The finest Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes to date is the 2009. Its dense purple color is accompanied by sweet strawberry and black cherry fruit notes intermixed with hints of tobacco leaf, licorice and smoke (even though this cuvee is all tank-fermented and aged.). A sleeper of the vintage as well as a great value, it should drink well for a decade. Another great negociant with significant vineyard holdings, and at the top of their game, is undeniably Delas, owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm. Since they acquired Delas well over a decade ago, this firm has been under the management of Burgundian Jacques Grange, who has done an outstanding job producing a sensational array of wines. The 2009s appear to be their finest overall performances to date, and the 2010s are noteworthy successors in a more restrained, mineral dominated, crisper style. Jacques Grange did a fabulous job with his Cote Roties in both 2009 and 2010, the latter being a somewhat more challenging vintage in this appellation. The Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes (until the 2009 vintage, this offering was known as the Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette) is sensational in both 2010 and 2009. Three thousand cases of this cuvee are produced, and the wine is aged in French oak, 50% new.Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000

Stylish, with lots of mocha, spice and black tea aromas backed by velvety-textured blackberry and raspberry fruit. The long, suave finish stretches out nicely, with the fruit and spice hanging on. Drink now through 2014. 500 cases imported. -JM

This is not a blockbuster, just a nicely balanced Syrah for drinking over the next several years. Ample black cherry fruit is enhanced by layers of floral and herbal complexity, while the tannins are supple, allowing the flavors to linger elegantly on the finish.——J.C.(10/1/2011)—— 90