More seriously endowed with more noticeable vanillin and toasty oak characteristics, the 2009 Crozes-Hermitage Le Rouvre reveals a dense purple color, sweet tannin and lots of creme de cassis, blackberry, pepper, spice, roasted meat and forest floor notes. This big wine will benefit from several years of cellaring and will keep for 10-12 years. One of the three Chaves making outstanding wines in the northern Rhone, Yann Chave’s cellars are on the outskirts of Tain l’Hermitage, next to the entrance to the famed Autoroute du Soleil.Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

More seriously endowed with more noticeable vanillin and toasty oak characteristics, the 2009 Crozes-Hermitage Le Rouvre reveals a dense purple color, sweet tannin and lots of creme de cassis, blackberry, pepper, spice, roasted meat and forest floor notes. This big wine will benefit from several years of cellaring and will keep for 10-12 years. One of the three Chaves making outstanding wines in the northern Rhone, Yann Chave’s cellars are on the outskirts of Tain l’Hermitage, next to the entrance to the famed Autoroute du Soleil. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800