2009 Meursault Les Perrieres

The 2009 Meursault Perrieres emerges from the glass with radiant, open fruit. This is one of the more open, expressive 2009s from Girardin. It appears to have more fruit and piercing minerality. Yellow stone fruits linger on the round finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Vincent Girardin is among the producers who have made the most dramatic changes in response to the issue of premature oxidation. Girardin has increased the amount of time his wines spend on their lees, has lowered new oak, has eliminated batonnage and has basically re-built his entire approach from the bottom up, which I have to say, is quite impressive. The 2009s were harvested beginning on September 15, with natural alcohols in the 12.5-13% range. The wines were bottled between mid-March and mid-May 2011. Today the 2009s are quite fresh and still showing some of the effects of their recent bottling. It is safe to say the wines Girardin is making today are quite different from those of the past. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Bright palish yellow. Sexy spices, lemon drop and crushed stone on the nose. Suave on entry, showing lovely energy and grip to the citrus and stone flavors. This juicy, mineral-driven wine finishes with terrific focus and lift and a light touch.