96

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

Good medium red with faint amber at the rim. Quite ripe on the nose if considerably less expressive than the 2010, offering scents of raspberry, redcurrant, rose petal, cedar and tobacco. Then wonderfully fleshy and opulent in the mouth, with a texture like liquid velvet. Delivers a very sexy restrained sweetness to its sappy flavors of cherry, red berries, spices and red licorice. Finishes with totally ripe, substantial, spreading tannins and outstanding persistence. This beautifully balanced, surprisingly elegant wine does not lose any of its thickness on the back end. Erwan Faiveley told me that his family loves to open this wine at special dinners, eschewing decanting and then watching it explode with some oxygenation. It can certainly be paired today with strongly flavored meat dishes. The '09 Clos des Cortons has been a personal favorite of mine since the first time I tasted it from barrel. (13.55% alcohol; 3.46 pH; 3.35 g/l acidity; Faiveley generally made the maximum allowable yields in 2009 but a moderate 37 hectoliters per hectare in the Clos des Cortons, which Erwan Faiveley described as "our star of the vintage") 12/2018

91

Jasper Morris

Inside Burgundy

Erwan likes to avoid over-ripeness so can be considered more in the early picking camp. The colour is beginning to evolve. There is a touch of bandaid here, which initially worried me, but the palate shows a rich and succulent fruit, without any of the aggression of the 1999. There is adequate acidity given the warmth of the year. Lovely pure rich fruit and cleaner to finish, so I conclude that there are no Brettanomyces issues. Tasted Jul 2019.

94

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2009 Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley is really blossoming with a decade of bottle age, offering up expressive aromas of sweet red cherries, forest floor, cassis, espresso roast, dark chocolate and grilled meats, framed by a deft touch of cedary new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it's textural and complete, with lively acids and a pure, precise finish. Of all the wines in this tasting, the 2009 is the most head-turning and immediate at this stage. 08/2020