Olivier Leflaive, Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy, France) 2009

 Bourgogne Rouge is often one of the world’s most inconsitent and ungenerous wines, but the 2009 vintage sent a wave of quality across virtually all of the appellations making red wine.  This bottle shows that fact in spades, with an atypical depth and persistence of flavor.  Importantly, however, it isn’t chunky or blockish in the way that some wines from the hot 2003 vintage were; there’s still an admirable freshness and delicacy that keep the style firmly rooted in Burgundy.