Årgång 2009 enligt Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin

★★★

Det visade sig snabbt att detta var en generös och avrundad årgång målad med bred pensel för den breda publiken. Många charmiga viner har nått marknaden, men knappast några kioskvältare. Precis som 2017 betydligt bättre i Bourgogne än i Champagne närheten till trots.

Främst för mig hittills är Cristal, Cristal Rosé, Selosse och Cuvée William Deutz. 

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2009 by Curtis Joseph

★★★★

Harvest: September 8th

Total Sales: 293,330,613 btl

Yield: 12,280 kg/ha (9,700 kg/ha AC)

  France: 180,770,128 btl

Area under vine: 33,106 ha

  Export: 112,560,485 btl

Average potential alcohol: 10.3%

Prix Constaté : €5.25/kg

Average total acidity: 7.5 g/l

Average gluconic acid: 0.04 g/l

Overview: A warm year producing ripe wines rich in alcohol but somewhat soft

The year started with rain during the spring and a reasonably cool June, drawing out the flowering and producing millerandage in the Côte des Blancs. The cool, rainy weather also led to the beginning of mildew. Fortunately, conditions turned hot and dry and stayed that way until the middle of August. Rain arrived right at the beginning of September to help the grapes finish ripening. There was an episode of hail in the Marne Valley on the 4th of September that caused localized damage.

Otherwise, the harvest took place under impeccable conditions. Releases of the top wines continue as of this writing. There have been enough top wines that one can begin a full assessment of the vintage. Among the wines from the negociants, Roederer Cristal is the best that I have had so far: “Fresh and primary, the nose here is still somewhat closed, but on the palate, delicious bright stone and orchard fruit begin to emerge with hints of flowers and fresh almonds. The wine is lush and vibrant but has enough structure to carry the finish with great elegance. ****(Tasted 2016)

In a warm year, Blanc de Blancs can often provide a refreshing balance. A perfect example of this is the Vénus from Pascal Agrapart: “Fresh citrus peel touched with spice, mineral, and toast on the nose as one would expect, but this is dense, rich, and more creamy than is common for this wine in its youth.” **** (Tasted 2015)

The tank-fermented Chétillons from Pierre Péters showed good freshness for the vintage: “Rich, mineral, and silky,  this is a truly extraordinary wine with a mineral cast to the ripe apple and citrus fruit on the nose and lush texture and deep complexity of flavors.” **** (Tasted 2015)

Because of their cool north-facing slopes, wines produced from vineyards on the north face of the Montagne were also very successful. Penet-Chardonnet from Verzy furnishes

a great example: “Les Epinettes is tank-fermented and aged on the lees without malolactic fermentation. A Blanc de Noirs, it shows strong smoky/mineral character on the nose, yet because of the north-facing slopes, it has almost a lemon peel fruit character. On the palate, the wine is crisp and fresh, but there is still a lovely density and length – a wine to seek out. Impressive results in a warm vintage.” **** (Tasted 2019)

The profusion of vintage wines from 2009 and the quality of those from top producers demonstrates that even in warm years, Champagne can produce top quality.