The 2009 Morey St. Denis is soft and spiced at the outset, then turns quite a bit more pointed on the mid-palate and finish. This attractive, mid-weight wine comes across as quite open and ready to go. Layers of expressive red fruit frame the finish. Half of the wine was aged in new 500-liter barrels, the rest was aged in used oak. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Regis Forey began harvesting on September 13. His wines did a total of eight(!) weeks of cuvaison, by far the lengthiest vinifications of any grower I visited. Forey used 100% new oak for all of his 1ers and Grands Crus. The wines were bottled between December, 2010 and February, 2011 with no fining or filtration. These are unusually open, fruit-driven wines, even within the context of 2009. The Grand Crus are not necessarily better than some of the 1ers. I am not sure how well the wines will age, but in most cases they will certainly deliver considerable pleasure early on. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990