Wine Advisor
La Conseillante 2009
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The competition between the 2009, 2005 and 2000 La Conseillante will be interesting to follow over the next twenty years. There was more of a selection process at this estate in 2009 than there was in 2000, resulting in a beautiful Pomerol offering notes of mulberries, sweet cherries, spring flowers, raspberries and truffles. The color is a healthy deep plum/ruby/purple and the wine is medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, a broad, layered mouthfeel and wonderful freshness as well as length. This gorgeous, complex, Burgundian-styled Pomerol will be drinkable in 4-6 years and should keep for 30-40. (The 1970 is still alive and that was not nearly as well made as the 2009.)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at La Conseillante, cropped between 17th and 28th September at 39.5hl/ha and coming in with 14.2% alcohol, the ’09 La Conseillante has a very refined bouquet, with dark berried fruit, sloe, a touch of dried orange peel and crushed stones. The understated nature of this Conseillante is a joy to behold. The palate is medium-bodied, slightly grainy tannins, very good balance, very natural and handling that alcohol better than many other Right Banks. Nice grip on the finish, just a touch of astringency, but complex with minerals, some smoky notes developing in the glass. This 2009 brims with character and is undoubtedly one of the great Conseillante’s of modern times. Just ethereal. Tasted April 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Now that La Conseillante is making a second wine with more severe selection, think of the 2009 as a version of the 2000 on steroids. This is never going to be a blockbuster wine, because the terroir just seems to produce silky, elegant wines, but in this case, the 2009 has an extra kick and level of concentration that is unprecedented. Inky bluish purple, with an extraordinary nose of framboise, black raspberries, spring flowers, spice box, and a hint of truffle, the wine has great depth, full-bodied opulence, silky tannins, enormous power and richness, but again, a vibrancy and uplift that are just freakish in this vintage. That’s one of the great hallmarks of 2009 and one that will always stand out over the next 30 years. This wine should be drinkable in 5-7 years and last 40 or more. (Tasted three times.)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The barrel sample of 2009 sports a deep garnet/purple colour. The nose is very precise with the mineralite showing through the pure blueberry and blackberry fruit, interlaced with subtle notes of cherry liqueur. It just seemed to gain greater and greater volume in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm backbone, a little more masculine than it was showing at primeur with just a little hardness that will be abraded by time. Very focused with a delectable, almost tertiary finish. Great length and persistency. Stunning. Tasted December 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. Jean-Michel Laporte has fashioned a sensation bouquet here: ripe blackberry, raspberry, vanilla, minerals and crushed stone. Wonderful. The palate is utterly harmonious with sensual, velvety tannins and great backbone. Blackberry, touches of sage and bay leaf with a touch of citrus fruit on the finish. Outstanding. Tasted October 2011.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A wonderfully fragrant nose of roses, cloves, allspice, blueberries, forest floor and loam leads into a very structured palate of firm, fine grained tannins and medium+ acidity. More of a savoury / earthy character comes through on the concentrated, full bodied palate. Very long finish.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The La Conseillante ‘09 has a very seductive bouquet with lifted kirsch, mulberry and light honeyed tones – all very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a sensual but insistent entry. There are layers of ripe dark cherry, spicebox, black pepper and Provencal herbs with great weight and persistency on the finish. Superb. Tasted January 2013.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(81% merlot and 19% cabernet franc; 14.2% alcohol; pH 3.75) Bright, full red-ruby. Pure, penetrating aromas of black cherry, violet, licorice and minerals offer lovely perfumed lift. Then fresh, bright and sweet in the mouth, with a distinctly modern aspect to the pure, intense flavors of black cherry, bitter chocolate and flinty minerality. Very smoothly tannic and fine-grained, this remarkably polished and perfumed Pomerol finishes very long, with an airy lightness of touch and lingering mint and pepper nuances.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Conseillante has a very classy and sophisticated bouquet with beautifully defined black and red fruit mixed with black truffle and pressed rose petals. The oak is just completely subsumed here. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe and saturated tannin, a fine line of acidity, fresh and tensile with a sense of mineralité on the finish. This bottle shows even better than the one poured at the property 12 months earlier. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Conseillante has an opulent, expressive bouquet that blooms from the glass with enticing brambly red fruit, sage, black truffle and peppermint aromas, all very well defined. The aromatics seem to intensify with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin that frames the layers of red fruit. This is a more savory, gourmand style of La Conseillante. You could actually broach bottles of the 2009 now thanks to its freshness, although I would prefer to wait since there is so much weight and density on the finish. It is a huge, voluminous La Conseillante. But if you want the intellect and sophistication, you have to aim for the 2010. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Knockout perfume of red berries, dark cherry, minerals, flowers, licorice, tobacco and tarragon, complemented by sexy sweet oak. Suave, glossy and silky, but given energy and lift by its cabernet franc component. Captivating vanilla, coconut and spice notes add complexity and lift to the vibrant fruit flavors. No excessive sweetness here. Still a baby but already boasts lovely early balance. Wonderfully smooth Pomerol with terrific finishing lift.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The medium to deep garnet colored 2009 La Conseillante strides confidently out of the glass with very classy Black Forest cake, blueberry compote and kirsch scents plus suggestions of violets, liquid licorice, cardamom and bay leaves with a touch of eucalyptus. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegantly fruited with a firm, grainy frame and oodles of freshness, finishing long and minerally.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Conseillante has an opulent, expressive bouquet that blooms from the glass with enticing brambly red fruit, sage, black truffle and peppermint aromas, all very well defined. The aromatics seem to intensify with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin that frames the layers of red fruit. This is a more savory, gourmand style of La Conseillante. You could actually broach bottles of the 2009 now thanks to its freshness, although I would prefer to wait since there is so much weight and density on the finish. It is a huge, voluminous La Conseillante. But if you want the intellect and sophistication, you have to aim for the 2010. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
The nose on this wine is phenomenal, dark fruits and freshly cut flowers, orchids and lilies. Full bodied, with fantastic fruit and a dense palate. It is rich, yet sublime. This is ethereal stuff. Barrel sample.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Aromas of blueberry, minerals, flowers, and hints of brewed coffee. Sweet tobacco. Full bodied, with an amazing palate of intense dark fruits that verge on kir, but then a racy background of super fine tannins. Superb. Try after 2022.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Aromas of blueberry, minerals, flowers, and hints of brewed coffee. Sweet tobacco. Full bodied, with an amazing palate of intense dark fruits that verge on kir, but then a racy background of super fine tannins. Superb. Try after 2022.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Blackberries, violets and licorice, with hints of lavender. Full body, with phenomenal texture of ultra-fine tannins and subtle and intriguing fruit character. Goes on for minutes. Try in 2020.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
At once deep and rich, yet cool and delicate with a minty freshness, this is a really concentrated and super-elegant Pomerol that's now very seductive, but has the structure and vitality to live for a long time. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)
About the Producer
Chateau La Conseillante is located in the Pomerol appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, next to Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau L'Evangile, and is one of the best châteaux in Pomerol. The vineyard covers an area of 11.8 hectares with a topsoil of 60% grey clay and 40% gravel and a subsoil of red clay rich in iron. The vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot is planted mainly on clay plots, while the Cabernet Franc is planted mainly on gravel. The average age of the vines is 35 years and the planting density is 7,000 vines per hectare. The winery uses traditional vineyard management practices, eliminating the use of herbicides. During the growing season, the land is usually plowed four times to suppress weed growth and thus obtain more water for the vines. In the winter, the vines are pruned in a strict Simple Guyot and Double Guyot style. In addition, the vineyards are de-leafed and de-budded to keep yields at around 4,000 liters per hectare. At harvest time, the grapes are hand-picked to their optimum ripeness and a preliminary selection is carried out. Once the selection is complete, the grapes are transported in small batches to the winery to prevent crushing of the fruit. The winery is located in the heart of the vineyard, which shortens the transportation time and ensures that the grapes are fresh and ready for fermentation. In 2012, the winery added a new fermentation room with enough temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to ferment the grapes from each of the 18 plots separately, combining traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology. In addition, the winery now has four sorting tables and a de-stemmer. After being transferred to barrels, the grapes undergo a cold maceration of 48 to 96 hours. After maceration, the must is fermented in barrels with the skins for 1 week, followed by a further 1 to 2 weeks of maceration. At the end of fermentation, some of the artesian wine is released first and the remaining lees are pressed through a vertical press. The pressed wines are aged separately, and only some of the best pressed wines are blended with the artesian wines. Before bottling, the wines are matured in oak barrels for approximately 18 months, 50% to 80% of which are new. During maturation, the wines are decanted by the winemakers every three months and finally clarified with egg whites.
1961(1)1973(1)1983(1)1984(1)1988(2)1989(3)1990(2)1993(2)1994(1)1995(2)1997(1)1998(3)1999(1)2000(6)2001(7)2002(1)2003(3)2004(4)2005(10)2006(7)2007(1)2008(8)
Package Size
