2009 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes

The 2009 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes emerges from the glass with layers of vibrant dark cherries, flowers and mint. This translucent, sexy Marsannay is striking and exceptionally beautiful. Les Grasses Tetes is a clay-rich vineyard that yields wines of considerable generosity. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair’s longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151

Deep red-ruby. Superripe aromas of raspberry liqueur and coffee. Concentrated, ripe and chewy, with just enough tang and aromatic lift to the black cherry, dark raspberry, licorice and espresso flavors. Finishes with a note of truffle and a sense of power.