2009 Le Dome
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Tasting notes
Deeper and richer in structure than the 1996, as you would expect with a wine that is 15 years younger, this shows strong liquorice and espresso, coffee bean, christmas pudding, baking spice. Delivers the expected muscularity and swagger of a luscious, concentrated St Emilion, then the upwards pull of fresh acidity and violet fragrance reminds you of the dominant presence of Cabernet Franc. Great quality, vivid, excellent grip and length, this is confident with clear personality. Harvest September 26 for Merlot and September 30 for Cabernet Franc, Neil Whyte winemaker. 80% new oak, with the percentage of new oak brought down as of the 2007 vintage.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Decanter
More reviews and scores
Smells furry/bretty. No freshness. (JR)
(mostly cabernet franc): Bright medium ruby. Knockout nose combines black fruits, bitter cherry, licorice, violet and crushed rock. The wine's great energy and vibrancy give it buns of steel, with the fine-grained black fruit, violet and licorice flavors conveying a strong impression of dry extract. Tannins are firm but fine on the extremely long, gripping finish. Wonderful elegance allied to great thrust here. The best wine I've tasted to date from Jonathan Maltus, but then all of his 2009 releases are outperformers.
One of the most distinctive wines made in Bordeaux, Le Dome has one of the highest percentages of Cabernet Franc of any claret I can think of. Composed of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, it exhibits a certain delicacy and elegance (due to the Cabernet Franc component) in addition to resounding power, concentration, depth and multidimensional personality. Black/purple to the rim, it offers strikingly intense notes of spring flowers, raspberries, mulberries and wood smoke, medium to full body, sweet tannin and a cunning intensity and texture that suggest finesse and delicacy. However, the wine’s richness, length and lingering depth build incrementally in this exceptional St.-Emilion. It will be drinkable in 4-5 years and should age for two decades or more. This is Jonathan Malthus’ finest wine to date.
About the producer
The man behind highly regarded Saint-Émilion wine Le Dôme is a Nigerian-born Brit who sold his engineering firm in 1992 to move to Cahors and restore a pile of ruins. After meeting a local vineyard owner at a dinner party, he ended up selling his production to Oddbins and was caught by the wine bug.