2009 Vinsobres Les Cornuds

Coming from a cooler, higher elevation terroir located near the town of Vaison-la-Romaine, the 2009 Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Villages Vinsobres Les Cornuds, a blend of 65% Syrah and 35% Grenache that sees 35% in French oak, delivers an aromatic, spice-driven profile, with notions of black and blue fruits, candied violets, spice box, and licorice all emerging from the glass. Improving over the evening and showing outstanding complexity, this medium to full-bodied red has a beautiful, mouth filling texture, admirable balance, and solid length and richness on the finish. All around impressive, this is delicious now, yet should evolve gracefully for 8-10 years.

A blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah, the 2009 Perrin et Fils Cotes du Rhone Villages Vinsobres Les Cornuds reveals abundant aromas of crushed rocks, spring flowers and blue as well as black fruits in its darker, more cool climate style. It is completely different from the Grenache-dominated wines from the warmer climates of Cairanne, Rasteau, Vacqueyras or Gigondas. The impressive, deep, rich Vinsobres Les Cornuds comes from high elevation (400 feet) vineyards, and should easily age for 10 years. (Not yet released) The Perrin brothers, Jean-Pierre and Francois, and their sons, Thomas, Marc, Pierre and Mathieu, have long owned over 200 acres of top sites in Chateauneuf du Pape and can now claim over 1,000 acres in the southern Rhone as their empire under the Perrin et Fils label expands considerably. This is good news for consumers as the Perrins, one of the great winemaking families of France, are dedicated to producing high quality wines, preserving top terroirs, and to providing a range of wines in all price ranges that are as good as consumers can expect. Purchasing a wine from this family is about as close to a guarantee of authenticity and high quality as one can expect. There is no secret to surviving the recent world-wide recession and fragile economy. No matter what field one is in – wine, the service industry, product development, etc., one has to over deliver in order to keep consumers happy. Don’t do that, expect a dwindling economic return and possible failure. The Perrins long ago adopted this philosophy, even in boom times. Speaking of wines that over deliver, readers should be searching out the super inexpensive, bargain priced La Vieille Ferme offerings. The Perrins have put together a terrific portfolio of top wines from the leading Cotes du Rhone Villages. With the exception of the estate wines in Vinsobres, they are all dominated by Grenache. To date, the finest wines have emerged from the 2007 vintage, but very strong efforts have been produced in 2009. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

50/50 Grenache/Syrah. 35% aged in French oak. Noticeably darker than the Côtes du Rhône-Villages and noticeably fresher on the nose. Syrah’s dark pepperiness more to the fore on the nose. Dark and withheld. Delicious combination of dense but bright fruit and lively acidity wth fine, dense tannins. Alcohol disappears in the energy of the fruit. Cool, fresh, savoury aftertaste leaving fine lingering tannins. Controlled ripeness. (JH)