Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas (Rhône Valley, France) 2009

I vastly prefer the 2010 vintage in the Southern Rhône to 2009, but in the North, these two thoroughbred years really run neck-and-neck.  The 2010s are brighter but also tighter, and will take a long time to hit their optimal time windows for enjoyment.  The 2009s will show a much higher percentage of their charms earlier on, and yet, serious wines from Cornas, Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage are very serious indeed, and bear little resemblance to ripe-and-ready wines from a downright hot year like 2003.  This wine is a fine case in point for showing the strength of the top 2009s, as it is quite rich and broad in texture, very deep in flavor, and quite muscular in overall terms–yet also really fresh and nimble for its size, with a clear beam of acidity shining through its masses of ripe fruit.  There’s no apparent raisining in the wine’s fruit profile, and though wood is still showing as a distinct aromatic and flavor component, it is neither rough nor raw, but rather a welcome counterweight to the richness of the fruit.  Undeniably delicious now, but with a long and happy life ahead of it.