A blockbuster offering is the 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau 1921, which was made from yields of 17 hectoliters per hectare and aged in both concrete tanks and 600-liter demi-muids. Composed of 90% Grenache and the rest a kitchen sink blend, it exhibits an opaque purple color along with abundant floral notes intermixed with notions of white chocolate, charcoal, scorched earth, blackberries and black currants. It reveals a superb, full-bodied, layered, broad, expansive mouthfeel, terrific intensity and a heady finish. Drink this beauty over the next 10-15+ years. One of the finest estates in the southern Rhone for their selection of Cotes du Rhone-Villages and, more recently, Rasteau, is this biodynamically farmed estate of Helene and Daniel Boulle in Travaillan. These wines first came to my attention with the 1999 vintage, and after a choppy period a decade or so ago, the last few vintages have been very promising. The number of cuvees produced can vary, but in 2011, there are four cuvees of Cotes du Rhone-Villages plus an old vine Rasteau made from vines planted in 1921. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

From a single parcel of vines planted in 1921, the 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau 1921 is composed of 90% Grenache, 7% Mourvedre and 3% Carignan cropped at 17 hectoliters per hectare, and aged 12 months in old small oak (purchased from the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti). This unfiltered, dense, powerful, backward Rasteau displays notes of roasted coffee, white chocolate, scorched earth, black cherries and black currants. There is good sweetness to the tannins and the wine reveals some burgeoning elegance, but it needs another 3-4 years of bottle age and should keep for 15+ years thereafter. In 1999, I discovered one of the finest estates in the southern Rhone, the Domaine Les Aphillanthes owned by Daniel Boulle. His oenologist is none other than Philippe Cambie and his commitment to quality is evidenced by the fact that he refused to bottle any 2008s. Following that troublesome year, Boulle has produced some impressive 2009s and 2010s. This is a certified organically managed vineyard with practices increasingly moving toward biodynamic.Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800