appetite
Words | Anne Berry | The Wine Cellar
1984
was not a particularly good vintage in Europe and there are few wines still drinking well. Vintages tend to vary more in cooler climates, which means that in northern Europe there can be much variation from one year to the next. Any wine produced from one year’s harvest is a ‘vintage’ wine, but the weather conditions will determine whether it is a good, indifferent or poor vintage.
vinified and partly aged in oak barrels, resulting in a well structured, fruity wine with vanilla notes. An absolutely superb red is Vallet Freres’ Beaune 1er Cru Les Epenottes 2009. Vallet Freres have been voted ‘Best French Wine Producer of the Year 2012’ and when you taste this wine, you will understand why. Silky smooth, elegant and stylish with flavours of cherries, red berries, spice and vanilla. Well balanced and sophisticated, it is a wine to enjoy with food, and it will continue to improve over the next five years.
Fast forward 25 years and it was a completely different story. 2009 was a good or even great vintage in many parts of Europe with wines that are not only drinking well now, but will keep for many years. Following a cold and wet winter, ground water levels were high, so when hot, dry conditions prevailed in the summer months, threatening drought, which would stress the vines, there was sufficient water available to allow the grapes to ripen successfully. Unusually for Burgundy, it was a vintage to suit production of both red and white, with just the right balance of acidity and tannins to give wines of excellent concentration and finesse. A white worth tasting is Louis Jadot’s Chateau des Jacques Bourgogne Blanc 2009. This is one of the best value white Burgundies on the market. Produced from vines grown on the Chateau des Jacques estate in the very south of Burgundy, like all top white Cote d’Or wines, this is
and pepper. Although it is drinking well now, it can be cellared for at least another 5 years. At £17.45, this is a great alternative if you enjoy Châteauneuf du Pape.
Another French region that really benefited from the near perfect growing conditions in 2009 was Beaujolais, a region often overlooked and underrated. The 2009 wines were full of flavour with more body than in cooler vintages, but good producers were able to keep the wonderful aromatics of the Gamay grape. One example is the Fleurie Domaine des Chaffangeons La Madone 2009. This single estate wine is soft and delicate with aromas of raspberries and cherries. On the palate there are hints of liquorice and spice mingling with the same fruity flavours. Bernard and Jean-Christophe Vallet receiving their award The Rhone has enjoyed some fantastic vintages in recent years and 2009 was no exception. One fine example is Domaine Le Clos des Cazaux’s Vacqueyras, a blend of Syrah and Grenache. Deep in colour it is intense and spicy, mellow and complex, with lots of ripe red and black fruit flavours and touches of liquorice, white chocolate
A lovely wine to enjoy on its own but also a perfect accompaniment to your Sunday roast.
All these wines are in stock at The Wine Cellar. Call in to see these and others from 2009, while stocks last!
The Wine Cellar • Tennis Road • Douglas • IM2 3QW Telephone: 01624 611793 • Email: anne@thewinecellar.im
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