Good bright dark red. Perfumed, profound aromas and flavors of red cherry, rose oil, minerals and crushed stone, with darker berries emerging with air. Like liquid velvet on the palate--lush dense and incredibly fine-grained. Most impressive today on the extraordinary expanding, palate-staining finish, which rises to a crescendo of spices and minerals. A wine of great thrust and chewiness, this is hard to scrape off the palate. An essence of Corton grand cru.

Full red with ruby tones. Incredible high-pitched nose combines raspberry, pepper, rose petal, red licorice, crushed stone, flowers, menthol and eucalyptus. The palate offers extraordinary sweetness but the wine's minerally lift and intense sappiness gives it a weightless impression. Shows the noble side of Corton grand cru, not to mention uncanny intensity; Faiveley made 42 hectoliters per hectare in 2009, but the wine tastes like half that. Finishes with incredible length and verve; offhand, I can't think of a longer 2009. Should be a cellar treasure.

The 2009 Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley is really blossoming with a decade of bottle age, offering up expressive aromas of sweet red cherries, forest floor, cassis, espresso roast, dark chocolate and grilled meats, framed by a deft touch of cedary new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it's textural and complete, with lively acids and a pure, precise finish. Of all the wines in this tasting, the 2009 is the most head-turning and immediate at this stage.

This sports one of the ripest noses in the entire range with distinctly spicy notes adding interest to the admirably fresh plum and mocha suffused aromas that precede highly energetic, concentrated and big-bodied flavors that are extremely concentrated and the dry extract imparts a seductive texture to the mildly austere, balanced and hugely long finish. This is one of the most promising vintages of this wine that I have ever seen but note that this will definitely not be an early drinker as the supporting structure is more than simply firm.
- Comments: Don't miss!

Heady and concentrated and voluptuous. The oak is a bit dominant at the moment. May get there... (JR)