Sort of TNs: Arnoux 09s, and a variety of other 09 burgs.

I staged a few tastings this week at local restaurants in Wilmington, DE and near Philly.
Tuesday night in Wilmo, the wines of Arnoux Lachaux:
Bourgogne Pinot Fin
Chambolle villages
Vosne villages
Nuits Poisets village
Nuits Corvees Pagets 1er
Vosne Chaumes 1er
The wines showed quite well, offering their early charm. The hierarchy was respected in the polish and complexity of each tier. I found the balance of fruit to acidity to be bright and well lifted, while the charm of the vintage was on full display. I particularly liked the Nuits Poisets at the village level. It had another level of depth of material; they’re old vines that sit just below les St Georges and les Cailles. The Corvees Pagets had a noble depth and reticence in the nose; it was promising in its balance of elements and tension. The Vosne Chaumes was a swooner…people started making the WOW eyes.
At the end, when we were discussing preferences, everyone agreed that they were all good, hierarchy respected.

Wednesday night near Philly :
Ramonet Aligote
Blain Gagnard Chassagne Caillerets
Matrot Meursault Charmes
Lamy St Aubin Derriere Edouard rouge
Bize Savigny Vergelesses
Lignier Michelot Clos de la Roche

The Ramonet was tasty, creamier than cutting, but still refreshing. A great opener.
The Blain Gagnard took my fancy over the Matrot for its airier subtlety and finesse; both were fairly complete, although I would likely drink the Matrot younger. The Blain Gagnard had sounder framework for midterm aging.
The Lamy rouge was wonderful. It had a savory chewy core with bright berry fruit; nice sense of depth. It will age well.
The Bize opened with its signature stemmy funk that continued to evolve, shining best with the last sip midway through our main course. I would say that it is indeed a ripe vintage marked wine, that is delicious now and will be for some time. I found myself wanting for some acidity, although the complexity of flavor was great.
The Lignier Michelot had wonderful balance, poise, and focus. It had a subdued intensity that grew and grew. It was a good example of how Zen great burgundy can be, of turning up the quiet to better hear the details, of power of flavor without excess weight. It will age quite well, easily 15+ for my tastes (I tend to like them not really old).

Having plowed through a good amount of in bottle 09s so far, i’m comfortable saying that the threshold that measures the greater successes and failures of the vintage involves those who preserved freshness versus those who got too ripe at acidity’s expense. When there is good acidity, the 09s are downright delicious in both white and red. When they’re too ripe, they’re still tasty drink, but lack the tension of elements that I find most stimulating. My instincts tell me that these successful examples will age really well, likely never shutting down.

To your health and happiness, bacchanites.
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