Ester-rich and strongly marked by brown-spiced creme de cassis, the late-bottled Duboeuf 2009 Moulin-a-Vent Prestige is voluminous and sweetly ripe, but finishes with an awkward measure of resin and caramel from toasted oak and extraneous, faintly drying wood tannins. Consume it over the next couple of years. As often happens with wines of this sort, the Duboeufs draw comparisons with the Cote d’Or or the Rhone, but I’d insist this is very recognizably – just not eloquently – Beaujolais.George Duboeuf and his estate-collaborators – for further general comments on whom consult my issue 190 report – harvested from mid-September into the first week of October and pronounced themselves reasonably satisfied with the size of their crop as well as its quality. Most of the fruit came in at between 12-12.5% alcohol, with only a small share being chaptalized. And while the manner of extraction typically practiced chez Duboeuf strikes me as serving for rather uniformly deep colors, Duboeuf remarked that the 2010s colored with particular, and surprising, ease. The percentage of wines bottled at the time of my June visit was, predictably, considerably higher than had been the case for the 2009s at the same point on the calendar. Observing conventions established in the aforementioned previous report, I have made reference to aging potential only for any wines that I expect might be worth following for longer than a couple of years, and where I have identified a wine solely by appellation, it represents a so-called “Selections Georges Duboeuf” cuvee, adorned with his company’s signature flower labels. I also tasted on this occasion several late-released, wooded “prestige” bottlings – rendered in 1,000-2,500 volumes – which however were not destined to appear in U.S. markets.Importer: William Deutsch & Son Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463

Displaying spicy, oaky cherry aromas, the 2003 Moulin-a-Vent Cuvee Prestige was aged entirely in new oak barrels. At present, its youthful, concentrated personality is dominated by wood spices immersed in black fruits (hence the question mark). However, Georges Duboeuf believes that it will shed those traits as it completes elevage and become even better than its 2000 sibling (which tasted from my cellar recently was a 91-point effort). Projected maturity: 2006-2014? Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (847) 679-0121

Lavish black cherry scents are discerned in the nose of the well-structured, muscular 2002 Moulin-a-Vent Cuvee Prestige. Oak-infused cherries and blackberries are interspersed with chocolate in this pure, fresh, sensually-textured effort. It is intense, concentrated, immensely flavorful, and reveals a long, expressive finish. Projected maturity: 2004-2010. Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (847) 679-0121

The 2000 Moulin-a-Vent Prestige explodes from the glass with scents of roasted oak and black fruits. It is a medium-bodied, velvety-textured, refined, powerful wine crammed with chocolate, red cherries, spices, and blackberries. Its extensive finish reveals copious ripe tannin. Projected maturity: 2003-2007. Importers: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (847) 679-0121