2009 Domaine Mongeard Mugneret Richebourg Grand Cru
Note: from vines adjacent to those of Domaine de la Romanée Conti in Richebourg proper totaling .31 ha; 80% whole cluster vinification.
Producer note: Vincent Mongeard describes 2009 as a "very clean crop and thank goodness because if this size crop had been less than clean, the sorting job would have been monstrous, in fact, so much so that we would undoubtedly have had to use refrigerated trucks the way that we did in 2003. I elected to begin picking on the 9th of September and brought in very ripe fruit, indeed it's the first time that I have ever seen this kind of quality linked to this kind of quantity and that includes both 1990 and 1999. Had the quantities been lower I would have used a good percentage of whole clusters in the vinification but I just had no tank space except for the three grands crus. Overall, I really like the quality of the '09s because not only are they excellent but there is a tenderness to the wines that makes them very appealing." Mongeard noted that he had pulled all samples from new barrels, which of course in one sense allows for an apples to apples comparison between wines but it also renders it more difficult to have any precise idea as to how much new wood will be in the final blend.
Tasting note: A notably floral, spicy and very cool nose is trimmed in noticeable but reasonable wood and leads to very rich, round and velvety big-bodied and powerful flavors that culminate in a moderately oaked but strikingly long finish. Again, the oak is not subtle on the palate but there appears to be more than enough concentration to handle it.
Tasted: Jan 01, 2011Score: 91-94Drink: 2024+.
Allen Meadows-Burghound Issue #41