100% Syrah

Robert Parker: 100

Robert Parker:
The 2009 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses off-the-charts richness. Like all the vintages, it comes from the Cote Blonde and is co-fermented with 11% Viognier. Its 13.5% alcohol is one of the highest in all the La Moulines made to date, which shows you that these wines are never that powerful. Extraordinary layers of concentration offer up notes of roasted coffee, sweet black cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, licorice and hints of spring flowers as well as lychee nuts (no doubt attributable to the floral/honeysuckle character of Viognier). With its full-bodied, extravagant richness, the 2009 La Mouline should be relatively approachable in 1-2 years, and last for two decades or more.

Another perfect wine is the 2009 Cote Rotie La Turque. It possesses a slightly denser purple color than the opaque Cote Rotie La Mouline as well as notes of Asian spices, roasted meats, bouquet garni, spring flowers, camphor and truffles. It is a different expression of Syrah as this comes from the more iron-laden soils of the Cote Brune. Although never as aromatic, precocious or enjoyable as La Mouline is in its youth, La Turque is, nevertheless, a remarkably concentrated, profound wine that is built like a skyscraper. It possesses a level of intensity and richness that must be tasted to be believed. Despite the flamboyant personality of the vintage, the 2009 will require 4-5 years of cellaring and should age effortlessly for 25-30 years.

The 2009 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a killer wine. An extravagant bouquet of black truffles, roasted meats, licorice, ground pepper, blackberries, scorched earth and camphor soars from this muscular, dense, over-the-top, serious, masculine La Landonne. Built like Arnold Schwarzenegger was two decades ago, this enormously concentrated bodybuilder of a wine should hit its prime in a decade, and last 40-50 years. This is no trivial boast as the debut vintage of La Landonne, the 1978, is just reaching full maturity at age 34.