2009 Bonnes Mares
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Tasting notes
Good medium red. Knockout high-pitched nose offers raspberry, menthol, wild herbs, brown spices and a whiff of leather. Wonderfully sweet and ripe, but with terrific inner-mouth energy owing to its pungent spice and mint elements. Finishes with substantial fine, dusty tannins and superb lingering sweetness. This is built to age but is delicious today owing to its balance.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Bonnes Mares reveals hints of dried cherries, rose petal and spices. This is a rather faded, forward Bonnes Mares with little of the structure or power I expect from this site. Magnien's parcel is on the Morey side, which makes the wine's simple personality all that more puzzling.
The 2009 Bonnes Mares reveals hints of dried cherries, rose petal and spices. This is a rather faded, forward Bonnes Mares with little of the structure or power I expect from this site. Magnien’s parcel is on the Morey side, which makes the wine’s simple personality all that more puzzling. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. My tasting with Frederic Magnien spanned several dozen offerings. Magnien bottles two lines; the Maison Frederic Magnien wines are made exclusively from purchased grapes and/or vineyards the Maison farms through long-term contracts, while the Domaine Michel Magnien range is made from estate-owned vineyards. In layman's terms the Maison wines carry a white label, while the Domaine bottlings carry a black label. The Maison Frederic Magnien wines are made in a large, more spacious cellar in the same facility as the Michel Magnien wines also reviewed in this issue. In 2009 cuvaison lasted 14-15 days, including a 3-4 day cold soak. The malos were later and slower here than at the Domaine, so the Maison wines received an additional racking prior to being bottled. In general the Maison wines tend to emphasize a more red expression of fruit, while the Domaine wines are more towards the blue/black end of the spectrum. All of the 2009s were bottled in February 2011. Importer: Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
Deep, bright red. Wonderfully expressive scents and flavors of raspberry, black tea, roasted thyme, wild mint and licorice. Thick, sweet and dense on entry, then smooth and fine-grained in the middle, combining a seamless quality with terrific inner-mouth energy. This really spreads out to saturate the palate. Fatter than the more imploded Clos de Beze. Finishes with outstanding reverberating persistence.