2009 Bordeaux: Seventeen Years On, and Ready to Open
A hot, even summer. A dry September. Five classified growths from $450, with the waiting already done.
In September 2009, Bordeaux received 48mm of rain against a thirty-year average of 90mm, and around fifty more hours of sunshine than usual. June, July and August had already been warm and steady. In Saint-Julien the pickers went out on 22 September and finished on 8 October, with nothing to rush them. Decanter rated the Médoc, the Right Bank and Sauternes five out of five, all three in the same year.
That weather shows in the glass. The 2009s are ripe, round and generous, with fruit that covers the tannin rather than fighting it. On release the advice was to keep them. Seventeen years later the classified growths have reached the stage most people buy Bordeaux for: still full of fruit, with cedar, tobacco and graphite now coming through on top.
Here is the part that surprised us. On our shelf today, the 2009 Mouton Rothschild costs $50 less than the 2022, and the 2009 Pichon Comtesse only $55 more. The seventeen years in a cellar cost far less than you would expect.
Why a 2009 rather than a new release
The short answer is time. A young classified-growth Bordeaux usually wants a decade or more before it shows what these 2009s show tonight, and the price gap between old and new is smaller than most buyers expect.
| Château | 2009 | Newest on our shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Mouton Rothschild | $2,200 | 2022 at $2,250 |
| Pichon Comtesse de Lalande | $750 | 2022 at $695 |
| Léoville Barton | $500 | 2022 at $335 |
For Mouton, the older bottle is the cheaper one. For Pichon, $55 buys you thirteen years you would otherwise spend waiting, plus the cellar space to wait in. The Léoville Barton gap is wider at $165, which is still a small price for a wine that is ready now rather than a decade from now.
Five to open now
| Wine | Price | Window | In brief |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brane-Cantenac 2009 | $450 | Now to 2045 | Margaux perfume over 2009 richness |
| Léoville Barton 2009 | $500 | Now to 2048 | Classic Saint-Julien, family-owned since 1826 |
| Troplong Mondot 2009 | $655 | Now to 2030 | The Right Bank pick, ripe and opulent |
| Pichon Comtesse 2009 | $750 | Now to 2047 | Pauillac power with a velvet texture |
| Mouton Rothschild 2009 | $2,200 | Now to 2050 | The First Growth, Anish Kapoor label |
Château Brane-Cantenac 2009
Nose Blackcurrant, blackberry and ripe plum, with violet, liquorice, cedar, tobacco and a touch of white pepper.
Palate Rich, smooth and velvety. Ripe dark fruit on finely polished tannins, then cigar box, graphite and dried flowers as it opens, into a long, even finish.
Cellar Drink now to 2045 · Stand upright, decant 2 hrs
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, made by Henri Lurton, and Neal Martin rates it among Lurton's best wines. It is the lowest-priced 2009 classified growth on our shelf, and the critics' scores give no reason to think that is a compromise. Roast lamb or duck.
Château Léoville Barton 2009
Nose Blackcurrant, black cherry and cassis, with cedar, cigar box, graphite and tobacco leaf.
Palate Full-bodied, with lively acidity and tannins that have now softened. Black fruit, cocoa, liquorice and savoury herbs over a mineral line, finishing long and clean.
Cellar Drink now to 2048 · Decant 1 hr
Hugh Barton bought these vines in 1826 and the family still runs the estate, now in its tenth generation. Hand-picked from 23 September to 3 October 2009. If you want one bottle that tastes the way people imagine claret, this is it. Beef fillet, or hard aged cheese.
Château Troplong Mondot 2009
Nose Black cherry, blackberry and ripe plum, with violet, liquorice, dark chocolate and cedar.
Palate Full-bodied and silky. Cassis, dark berries and cocoa, then graphite and crushed stone, with fresh acidity keeping the weight in balance.
Cellar Drink now to 2030 · Decant 30 min to 1 hr
From the limestone plateau east of the town, with Michel Rolland consulting in 2009. It is the boldest wine here, and it splits the critics: Parker and Dunnuck went to the top of the scale, Neal Martin gave it 90. If you like your Bordeaux generous and plush, you are on Parker's side. Open it before the Left Bank wines.
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2009
Nose Blackcurrant, blackberry and ripe plum, layered with graphite, tobacco, mocha and an earthy note.
Palate Rich and enveloping, with polished tannins and enough freshness to carry all that concentration.
Cellar Drink now to 2047 · Decant 1 to 2 hrs
Pichon Comtesse is known for a suppler texture than most Pauillac. In 2009 it used 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, a high share for this estate, so you get that velvet texture with more structure than normal. This is the one to buy by the case and open over the next twenty years.
Château Mouton Rothschild 2009
Nose Blackcurrant, blackberry and ripe plum, layered with cedar, tobacco, graphite, liquorice and dark chocolate.
Palate Full-bodied, opulent and deeply textured. Abundant ripe tannins, balanced by freshness, with exceptional persistence.
Cellar Drink now to 2050 · Stand upright, decant 2 to 3 hrs
88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, under a label by Anish Kapoor. Mouton was promoted to First Growth in 1973, the only promotion since the 1855 ranking was drawn up. We have five bottles, and at $50 under the 2022 this is the clearest case in the whole list for buying the older wine.
How to open a seventeen-year-old Bordeaux
Stand the bottle upright for a day so the sediment settles. Then decant slowly and stop pouring when the sediment reaches the neck. Serve at 16 to 18°C, cooler than most rooms, in a large glass. Taste after the first half hour and again after the second, because these wines change a lot in the decanter. Treat the decanting times above as a starting point.
Further into the 2009 cellar
For a bottle that shows what the vintage did without the classified-growth price, Château Clarke 2009 ($100) from Listrac is Merlot-led and generous, and Wine Enthusiast scored it 93. At the other end, Château Palmer 2009 ($1,600) is the Margaux most often compared with the First Growths. We have only three bottles left of Château Montrose 2009 ($900), a powerful, deeply structured Saint-Estèphe built for the long haul.
Sauternes also had a great year, with botrytis spreading fast and the harvest done by early October. The 2009 Château Guiraud half bottle ($103) is an easy way to try it with the cheese course.
We do not currently hold Château Canon in 2009. We do hold Château Canon 2010 ($575) and 2006 ($335), if you want Saint-Émilion from either side of the vintage. For more on how older Bordeaux drinks, read our piece on 2004 Lynch-Bages. Everything else is on the Bordeaux collection page.
Not sure which to open
Tell us the occasion and the budget and we will pick the bottle. Email info@winemore.com.au or visit us at Chadstone.