2009 Delas Freres "La Landonne" Côte-Rôtie (Pre-Arrival)

98-100 points Robert Parker: "Delas's two luxury cuvees are both candidates for perfection. As good as the single vineyard Cote Roties of Guigal, the 2009 Cote Rotie La Landonne, from a vintage that is slightly less successful in Cote Rotie than in the other Northern Rhone appellations, is a sublime wine. A dense blue/purple color is followed by aromas of blueberries, black raspberries, white chocolate, vanilla and a hint of spring flowers. The wine exhibits fabulous fruit intensity, a wonderful medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, not the structure or massive extract of the Hermitage cuvees, but beautiful elegance and purity. It should drink well for 10-15+ years." (02/11) 92-94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Dark purple. High-pitched and expansive red and dark berries and flowers on the nose, with an intense mineral quality and a strong hint of Asian spices. Smells like a very high-end Burgundy. Seductively sweet red fruit preserve flavors reach every corner of the palate and become spicier and livelier with air. A strikingly pure, perfumed Cote-Rotie that finishes with excellent clarity and a lingering floral quality." (Jan/Feb 2011)