2009 Cote Rotie Les Rochains

Inky purple. Black and blue fruits, vanilla and potpourri on the seductively perfumed nose. Offers intense cassis and boysenberry flavors lifted by gentle acidity, gaining in spiciness with air. Very rich and expansive but there's good energy here as well. The finish clings with superb tenacity, the spice and blue fruit notes repeating.

The monumental 2009 Cote Rotie Les Rochains boasts stunning aromas of smoke, spring flowers, fried bacon, black raspberries, blackberries and cassis. This voluptuously textured, multidimensional wine is built like a skyscraper, with layers of fruit and glycerin, decent acidity and ripe tannins. Drink this profound Cote Rotie over the next 15-20 years. Bonnefond’s four cuvees of Cote Rotie are exceptional in 2010 and brilliant in 2009, although they are made in contrasting styles. The 2010s are minerally, with higher acids, but no shortage of ripeness or flavor intensity. The 2009s represent full blast hedonism at its finest. They are rich, concentrated, fleshy wines with lower acidity and shorter longevity, but with a far broader window of drinkability. Importer: Europvin; www.europvin.com

Inky purple. Sexy aromas of boysenberry, smoky oak, violet and licorice, with a lively mineral undertone. Pure and elegant but deeply concentrated, with a pliant, velvety texture to the complex red and dark berry, floral and mineral flavors. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and strong florality. There's an awful lot of fruit packed in here.