R. Parker - 93/100 Vacqueyras Vin Rare 2009 - 91/100 Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Vin 2010

N°197 – October 2011

Vacqueyras  – Vin Rare 2009 – 93/100

A canditate for wine of the vintage, the 2009 Vacqueyras Vin Rare, a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged in both tank and small oak, is one of the most spectacular, concentrated and ageworthy wines I tasted from the 2009 vintage. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by full-bodied, massive flavor concentration. This highly textured, layered wine has plenty of blackberry and kirsch fruit intermixed with licorice, camphor, graphite and forest floor. Complex as well as youthful and primary, this sensational Vacqueyras should drink well for 10-12+ years.

Aout 2012

Châteauneuf du Pape - Grand Vin - 2010 - 91/100

A slightly firm, extracted style, with a strong singed apple wood and alder frame to the dark cherry, blackberry paste and plum sauce flavors that give way to plum skin and spice on the finish. Lightly chewy in the end, but there's a fresh perfume of mint and savory as well, which should help this stretch out a bit more. Best from 2014 through 2027. - J.M.