I've played a few Cordoba's, but not the C9 specifically.
Not a bad guitar line, it's hard to tell sometimes with the state of the strings in the stores and such, but I didn't fall in love, put it that way.
Based on my somewhat limited experience, I'd recommend an Almansa, an Alhambra, a Raimundo if you can find one, or a Ramirez. Back in the day when I bought my Raimundo, I played it against the Alhambra 5p. Both were excellent. I went home with the Raimundo mostly because the tone was comparable and I preferred it's looks.
Especially if you're flying blind, I'd work with a store with a good reputation. We did purchase our Almansa for my wife sight unseen from the Classical Guitar Shop, and they were great, although that was some years ago.
You will notice that they carry a number of the brands that your article mentioned.
Hope this helps,
-brian
http://www.classicalguitarshop.com/