2009 Vosne Romanee Les Malconsorts

The 2009 Vosne-Romanee Les Malconsorts graces the palate with finesse and nuance to spare. Hints of graphite, spices and crushed rocks add complexity to the fruit, but this is ultimately a wine of texture above all else. Silky tannins frame the highly expressive finesse. The 2009 Malconsorts has really come together over the last six months. It is more immediate than the 2010 tasted alongside it, but in a perfect world a well-stocked cellar would have both vintages. This is a flat-out great Malconsorts from Etienne de Montille. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039. Etienne de Montille’s 2009 reds have developed beautifully since I last tasted them about six months ago. De Montille was among the very first growers to harvest in 2009. At the outset de Montille’s 2009s were a bit awkward, but today they have come together better than I expected. Importer: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808

(100% vendange entier ; 50% new oak): Good full red. Captivating high-pitched perfume of raspberry, spices, orange zest and roasted herbs. Wonderfully suave and seamless, combining the fleshiness of the vintage with the mineral pungency and peppery spices that are heightened by the use of stems. A real wake-up call for the taste buds, yet I have the feeling that this wine is on the verge of shutting down in bottle. Finishes very long and perfumed, with fine, mouth-dusting tannins and terrific lift. Splendid potential.

The 2009 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts is an explosive, heady wine laced with dark red fruit, crushed flowers and berries, all of which come together in a finessed, textured style. This is a beautiful, complex wine that needs time for some of the tightly coiled elements to soften. The Malconsorts was made with 100% whole clusters and was aged in 50% new oak.