2009 Burgundy Vintage

The winter was particularly cold, with January and February temperatures well below seasonal norms; the trend only turned in March, when rising spring temperatures restarted the vines. Budbreak came at a date close to the average of the previous 15 years. Above-average warmth in the second ten days of May then brought a rapid, even flowering, a few days early in the earliest sectors, although in the Chablisien and Auxerrois the flowering was rather temperamental. After violent storms in mid-July, hot, dry weather settled in from the end of July to mid-October, with sunshine and high temperatures right through August and September. In the Maconnais the summer was warm with relatively low rainfall. Grape health was perfect, so harvest could take its time: picking spread over several weeks, from the second ten days of September to early October. In the Chablisien it extended over almost two weeks. Grapes for Cremant de Bourgogne were picked early to hold on to acidity and freshness.

Sarah Marsh MW, writing for Decanter, found some variability but judged most 2009 reds rich, expressive and aromatic, lovely now yet with great ageing potential. In its own release the BIVB described Cote de Nuits reds with aromas of red berries, flowers and black fruit, plump and persistent, and called the Cote de Beaune and Cote Chalonnaise reds "A superb vintage which will rank among the finest," with rounded tannins. In Marsh's village-by-village read, Gevrey-Chambertin showed smooth tannins and red fruit, with grands crus rivalling 2005, while Clos de Vougeot stayed as uneven as ever despite the favourable year.

• Morey-Saint-Denis: purple-fruited, seductive and spicy; Chambolle-Musigny: satiny tannins and a heady scent
• Vosne-Romanee more consistently good, with red fruit and satin tannins; Nuits-Saint-Georges showed forest fruit and spice
• Corton hill reds rich and ripe, notably from Savigny-les-Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses; Beaune plump and soft
• Pommard plump on the Beaune side and suppler on the Volnay side; Volnay showed a heady perfume and silky tannins

In its own release the BIVB called the Cote de Beaune and Cote Chalonnaise whites intensely aromatic, generous and full-bodied, and the Maconnais whites refined and well balanced; Chablisien whites were soft and aromatic with good minerality. Decanter's Sarah Marsh MW wrote that growers who picked early were rewarded with classic Chardonnays of energy, purity and definition, from village level to grands crus. In Saint-Aubin, the more exposed premiers crus on the Puligny side went quickly from ripe to overripe, and some growers missed the boat.

• Puligny-Montrachet performed exceptionally well; the grands crus of Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet were rich and intense yet fresh
• Chassagne-Montrachet showed greater variation, from sleek to slightly chubby and simple
• Marsh found Meursault quality and consistency better than in 2008
• Corton-Charlemagne ripe and streamlined; Rully and Montagny fresher than in 2008

The BIVB's vintage page describes the whites as rich, with intense notes of very ripe fruit, round and fleshy, balanced by a freshness that has held, and the reds as drinking with pleasure now: the small red and black fruits have given way to candied fruit, spice, licorice, undergrowth, mushroom and faded flowers, with breadth, richness and a silky texture.

• Whites: rich, round and fleshy, with a freshness that has held
• Reds: candied fruit, spice, licorice, undergrowth and a silky texture