2009 - Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Rouge, Delas

A wine that flirts with perfection is the inky and opaque 2009 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes. Coming from L'Ermite, le Sabot, and Les Bessards, and aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels, it gives up a heavenly bouquet of crushed rocks, blackberries, leather, wild herbs and earth. Massively concentrated on the palate, with another level of fruit and texture over the 2010, it has brilliant purity, building tannin and a blockbuster finish. There's enough tannin here to warrant hiding in the cellar for 4-5 years, but it should last for 3-4 decades.

Inky purple. Deeply pitched aromas of cherry and cassis, with licorice and black pepper nuances adding complexity. Chewy and dense, offering bitter cherry and dark berry flavors lifted by a spicy note on the back half. Finishes with gentle tannic grip and persistent spice and smoke notes. Give this masculine, brawny wine at least a few more years of bottle age.

Barrel sample: this is a single lot from Les Bessards but it has not yet been decided whether it will be bottled as Les Bessards or go into the Marquise de la Tourette blend. Dark black cherry colour. Intense but lively, peppery red and black fruit on the nose. Just a hint of violets and oak spice. Lovely pure, youthful fruit within very firm and tight but fully ripe tannins. A good chewy grip but in this vintage matched by fruit flesh in the middle. (JH)