2009 Rhone Valley Reds Report

A Classic Vintage of Muscular and Elegant Wines

As many of the big 2009 Rhône Valley reds are released, many wonder how they’ll match up to the highly touted 2007 vintage. Based on what we’ve tasted so far of the early releases, we think 2009 will widely be regarded as the equal of 2007 by critics, especially with respect to the reds of the north, which are some of the best we’ve tasted from any vintage of the past decade. For our part, the 2009s we have tasted (nearly 100 wines!) appear to be more balanced and fresher than counterparts from 2007, while also possessing the concentration that 2007 was heralded for.

What made this vintage so great in the Rhone Valley? The same thing that makes any vintage great: weather. There are certain things that make the Rhone unique, such as the galets soil in the South (large oval rocks for which Chateauneuf-du-Pape is well-known). But it is the consistently warm summer weather that sets the Rhone apart compared to much of the rest of France. In 2009, the winter and spring were cold and wet, and the growing season was very dry from June through August. As is often the case in the Rhone, August also brought enough of a heat wave to develop smaller, concentrated fruit. Many of our producers commented that 2009 was one of the easiest years they’ve seen in terms of having options to craft the wines they wanted. Éric Texier, who produces both Southern and Northern Rhone wines, stated: “You could harvest early with bright acidities and very good phenolic ripeness, or harvest late and get huge concentration, alcohol levels and dark as hell wines.”

In the Southern Rhône, which has had a string of good weather and since 1998 (save only for 2002 and 2008), growers were extremely pleased, though yields were low, with some growers reporting a crop 30 percent below normal. In the North, where weather hasn’t been as consistent over the past decade, harvest was even more promising. There, the warm and dry conditions persisted as well, resulting in an early harvest of very ripe grapes. We have found the Northern Syrah-based wines to be both muscular and elegant, and we are seeing many great values in this region from areas such as St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. Moreover, the North experienced quality and quantity, with yields higher than those in the South.

Producers that harvested early were rewarded with fruit that produced a near-ideal concentration, structure and freshness. “We were fortunate to have a rain around the 15th of August which helped with the continuation of ripening,” said Philippe Guigal of the legendary E. Guigal (our 2009 Guigal releases will arrive later in the season). “The result was very early harvests for Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, followed soon after by Hermitage, St.-Joseph and Crozes. I don't believe a late harvest was necessary—we had high alcohols, superb phenolic ripeness and low acidity.”

Getting back to our initial question: How does 2009 match up to 2007? One very famous wine critic thinks that 2009 has turned out to be an excellent vintage with a number of top wines, but believes the overall quality is behind what was achieved in 2007. That wine critic may turn out to be right. Time will tell. From what we’ve tasted, the reds of South are better balanced, possessing greater acidity. The reds of the North are superior overall to 2007. Either way, it is kind of like splitting hairs – both vintages are consistent and very high quality, and different palates will find a preference in one or the other. If you lean toward concentrated and muscular, you may find 2007 superior in the south. If you have been waiting for a truly a great vintage in the north, 2009 may be your year!

On the following pages, we are pleased to offer our hand-picked selections of early releases that we feel represent some of the best combinations of quality and value from this classic vintage. Most of these wines were brought in on direct import orders and will not be available for long. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these wines, or if you wish to inquire about other wines from this vintage.

Enjoy!

Eric Genau, President/Wine Director

Kevin Di Lucente, Jr., Associate Wine Director