine is pure and totally seductive. The 2009 offers more glycerin, power, and alcoholic potency, but the sweet tannins, the velvety texture, the beautiful purity are all there to admire and consume. It should drink well for 10-15 years. (Tasted two times.)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

One couldn’t ask for a more serious owner than Jean-Philippe Janoueix, who has done such a terrific job at La Confession in St.-Emilion and La Croix St.-Georges in Pomerol. Tiny yields of 31 hectoliters per hectare as well as super attention to detail in both the vineyard and winemaking has resulted in a wine that is a final blend of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot coming in at 14.1% alcohol. The wine is stunning, dense purple in color, with notes of chocolate, espresso roast, pain grille, blackberries, and cherries. It is a hedonistic mouthful of wine to drink over the next 4-5 years. (Tasted two times.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes

It was surprising to find a hint of herbs in this 2009 Pauillac, but despite its progress over recent years, this classified growth can’t seem to get over the top. Attractive, elegant, crunchy, red and black currant notes emerge from this medium-bodied, dark ruby/purple-colored effort. Drink it over the next 15 years. (Tasted once.) 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)

  Wine notes