2009 Musigny

The 2009 Musigny is breathtakingly beautiful. Of course it is far too young, but the wine’s pedigree is impossible to miss. At the same time, it is also impossible to ignore the challenges of making wines in tiny lots, such as the Musigny, of which there are just one and half barrels. In two separate tastings, the Bonnes-Mares, which is made on a large scale here, proved to be more consistent than the Musigny. There is no question the Musigny is phenomenal, but I am not sure it is worth the risk considering a price that is now in excess of $5,000 a bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039. It is a fascinating to revisit Christophe Roumier’s 2009s from bottle. The lower-end wines are marked by the year to a significantly greater extent than the top wines. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

Medium red. Very ripe, complex aromas of raspberry, coffee, chocolate, black olive, spices and minerals. Like liquid velvet in the mouth, displaying full ripeness but a restrained sweetness to the flavors of black raspberry, mocha and spices. A very large-scaled Musigny with outstanding building length. Like the Amoureuses, this seems to be shutting down in the bottle. In spite of the vinification with 100% whole clusters, there's a ripeness here that reminds me of the descriptions of the top '59s in their youth.