2009 Domaine Fond Croze Cuvee Vincent de Catari Cotes du Rhone Villages

Last of the 2009 Rhones. Not long after Robert Parker began his assessment of 2009 Rhone in October 2010, he was commending winelovers to buy up. "This is the type of vintage consumers will love as the wines are fruit-forward, full-bodied, relatively high in alcohol with low acidity and sweet, well-integrated tannins". In this final shipment, traversing a range of terroirs the quality and value is obvious. They are wines that put Australian Grenache blends back in their place as the antecedents of these Southern Rhone archetypes. Now the treasure trove is drying up. One proviso on Parker's comments below: many of these wines were tasted before bottling. In this state, he tends to underrate wines initially, only to add points after they spend time in the bottle. The wines have rested since shipping and are now blossoming beautifully.

Tasting note:Excellent opaque dark crimson red purple colour with deep crimson purple hue. The nose displays lifted notes of raspberry and dark cherry followed by some liquorice, dried meats and spice. Medium weight the palate has blossomed with 12 months in the bottle. Good generosity with flavours of inky black cherry, raspberry and spice are followed by some meaty back palate characters. Dry finish with fine grained balanced tannins. Aftertaste of dark raspberry, spice and earth. Cellar 3-4 years (2015-2016) 14.0%

Other Reviews… The 2009 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vincent de Catari, a blend of 80% Grenache and the rest Carignan and Syrah, reveals a plum/ruby color along with notes of strawberries, black cherries, crushed rocks, garrigue, licorice and incense. Medium-bodied, richly fruity, pure and well-balanced, it can be enjoyed over the next 3-4 years. 87-89 points Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate