The 2009 Gracia competes handsomely with the spectacular 2005 and 2000 vintages. A slightly more evolved and fleshy effort the inky/purple-hued 2009 (75 % Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a massive thick powerhouse with 14.5% natural alcohol. Proprietor Michel Gracia often makes a wine that is similar to that of his friend the proprietor of Ausone. Blueberry blackberry licorice forest floor smoke and graphite aromas jump from the glass of this unctuously textured layered multidimensional St.-Emilion. Displaying an inner core of extract (yields were only 19 hectoliters per hectare) and not a hard edge to be found this youthful 2009 tastes more like a barrel sample than a finished wine. It will benefit from 5-10 years of cellaring and should last for 3-4 decades.