DRC Montrachet 2009 75cl

he 2009 Montrachet has come together beautifully since I last tasted it from barrel. From barrel the 2009 was super-ripe and almost tropical but it seems to have settled down over the last year. There is still plenty of signature 2009 richness and ripeness, but the wine’s minerality is now much more present. A brilliant, textured finish rounds things out in style. Overall, the 2009 is a mid-weight Montrachet. I would love to see it age for several decades, but it takes a pretty courageous soul to age white Burgundy these days. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s 2009s have turned out just as brilliantly as I had hoped. The wines reflect the signature qualities of the year, but never lose their essential classicism. Long-time DRC fans know the domaine bottles in six-barrel lots, which naturally introduces a level of bottle variation that is not found in most other wines. I hope the massive amount of information that has recently come to light regarding counterfeit wines and their proliferation might be the catalyst for the domaine to consider bottling their wines in one homogenous lot, as is common for the vast majority of high-quality wines throughout the world. Once the domaine’s wines mature in 20-30 years it will be impossible to tell the difference between ‘normal’ bottle variation, poorly stored bottles and very good fakes. Certainly consumers who are willing and able to pay the prices these wines fetch are at the very least deserving of a consistent product.

Lovely aromas of lime blossom, citronella and peach introduce this rich yet elegant white, which is very pure and delineated, with a mineral essence, though less opulent than recent vintages.—Non-blind 2009 DRC tasting (February 2012). Best from 2014 through 2030. –BS