The Annual Clos Vougeot Tasting : Presenting 2009

On Thursday 27th October wine journalists and the FINE+RARE team gathered for a very special event: 57 domains, one vineyard, one vintage, tasted blind.

This is the second year (we hope of many) that we have organised this Clos Vougeot tasting, and quite some organisation is required. We started contacting producers back in February to try and secure a bottle or two before they sold out; many had already allocated their entire – tiny – production.

We are often asked why we have chosen the vineyard of Clos Vougeot to show; it is an anomalously large grand cru in a region of tiny vineyards with clear differences in the prestigious terroirs at the top of the slope, bordering Grands Echezeaux (Maupertui) and Musigny (Musigni), and the bottom of the slope next to the main road which is generally considered to be poorer land. Clos Vougeot's classification is often hotly contested, with producers coming under fire for resting on their laurels and either riding easy on the grand cru status or the established name of their maison.

This blind tasting provides the perfect opportunity to examine these wines side-by-side and note how they reflect so differently their terroir through vinification variations or wine making decisions in the cellar. Conditions in Burgundy in 2009 were excellent and as our own Head of Marketing, Simon Davies, says: “If you cannot make a good Clos Vougeot in 2009, what have you been doing?”

This tasting was no less interesting than last year with some big names falling disappointingly flat and some smaller domains coming to the fore. There will be many more reports to follow from those professionals who taste this number of wines blind on a regular basis (Jancis Robinson, Neal Martin, Stephen Brook, Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin, Joanna Simon) however this is our own round up, with a collective list from the FINE+RARE team of some of our favourites.

Please contact your Account Manager for more information about availability of these wines.

Absolute Stars:

2009 Meo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot

2009 Jean-Jacques Confuron Clos de Vougeot

2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Clos de Vougeot

2009 Anne Gros Clos de Vougeot

2009 Robert Arnoux Clos de Vougeot

Some of our favourites:

2009 Bertagna Clos de Vougeot

2009 Drouhin-Laroze Clos de Vougeot

2009 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot

2009 Louis Jadot Clos de Vougeot

2009 Jacques Prieur Clos de Vougeot

2009 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos de Vougeot

2009 Joseph Drouhin Clos de Vougeot

Other wines tasted:

Clos Frantin Faiveley

Chateau de la Tour Chateau de la Tour Vielles Vignes

Chantal Lescure Henri Rebourseau

Capitain-Gagnerot Mugneret-Gibourg

Sylvain Loichet Denis Mortet

La Reine Pedauque Henri Boillot

Armelle & Bernard Rion Domaine Pierre Andre

Chateau de Santenay Louis Max

Dufouleur-Freres Maison Alex Gambal

Regis Forey Hubert de Montille

Frederic Magnien Genot-Boulanger

Gros Frere et Soeur Chauvenet-Chopin

Domaine d'Ardhuy R. Dubois

Laurent Roumier Domaine Jean Grivot

Guillemard-Clerc Bertrand Ambroise

Michel Gros Vincent Girardin

Jean-Luc Aegerter Francois Gerbet

Maison Champy Chanson

Paul Misset Louis Latour

Francois Lamarche Leymarie-Ceci

Jacky Confuron-Cotetidot Domaine Daniel Rion

Domaine Ponsot Henri de Villamont

Antonin Rodet