2009 Meursault Les Perrieres

The 2009 Meursault Perrieres presents an intense, almost extreme expression of Perrieres in its full-bodied, opulent fruit and equally amped up mineral components. This is a decidedly showy wine that isn’t short on shynees. Big, bold and beautiful pretty much sums it up. Despite the wine’s size the signature elements of Perrieres come through loud and clear. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. This is a beautiful set of wines from Henri Boillot’s negociant line. The entry-level wines in particular offer fabulous value. If anything, those are the most interesting wines here. When tasting Burgundy it is tempting to assume that premier crus are better than villages, and grand crus are better than the premiers, but that is often not the case, especially in a warm vintage where lesser sites ripened to a greate extent than is typically possible. Shrewd readers will find many jewels in this lineup, but they won’t be in the most likely places. In 2011 Boillot will have several new wines in his range, including Referts and Combettes. The 2009 villages were bottled in November, while the premier crus were bottled in January 2011. Importer: Various US importers, including Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769

Knockout rocky aromas of crushed stone, pineapple and spicy oak; this smells dry! Then wonderfully silky and surprisingly sweet on the palate, with a sexy flavor of crystallized citrus peel. Boasts terrific texture and builds impressively on the very long finish. The pinker grapes in 2009 and the softer tartaric acidity go a long way toward explaining the friendlier style of these wines, notes Boillot.