The big 2009 St.-Joseph offers up scents of strawberry jam, black cherries, black currants, licorice, graphite and a touch of scorched earth. Very good, with outstanding concentration, purity and texture, it still has some tannin to shed, but it is accessible and should drink nicely for a decade or more.
These three negociant bottlings from the talented Louis Barruol are all noteworthy. Barruol’s outstanding talents are obvious in his southern Rhone offerings as well as his estate wines from his Domaine Saint-Cosme, which is situated on the outskirts of the sleepy village of Gigondas.
Importer: Vintage ‘59, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-9218