2009 Bonnes Mares

The 2009 Bonnes Mares is a dense, powerful wine imbued with massive structure and dazzling finesse. This is one of the more imposing, inward wines of the vintage, and it will require serious patience. That notwithstanding, the wine’s balance and sense of harmony are impossible to miss. Clair’s Bonnes Mares is made from a portion of the vineyard on the Morey border, right next to Clos de Tart. The fruit was harvested on September 17, on the late side in 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2039. This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair’s longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151