"A touch of reduction—smoke, rubber—signals this cherry-flavored red, which is silky, dense and firm, with a lingering sweet fruit- and spice-tinged finish. Opens up with air, so decant if you drink now. Best from 2015 through 2032. 500 cases imported." (WS)
"The 2009 Beaune Clos des Mouches is totally beautiful. It shows gorgeous inner perfume and a weightless, gracious personality. The inner sweetness of the fruit flows nicely to the sensual, radiant fruit. A lovely vein of minerality underpins the subtle finish. Drouhin has a total of 7 hectares planted with Pinot Noir in the Clos des Mouches. The house’s harvest starts and ends here. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2039.
Drouhin farms 75 hectares of vineyards according to biodynamic principles. Maceration and fermentation lasts about three weeks. The wines are then racked into oak in a cold part of the cellar to slow down the malos, although in 2009 they were entirely done by December. The estate leaves the wines on their lees for several months with one racking, or two if needed, prior to being assembled for bottling. New oak ranges from 25% for the entry-level wines to 50-65% for the grand crus. Veronique Drouhin thinks the 2009s will stay open throughout their lives, much as the 1985s have. All of these 2009s were bottled between early December, 2010 and January, 2011." (WA)
"($95; tasted from tank; recently racked) Medium red. Black cherry, clove, menthol and black pepper on the nose, plus a whiff of leathery reduction. Supple and moderately sweet, with good but not outstanding depth to the black fruit and mint flavors. I get a wide range of fruit ripeness here (in fact, this large vineyard is always picked in a series of passes, over a period of a week or more. Finishes with a firm tannic edge. I look forward to tasting the finished wine." (IWC)
"Very mild reduction is not enough to completely hide the otherwise pretty nose of red berry fruit, violets and earth aromas though if you're going to drink one young, I would recommend 20 to 30 minutes of aeration first. The rich but well detailed and quite finely mineral-inflected flavors possess a fleshy mouth feel as well as excellent volume and length. This is quite ripe but not over the top and this should age well." (BH) |
