2009 Côte-Rôtie

The issue with 2009, in Burgaud's opinion "is that the oak stands out in the wines so they need to be aged for the fruit to catch up." By contrast, he added, in 2010 the oak was absorbed almost immediately. "The wines are expressive and hiding their tannins already. You can practically drink them straight from the barrel." Not that he recommends rushing to drink them on release: "2010 will be an aging vintage on its balance, not on its power, which is what 2009 will hopefully do." There's never more than 20% new oak used here, "for polish and a little sweetening," which no doubt accounts for the silkiness of Burgaud's wines, even from more structured vintages.

"The biggest issue with 2008 was mildew," Bernard Burgaud told me. "There was a lot of work required in the vineyard during the summer and you had to keep a close on eye on the harvest, but if you were careful and attentive the quality can be very good-usually better than 2004, for example, which is a good vintage for Cote-Rotie." Two thousand nine, on the other hand, "was a dream vintage in all regards: generous crop, clean grapes, at least 13% natural alcohol, and wines that will drink well young or with age, so they'll appeal to all types of people." Burgaud, who never uses more than 20% new oak for his Cote-Rotie, sees similarities to his own 2006 in 2009 "because the wine is ample and round, with a good harmony of sweet fruit and ripe tannins and no hardness."