2009 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts Cuvée Christiane 1er Cru

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.

Etienne de Montille began harvesting on September 5 in 2009 in order to maintain as much freshness as possible. Natural alcohols came in between 12.7% and 13.2% slightly higher than the range de Montille prefers. My sense is that some of the entry-level 2009s could have used a touch more density, but the higher end wines are quite successful across the board. The 2009s were aged on their lees and were not racked until they were prepared for bottling, which began in September 2010, the first time de Montille had bottled 1er Crus before the following harvest. I tasted most of The 2009s from tank, where they were settling before bottling. De Montille did not plan to fine or filter any of the wines in tank. Readers will find additional notes on the estate's 2008s on this site.

"A sexy vintage with a lighter structure than 2005" is Etienne de Montille's capsule description of 2009. He started picking pinot early on September 7, but said he still rushed to get the fruit off the vines before the grape sugars rose. In the end they were in the very reasonable 12.5% to 13% range, and the wines at 13% were not chaptalized. Almost no triage was necessary in 2009, he added. De Montille told me he's bottling the '09s on the early side, especially his wines from the Cote de Beaune that were vinified without stems (some of these were already in bottle in November), which finished their malos earlier: "The texture of some of the wines is fragile and we can't take the risk of tiring the wines during elevage." He planned to rack his last cuvees by December. De Montille vinifies with a high percentage of whole clusters, especially in his top cuvees. (Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; Veritas, Beverly Hills, CA) Also recommended: Cote de Nuits Saint-Julienne (86).