Chevalier Montrachet 2009 (OWC of 6)

Description

By Wine & Spirits in 2012 (W&S98)

Domaine Leflaive farms three adjacent parcels in Chevalier, totaling 4.92 acres of vines; the plantings range from the mid-1950s to 1980. It’s a significant holding at the top of the Montrachet hill, as much for its size as for the wines Leflaive’s team consistently produces from the site. This vintage is more concentrated, or perhaps more saturated with ripe flavors than usual, the heat of August powering the vines to an early harvest. Still, from the moment it’s first poured, that extract has a sunny purity, an umami fragrance of the earth and a lemon blossom honey scent that feigns sweetness later revealed as savory richness in a finish that raises this wine into another realm. Chevalier’s aristocratic soil comes into vivid focus over the course of several days through a scrim of silk. Prepare for your knees to melt and your heart to race as the wine reboots the balance of your senses. Or just enjoy it for what it is: A gracious grand cru, perfectly formed, with the detail of a pointillist painting that will come into focus over the next ten to fifteen years.

By Allen Meadows of Burghound in 2012 (AM96)

An ultra-pure and high-toned nose of mineral-based reduction, spiced pear and acacia blossom gives way to overtly stony and quite finely detailed broad-shouldered flavors that despite their significant size and weight, are crystalline in their transparency. This very much seems to be built on a base of liquid limestone with impeccable balance and flat out stunning persistence. This is a “wow” wine of both volume and finesse that will definitely age as the acid support is very firm, particularly for the vintage, in fact the intensity of the finish is almost painful.

By Robert Parket in 2011 (RP96)

The 2009 Chevalier-Montrachet seems to combine elements of the Bienvenues and Batard. An open, floral bouquet melds into in sweet fruit, white flowers and the essence of crushed rocks. The Chevalier possesses striking inner perfume and fabulous balance as it wraps around the palate in stunning style. Leflaive’s parcels are located on the higher parts of the slope. 2019+.