2009 Pauillac is the most consistent appellation in the 2009 Bordeaux vintage. From top to bottom, the 2009 Pauillac wines are great! They are textbook Pauillac’s with a stunning sense of style that combines opulent textures, concentration of flavor and aromatics filled with cedar, gravel, cassis and tobacco. The 2009 Pauillac wines are fresh, sensuous and have the ability to age and evolve. Going back to the style of the wines, I look for unique and special, which is something  2009 Pauillac offers in spades in this vintage.
If you want to read about other 2009 Bordeaux Wine In Bottle Tasting Notes, Ratings, Reviews
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The following 2009 Pauillac wines were tasted with the UGC in Los Angeles.
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2009 Clerc Milon – Cedar, cassis, tobacco, blackberry, earth and spice aromas were all over the place. This blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc,1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère creates a wine that combines freshness, clean fruit and round tannins. There is ample concentration of raw materials to allow the wine to age and evolve, yet it will drink well young. 92 Pts
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2009 d’Armailhac – Pure cassis, gravel, dark berries and earthy aromas lead to a plush, fresh, chewy Pauillac. From an assemblage of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is medium/full bodied with plush textures and ripe tannins. Graceful and elegant, the wine ends with sweet cassis. 93 Pts
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2009 Grand Puy Ducasse – With inviting, text book Pauillac aromas of cedar wood, gravel, cassis, blackberry, truffle and tobacco, this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot has round tannins and all the right stuff to age, yet offer pleasure after only a few years of bottle age. For about $40, this is a nice value Bordeaux wine, especially for a Classified Growth.  91 Pts
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2009 Grand Puy Lacoste – This seductive vintage of Grand Puy Lacoste was produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Cedar wood, gravel, cassis and cigar box scents led to a plush, soft, sophisticated Pauillac. Lacking the levels of concentration found in the 2010, the wine is made in a beautiful, inviting style that should drink great after 5-7 years of age. 94 Pts
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2009 Lynch Bages – Blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon with 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot produced a powerful, concentrated Pauillac with great depth of flavor. Layers of fresh blackberry, coffee, tobacco, cassis, pepper, black cherry and gravel made up the inviting perfume. Fresh, ripe, exuberant and lusty, this stylish wine has it all going on. This vintage competes with any Lynch Bages produced following the dynamic duo of 1989 and 1990. 96 Pts
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2009 Pichon Baron – The packed aromatics are filled with cedar wood, incense, cassis, earth, espresso bean and cigar tobacco. From an assemblage of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, this supple, rich, round Bordeaux ends with fresh cassis, blackberries and black cherries. Very stylish and pure. 95 Pts
Sylvie Cazes with the 98 year old legend, Miki Dora
The picture above is important. Miki Dora is 98 years old! He still enjoys great Bordeaux wine. While many people today do not know his name, Dora earned a reputation for importing Bordeaux to America in the 1950’s! He was one of the first American’s to travel to Bordeaux in those days on a regular basis. He was one of the earliest importers of many great Bordeaux wines including Mouton Rothschild. Always impeccably dressed, gracious and sharp as a tack, he still loves wine and life. At 98, this is a great accomplishment. His son was the famous surfer, Mickey Dora, AKA “The Cat”. He is pictured with one of his close family friends, Sylvie Cazes, President of the UGCB and the director of Pichon Lalande. Mr. Dora is the last of a generation.
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2009 Pichon Lalande – This wine is loaded with floral, cassis, boysenberry, earth, olive and tobacco notes. With a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, 75%, blended with 20% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this powerful, graceful, sensuous, rich, fresh Bordeaux wine is pure, refined, silk and velvet in texture. 96 Pts
3 Comments
Great report on all your wine tasting notes from the 2009 UGC Bordeaux tastings. It’s hard to believe anyone with that much hair is 98. Mr Dora is one very cool cat. I remember his son from his days surfing in Malibu.
Are you going to Bordeaux this year? If so, will you be tasting the rest of the 2009 Bordeaux wines that are not members of the UGC? Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the note Joe! Glad you liked the 2009 Bordeaux wine, in bottle, tasting notes. I am working on my next trip to Bordeaux now. I hope to taste as many of the 2009’s in bottle that are not members of the UGC. I’ll miss a few, as some producers only show the current vintage during the EP tastings. I’ll see what I can do.