Wine: 2009 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cote du Rhone Villages Rasteau Cuvee Marc
Region: Rhone
Sokolin Price: $19.99/btl
Rating: 93 RPWA

The latest edition of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate came out last week, and it came with much praise for 2009 Rhones. Robert Parker has a love for Rhone wines, and many of Parker's highest scoring wines come from the Rhone. The 2007 vintage was one of the best to come out of the region with quite a few wines receiving 100 point scores. And the 2009 vintage produced another round of incredible wines from the Rhone. Production levels in 2009 were lower than they were in 2007. 

We've recently tried several 2009s from the Southern Rhone, including bottles of Cote du Rhones from multiple producers. In our next series, we will be getting into the 2009 Chateauneuf du Papes.

A few nights ago over a dinner of homemade spaghetti and meatballs, we opened a bottle of 2009 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cote du Rhone Cuvee Marc from the Rasteau Village. This village is one of the top producing villages of the Cote du Rhone. Made of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah & 25% Mourvedre, this wine was deep purple in color.

The wine had an amazing nose upon first decanting. It had a lovely bouquet of cherries and currant along with a hint of toasted oak. Upon first sip, we realized that we were in for another great vintage in 2009. The body was medium to full and had the right amount of fruit, tannin and acidity that completely balanced the wine. While the Cote du Rhones are meant to drink young, we strongly suggest you decant the wine at least one hour prior to drinking to enhance the flavors that this wonderful wine has to offer.

This Cote du Rhone received an amazing 93 point score from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. We have always felt that the quality of the Cote du Rhones end up being a great indication of how the other wines of the vintage in the Southern Rhone will perform.

Our first impression of 2009 Southern Rhone is an A+. We are really excited to continue our tasting of this vintage and will most certainly keep you posted on our findings. Until then, don't hesitate to pick up some 2009 Cote du Rhones. At $19.99 per bottle, the price is right for high quality juice that is receiving high scores from the best critics...us included.

Recommendation: Besides the fact that this wine is high scoring and delicious, the under-$20 price point gives you an even better reason to pick up some today. It is in stock and ready to ship in time for the holidays.

Our Score - 93
Drinkability - A