2009 BOND Melbury

The 2009 Melbury comes from a site just north of Lake Hennessey and is always one of the more elegant, seamless wines in the lineup from Bond. The 2009 has a fabulous perfume of red and black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and exotic flowers, and it’s full-bodied, tight, and vibrant on the palate, with a youthful style. It’s just now in the early stages of its drink window and can be enjoyed anytime over the coming 3 decades or more.

The 2009 Melbury is one of the more rewarding wines in this tasting for present day drinking. Rich, sumptuous and expressive, the 2009 possesses superb depth to match its dark, sepia-toned profile. There is more than enough tannin and acidity to ensure another 10+ years of fine drinking, maybe more. The 2009 falls into the camp of the more voluptuous, supple Melburys.

Bright, dark ruby-red. Very suave scents of dark berries, black cherry, spices and licorice. There's a lovely density and silkiness of texture here but also surprisingly powerful, penetrating acidity and a firm tannic spine. This wine seemed rather delicate in the early going but today its very long, mounting finish conveys an impression of power, with its tongue-staining tannins coming across as a bit grittier than those of the supernal 2010 and thus giving the wine a spikier impression of structure. This very young wine should be long-lived.