2009 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Roure

Opaque ruby. Exotic, highly perfumed aromas of candied dark berries, Moroccan spices, cola and dried violet. Intense, mineral-driven blackberry and cassis flavors pack a serious punch and become sweeter with air. Vibrant mineral and spice notes add lift to the very long, focused, youthfully taut finish. This wine should reward at least a decade of patience.

Another animal altogether, the 2009 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure comes from a different terroir as well as a different exposition. The result is a black/purple-hued wine displaying notes of crushed rocks, spring flowers and an undeniable minerality. This is a massive, masculine style of Crozes without the charm and suppleness of the Domaine de Thalabert 2009, but it is a huge, promising, foreboding vin de garde. Cellar it for 7-8 years and drink it over the following 20-25 years, as it is more like a Hermitage than a typical Crozes-Hermitage. One needs no further evidence of the extraordinary turn around in the quality of the Jaboulet wines than what proprietress Caroline Frey has accomplished in 2009 as well as 2010. As I indicated last year, this is one of the great qualitative turn arounds in the wine world. It is welcomed by all wine lovers given the historic legacy of the wines of Jaboulet and the importance of this famous firm in all of France. Ms. Frey, who is also responsible for the brilliant wines produced at La Lagune in Bordeaux, has reduced the amount of new oak for the red wines to about 20% and to negligible proportions for the whites. A second wine of Hermitage, La Petite Chapelle, is fashioned from 33% or more of the production that is culled out to guarantee that the great reputation of the Hermitage La Chapelle has enjoyed over the last century is maintained. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Inky purple. Black raspberry, potpourri and bitter chocolate on the nose, which picks up smoke and mineral nuances with air. Firm and unyielding on entry, then nervy and exotically spiced in the mid-palate, with impressive energy to the black raspberry, cherry pit and fruitcake flavors. Plenty of acidity and tannins here, but they're buffered by the wine's dense fruit. Expands impressively on the back half, finishing with chewy tannins and superb, spicy persistence.