The 2009 vintage was a warm, dry one in the southern Rhone, lending itself to the production of rich dessert wines like this one. Plum and chocolate notes dominate, but there’s also complexity in the form of cinnamon and clove. It’s full bodied and softly tannic, with lingering notes of cocoa powder and dried spice on the finish. — (12/31/2012) —90

Deep black color with distinctive rancio, spirity, ultra-ripe nose. Sweet with warm, spicy jammy red fruit flavors. Full-bodied with moderate acidity, supple tannins. Well-integrated alcohol, smooth with a moderately long finish. ——W.E.(10/15/2010)—— 88