2009 Wine from France

jamessuckling.com, 97 points: A very rich and full-bodied Cristal that harks back to 2006 or 1989 in style. It's round and rich, which underlies the ripeness of the vintage. Lots of dried-apple and pineapple character with bread dough and flan...

jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Gorgeous nose of warm stones and dark fruits. Full body with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins and a long and intense finish. Best ever. Best after 2016.

Wine Spectator, 96 points: One of the more endowed 2009s this is packed with dark smoldering cocoa mesquite tobacco and roasted fig notes all inlaid with pure cassis and plum preserves fruit flavors. Long and authoritative on the finish with singed...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: The early-bottled (after about 10-12 months) 2009 Mathilde is meant to be something of a sexy fruit bomb style of St.-Emilion. It comes from 50-year-old vines and was bottled in July 2011. It has been a beauty in other...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: The Sigalas Rabaud was sensational out of barrel and served blind, the wine does nothing to dispel my initial optimism that this is the apogee for the estate – so far. It is bestowed with an intense bouquet of quince...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Perfumed, with raspberries and flowers and hints of lemon. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a chewy finish. Austere now, but stylish. Best after 2018.

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Full of tropical fruit flavors, this is rounded, ripe and very accessible. At the same time, its structure shows through in the tang of green apple skin, judicious wood aging and taut aftertaste.

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Gorgeous aromas of dried apricots, apple pie crust and pineapple. Full-bodied, with medium sweetness. Dense and layered. Beautiful now but will improve with age. Drink or hold.

Wine Enthusiast, 100 points: (WE98-100 points) A superb wine with the purest fruit great freshness and ripeness. It is certainly structured with dry tannins while the blackcurrant freshness is also all there. The biodynamic wine has a great limpid...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: Performing better from bottle than it did from cask (and comparable to their wines 2005 2000 1990 and 1982) this is a great classic from Xavier Borie's estate situated on the back roads west of the town of Pauillac. Its...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points: (WA89-90 points) Tasted assembled and awaiting bottling, the Agly Brothers 2009 Cotes du Roussillon smells of peat and black fruits, but with a detached aura of toasted oak in the guise of lanolin, coconut, and caramel...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 95 points: Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The Lagrange 2009 has an earthy slightly introverted nose at the moment although it opens ajar with aeration with hints of lavender and crushed flower. The palate is...

jamessuckling.com, 100 points: This is amazing as always with layers of fruit and firm, velvety tannins. Full body, incredible depth of fruit and length. Currants, raspberries and Indian spices. It goes on for minutes. A monumental Cos. Greatest ever...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 100 points: One of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrilling levels of opulence richness and aromatic pleasures. A soaring bouquet of creme de cassis charcoal...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot it displays an inky/blue/purple color as well as a big sweet nose of creme de cassis forest floor licorice lead pencil cedar and subtle barrique smells. Viscous and...