2009 Maison Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin

The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin is a plump wine best suited to drinking while the fruit retains its juiciness.

The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin is a plump wine best suited to drinking while the fruit retains its juiciness. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017. 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. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

(in tank) Deep red. Complex aromas of black cherry, minerals, pepper, game and mint. Supple and suave, with an enticing sweetness to the flavors of black fruits, mint and green pepper. Medicinal in a positive way on the back end, with slightly edgy tannins calling for a few years of patience. This has personality.