1999 Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Tour d'Albon
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Tasting notes
The 1999 Crozes-Hermitage Cuvee Tour d'Albon is powerful, fat, and fleshy, with sweet fruit in addition to impressive aromatic fireworks. It is a gorgeous Crozes that combines elegance, power, length, and harmony. Its delicious primary fruit characteristics will serve it well over the next 4-6 years. This is a good commercial example. The significant difference in quality between the outstanding 1999 northern Rhone vintage and the above average yet essentially correct 2000 is dramatically evidenced in Delas's wines. The 2000 red offerings reveal charming ripeness, but also the vintage's softness, lightness, and lack of depth. Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 286-2000.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(from a "cooler" hillside parcel of vines) Ruby-red. More minerally aromas of red fruits, smoke and iron. A step up in spine and verve from the basic bottling, but presently quite backward and not showing as much sweetness. Longer on the back end, but quite tight today.