The 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet caresses the palate with rich, sumptuous fruit. This textured, generous white captures the essence of Chassagne in 2009. Medium to full in body, it shows superb balance and plenty of class at this level. Approximately 15% of the fruit is premier cru. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier showed me a wide range of 2009s during my visit in late June, 2011. Many of the jewels among the 2009s are hidden in the villages level wines, which I highly encourage readers to check out. I also tasted a selection of 2008s. The 2008s are quite fat for the year. Yields were lower than in 2009. Lardiere made the decision to age the wines longer on their lees to give them more richness, which he felt was lacking because of the inconsistent, high acid vintage. As a result, these are fairly big 2008s. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756