Jeremy Seysses described the 2009 vintage as an "excellent vintage that was relatively straightforward. We did have some vineyards that were hit hard by hail, most notably Clos St. Denis, Clos de la Roche, Combottes and Charmes-Chambertin, but thankfully, it was more a question of quantity rather than quality. We picked between the 10th and 17th of September, which is not only a shorter harvest time than usual but also quite quick considering the crop load. Potential alcohols ranged from 12.5 to about 13.2% so there was very little, and in some cases no, chaptalization. We used about 90% of the stems in the vinification and we even moved up the percentage of whole clusters in the newly acquired vineyards where we have typically used less up to this point. We did do some very minor acidifying as the pHs were in the 3.6 range and we wanted to retain all of the freshness possible. As to the percentage of new wood, we used 40 to 45% for the villages wines and increased it proportionately to between 90 and 100% for the grands crus. Overall, I think the 2009 will be extremely popular as the wines are ripe but not too ripe and will be accessible early yet they should age well too." Seysses also observed that viticulturally speaking, the vineyards acquired in 2005 were almost at the same level as the existing vineyards. Note that the '09 Charmes-Chambertin and Beaux-Monts were not presented for review as both were still in malo. The excellent in-bottle '08s came in about where my ranges suggested that they would and as long as you intend to age them for an appropriate period, they should absolutely be candidates for your cellars. (Wilson & Daniels, www.wilsondaniels.com, St. Helena, CA and Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants, www.chamberswines.com, San Francisco, CA for southern California; Morris & Verdin, O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, UK, Howard Ripley, www.howardripley.com, UK, Uncorked Ltd, www.uncorked.co.uk, UK, Flint Wines, www.flintwines.com, UK and Lay & Wheeler, www.laywheeler.com, UK).

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Good bright, dark red. Subdued red fruits on the nose. Liqueur-like cherry and raspberry flavors seem a bit undifferentiated but are not overly sweet. In a rather soft, lush style, finishing with a hint of bitter chocolate and smooth tannins.

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The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers is all finesse and elegance. It shows superb intensity in its fruit, with tons of finesse, silky tannins and exceptional overall balance. it is a dazzling wine from Dujac. The Gruenchers was vinified with 100% whole clusters. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.

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