2009 Burgundy Vintage

The 2009 growing season stood apart from the drab summers of 2007 and 2008 by finally heating the ground properly. Spring brought an early budburst and flowering in warm, sunny conditions during late May and early June. July was the one difficult moment, with heavy storms bringing over 100mm of rain on July 13th and 14th and raising fears of disease. August then turned glorious, developing into a proper heatwave around mid-month. A welcome storm on August 21st provided relief without causing damage, and fine weather returned to carry growers through an early harvest under clear skies. The result was exceptionally healthy fruit with almost no rot, making sorting tables largely unnecessary.

• Hail struck Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin grand cru sites on Ascension Day, May 21st
• Heavy July storms raised disease concerns, but August conditions more than compensated
• Harvest began in the Mâconnais around September 2nd and in the Côte de Beaune from September 5th
• Malolactic fermentations started unusually early due to very low malic acidity in the grapes, in some cases completing before alcoholic fermentation ended

The defining characteristics of 2009 Burgundy are richness, opulence, and generous ripe fruit, with acidity levels lower than the regional norm. Tannin levels were analytically good but so covered by fruit that they rarely showed as drying on the palate. This made the wines immediately seductive and appealing to a wide audience, though some Burgundy purists questioned whether the lower acidity would support long-term cellaring. The single most important variable was harvest date: producers who picked on the earlier side captured freshness alongside the ripeness, while those who waited too long risked overripe, heavy wines. Whole-bunch vinification was widely used in 2009, aided by the fact that stems were ripe throughout.

• Sugar levels were generally high; some producers were surprised by how high alcohol turned out, partly due to tiny millerandé berries releasing sugars late in fermentation
• Low malic acidity meant some producers chose to add acidity to compensate
• Early pickers made the most complete and balanced wines; late pickers risked overripeness
• One risk at the 10-year tasting was a bacterial element in some wines, always more likely in warm, high-sugar, low-acid vintages

Conditions in 2009 were unusually uniform across Burgundy, meaning there were fewer stark quality differences between villages or sectors than in more variable vintages. The Côte de Nuits produced some magnificent Pinot Noirs, with Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, and Chambolle-Musigny all delivering wines of considerable depth and ripe texture. The Côte de Beaune was notably strong, with one commentator noting that 2009 was one of those rare vintages where the finest Côte de Beaune examples could be mistaken for their Côte de Nuits counterparts. White Burgundy quality was more variable and more dependent on early picking; the best whites, particularly from Meursault, have proved outstanding at ten to twelve years of age. In the Mâconnais, drier summer conditions reduced juice content in the bunches despite the otherwise large overall crop.

• Côte de Nuits reds showed rich, plump character with tannins well buffered by fruit
• Côte de Beaune reds were particularly successful, with Volnay producing some sensational wines
• White Burgundy quality depended heavily on picking date; Meursault has been especially successful at 10 to 12 years
• Mâconnais yields were reduced by the dry summer conditions despite the otherwise generous vintage

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti benefited from exceptional grape health, with Aubert de Villaine noting that for once the domaine had no need of its sorting table. DRC yielded as much as 31 hl/ha, making 2009 a vintage of both quality and quantity at this revered estate. Domaine Armand Rousseau performed strongly in Gevrey-Chambertin, while Domaine Denis Mortet, by 2009 directed by Arnaud Mortet following his father Denis's death in January 2006, continued to produce compelling wines from their holdings including Lavaux-Saint-Jacques. Méo-Camuzet was among those producers that substantially increased prices at release, reflecting the vintage's perceived quality, though some offered discounts for cash payment.

• DRC's Aubert de Villaine compared 2009 to 1959, describing it as 'very amiable and seductive, but perhaps not the most complex'
• Jean-Marie Fourrier picked from September 17th, using the traditional 100-days-after-flowering timing, later than many peers
• Domaine Denis Mortet has been led by Arnaud Mortet since 2006, refining his father's style with less extraction and less new oak on village wines
• Méo-Camuzet substantially raised release prices in 2009 while offering discounts for cash, reflecting growers' differing approaches to the prized vintage

At 15-plus years of age, 2009 Burgundy is in the heart of its accessible drinking phase. Village-level Pinots are drinking well now and should be consumed without much further delay. Premier Cru reds are in their prime window, showing the generous fruit and mellow tannins that have always defined this vintage. The top Grand Crus from the Côte de Nuits, which had the most structured tannins, still have years ahead of them, though opinions differ on how long the lower acidity will sustain them. White Burgundies have been more variable: those from Meursault, where wines were particularly successful, have aged beautifully, while some Puligny and Chassagne examples that were picked late have already peaked. The vintage is best characterised today as offering broad, immediate pleasure rather than the classical tension of 2008 or the racy precision of 2010.

• Village-level Pinots: Drink now; most have reached their peak and further aging offers little reward
• Premier Cru reds: In their prime window now; structured examples from the Côte de Nuits will hold through the late 2020s
• Grand Cru reds: Finest examples still evolving; Sotheby's noted in 2023 that anything below Grand Cru level is already delicious
• White Burgundy: Best examples from Meursault and other early-picked sites remain vibrant; late-picked examples should be consumed promptly

2009 occupies a distinctive place in the modern Burgundy canon. It is richer and more voluptuous than the classic, high-acid 2008, and more structured than the excess of 2003, but it lacks the tannic architecture of 2005 and the racetrack precision of 2010. Growers frequently compared 2009 to 1999, another warm, large-crop vintage with fully ripe fruit, as well as to 1990 and, most pointedly, to 1959, a similarly low-acid, hedonistic year. The 2010 vintage, which arrived immediately after and offered greater freshness and terroir precision, somewhat eclipsed 2009 in critical esteem, but the 2009s have always rewarded those who opened them. Jancis Robinson's vintage chart notes 2010 as a return to the high-acid norm after 2009.

• 2009 vs. 2010: 2009 is more voluptuous and forward; 2010 is leaner, more precise, and with greater aging potential in the classic mould
• 2009 vs. 2005: 2005 has greater tannic density and structure; 2009 has more immediate, open-knit fruit
• 2009 vs. 2003: 2009 is warmer and riper than average but nowhere near 2003's excess heat and extraction
• Growers compared 2009 to 1999, 1990, and 1959, with the 1959 comparison most apt given similar ripeness and lower acidity profiles