2009 Rhône En Primeur

“2009 in the North is easily the best since 1999, and probably since 1990...in the south 2009 is at least excellent...somewhat a blend of a very forward fleshy year such as 2000 and a more structured and tannic vintage as 2005...2009 shines very brightly in the Côtes du Rhônes and villages.”—Robert Parker

As with Bordeaux, 2009 was an excellent vintage in the Rhône. Thankfully, though, the prices have not reached the stratospheric levels of the classed growth Clarets. So, for the first time, FromVineyardsDirect has decided to offer some of it’s range En Primeur.

The wines in the north are full of ripe fruit and smooth tannins. As Jancis Robinson says “the growers of the northern Rhône have never had so much confidence in their very particular terroirs and their ability to express them.” In the south the vintage has produced slightly more varied results but it was generally an excellent vintage with rich, concentrated wines.

 

Southern Rhône:

• Château Raspail Gigondas 2009 €129.60 In Bond

• Domaine de Saint Paul, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009 €174.00 In Bond

Northern Rhône:

The Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet Collection:

• Domaine Nouvelère, Crozes-Hermitage 2009 €174.00 In Bond

• Cornas 2009 €324.00 In Bond (limited quantities)

• Hermitage 2009 €468.00 In Bond (very limited quantities)

• Hermitage Blanc 2009 €468.00 In Bond (very limited quantities)

Other Northern Rhône Wines:

• Vincent Paris, Saint-Joseph 2009 €144.00 In Bond

• Domaine Pichon Condrieu 2009 €276.00 In Bond

• Domaine Lafoy, Cuvée JYL Côte-Rôtie 2009 €300.00 In Bond

 

Southern Rhône:

Château Raspail Gigondas 2009

A superb medium bodied, rich, ripe Gigondas from this historic estate founded by Eugene Raspail, the renowned scholar and 3rd Republic politician in the 1860's. The wine is now made by the highly talented Francoise Meffre. An attractive wine for early drinking with a good 6-7 years ahead of it.

Domaine de Saint Paul, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009

An excptionally good value and serious Châteauneuf that we all follow and drink ourselves. It is sweet, luscious and ripe & will be perfect for drinking over the next 5 years. Made by the Jeune family with immense care & respect.

 

Northern Rhône:

The Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet Collection

When the renowned Jaboulet Empire was sold in 2005, two of the family took over part of their famed vineyards in Hermitage, Crozes & Cornas. Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet continue the tradtional passion for making superb wines from these unique vineyards. These are all very serious wines made in very small quantities.

Domaine Nouvelère, Crozes-Hermitage

After the success of their 2007 vintage, which Rose Murray Brown described as “the best Crozes I have ever tasted,” Philippe & Vincent have given us a small quantity of their delicious 2009 Crozes-Hermitage at a very advantageous 'En Primeur' price.

From the famous Thalabert vineyards, this is one of the finest (if not the finest) Crozes-Hermitage made now. It will be drinking for another 20 years—and is full, lush, concentrated and beautifully balanced. A must for every serious cellar.

Technical notes: The wine comes from Syrah vines of an average age of 65 years on the Thalabert plateau with a yield of less than 30hl/ha and is vinified in open tanks with regular ‘pigeage’ and then aged in new oak barrels. Everything is done by hand with the upmost care & attention.

Cornas

A black, powerful and brooding Cornas from the old Jaboulet Aine vineyards on south facing granite terraces. Cornas is a tiny appellation—94 hectares in total- and its wines are often described as a cross between Hermitage & Côte-Rôtie, but at a far more affordable price. With the Jaboulet heritage this is, as you would expect, a beautifully made wine that will last for a very long time (20 years).

Hermitage

Hermitage (or 'Ermitage' to use its old French name) is the most famous appellation in the Northern Rhône but in size is equivalent to a Bordeaux estate. As a result very limited quantities are produced each year and the demand is inordinate. This Hermitage, made by the Jaboulets from very old Syrah vines on the famous La Chapelle slopes, is a rich, concentrated, highly complex wine and a fine example of this appellation at its best. It will last at least 20 years- so a great one for the cellar. Max. 1 case per customer.

http://www.fromvineyardsdirect.ie/wine/enprimeur_rhone.php#hermitage">Recommend this case to a friend

Hermitage Blanc

Also from the very small Hermitage appellation, this white made from very old Marsanne vines is an absolute show stopper. When we first tasted it there was complete silence in our tasting room—something almost unique had happened. Rich, complex with extraordinary, diverse fruit flavours—a wine that will take over and dominate a conversation. The top whites from Hermitage are among the longest-living dry whites of France. So, again, this is another for the cellar. Max. 2 cases per customer.

 

Other Northern Rhône Wines:

Vincent Paris, Saint-Joseph 2009

Vincent Paris is one of 'the' rising stars in St-Joseph & Cornas and a name to follow—his 2009 St-Joseph is packed with intense dark fruit with good acidity and ripe tannins. A very afforadable wine that is beautifully made and expressive of the terrior—we consider ourselves fortunate to have found him! Drink 2012 - 2018.

St-Joseph is the largest appelation in the Northern Rhône—still only 600 ha—the wines are predominately Syrah and are normally lighter and more forward than those from Hermitage.

Domaine Pichon Condrieu 2009

Christopher Pichon's small 4 hectare estate in the Chevannay commune has produced a remarkably rich and full bodied Condrieu in 2009 with flavours of orange blossom, spring flowers and spices. It is exceptionally good value for a high quality Condrieu—the appelation is only 110 ha in total producing some of the very best white wines in the Northern Rhône from Viognier grapes—and will be much in demand from all Condrieu lovers and the better Parisienne restaurants. Drink from 2011 to 2015.

Domaine Lafoy, Cuvée JYL Côte-Rôtie 2009

Yves & Jocelyn Lafoy are one of the rising stars of Côte-Rôtie—their passion and winemaking skills came from the tutelage of the legenday late Patrick Jasmin.
Their 2009 is a rich, well structured wine—beautifully made with minerality from the very steep terraced slopes ands a long finish make a wine that will age well and last for 10+ years possibly a lot longer. As with all Côte-Rôtie the wine is entirely100% from these vineyards, first planted by the Romans.

 

To receive regular updates on the Bordeaux 2009s and all our latest En Primeur offers as they are released, please email info(at)fromvineyardsdirect.ie.

 

About En Primeur

What is en primeur?
En primeur refers to the process of buying wines before they are bottled and released onto the market.

Why en primeur is worth it
The customer stands to make 20-30% savings on fine wines when buying en primeur.

The en primeur ordering process
You only pay for the cost of the wine now. When it ships in the second half of 2011, we will invoice you for the duty, Vat and €7.50 for delivery, unless you wish to keep the wine in Bond.

 

Prices are all-inclusive for deliveries within the Republic of Ireland. Minimum total order is 1 case (12 bottles of 75cl equivalent) and may be mixed 2 cases (24 bottles of 75cl equivalent) of your choice. We use recycled boxes for our mixed cases to help protect the environment. For more details, please view our ordering information or contact us on 01 845 7645 or info@fromvineyardsdirect.ie