2009 Rhône Vintage
Summary
JLL rates 2009 as 9/10 North, 8/10 South, 8/10 whites. A big, sun-swept vintage of dense packing and concentration, born from a hot growing season that followed the beneficial 2008 rains (which replenished the water table). The wines are darker and denser than 2005 but share that vintage’s high tannin content, albeit with slightly more polish. In the South, clay soils at Rasteau set up a major year, while CdP and Gigondas delivered good, muscular reds. A much-acclaimed year at first, until 2010 arrived and stole the spotlight. JLL: “Then came 2010…”
Northern Rhône
Côte-Rôtie
A magnificent vintage. Six six-star wines — Clusel-Roch Les Grandes Places and La Viallière, Guigal La Landonne/La Mouline/La Turque, Jamet Côte Brune, and Rostaing Côte Blonde. JLL is “enormously enthusiastic about the Northern Rhône 2009 reds.”
Hermitage
Outstanding. Six-star reds from Chapoutier L’Ermite and Le Pavillon, Chave, Chave Cathelin, and Marc Sorrel Le Gréal. The whites also excelled: six-star Chapoutier L’Ermite and de l’Orée, and the Cave de Tain Vin de Paille.
Cornas
Very good. Thierry Allemand Reynard earned six stars. Five-star wines from Clape, Franck Balthazar Chaillot, Alain Voge Vieilles Vignes, and Domaine Durand Empreintes.
Saint-Joseph
The reds show well: five-star wines from Gonon Vieilles Vignes, Gripa Le Berceau, Domaine Belle Roche Pierre, and Domaine Coursodon Paradis Saint-Pierre.
Southern Rhône
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Sun-driven richness, but with greater freedom and balance than 2003. A sudden burst of high heat in late August prompted comparisons with 2003, though the wines are ultimately fresher and more poised. Six six-star reds: Beaucastel, Beaucastel Hommage Jacques Perrin, Rayas (“great purity, solid”), Janasse Chaupin (“STGT, great balance”), Domaine de la Solitude Cornelia Constanza, and Pierre Usseglio Cuvée de mon Aieul. Clos des Papes earned five stars (“fresh, persistent”).
Gigondas
A big, robust, sunshine vintage. More potent than 2007 but perhaps fresher. Five-star wines from Château de Saint Cosme (Le Claux, Hominis Fides, Valbelle), Domaine La Bouissiere, Domaine Les Pallières Les Racines, and Domaine Raspail-Ay.
Top Wines (6 stars)
Northern Rhône:
- Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places
- Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie La Viallière
- E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, La Mouline, La Turque
- Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune
- René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde
- Chapoutier Hermitage L’Ermite, Le Pavillon
- Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
- Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Cathelin
- Marc Sorrel Hermitage Le Gréal
- Chapoutier Hermitage L’Ermite, de l’Orée (whites)
- Cave de Tain Hermitage Vin de Paille (white)
- Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard
Southern Rhône:
- Château de Beaucastel CdP
- Château de Beaucastel CdP Hommage Jacques Perrin
- Château Rayas CdP — drink window 2036-40
- Domaine de La Janasse CdP Chaupin
- Domaine de la Solitude CdP Cornelia Constanza
- Pierre Usseglio CdP Cuvée de mon Aieul
Key Themes
- Solar power, polished tannins: The vintage is darker and denser than 2005 but carries more polished tannins. Richness and ripeness dominate, with degrees creeping up in the North, partly offset by high yields.
- Water table proved decisive: The 2008 rains replenished groundwater, allowing vines to handle 2009’s heat without the extreme stress seen in 2003. This was the key difference.
- CdP heat debate: A late-August heat burst prompted 2003 comparisons, but JLL finds greater freedom and balance in the 2009s. Some dry, baked finishes on lesser wines, but the best are poised.
- Overshadowed by 2010: As much as 2009 was acclaimed at the time, the arrival of the perfectly balanced 2010 reframed it as the warm-up act.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— JLL vintage reports (2009 Northern Rhône, 2009 Southern Rhône, The 2000s and 2010s Overview)