A beautifully pure fruit driven Banyuls the 2009 M. Chapoutier Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel 100% Grenache delivers a sweet sexy profile of ripe plums macerated cherries baking spices licorice and chocolate ganache like qualities on the nose. Full-bodied pure balanced and with first rate sweetness that's balanced by excellent acidity this classy dessert wine is super now but should age gracefully as well. - Jeb Dunnuck

Chapoutier's 2009 Banyuls does an excellent job of projecting in fortified sweet format the sorts of herbal elements - fennel juniper marjoram - that are characteristically associated in dry red wine with the environmental underbrush or garrigue. Plum and blueberry preserves along with mint chocolate form the principle themes for a soothing wine that - while rather superficially sweet - retains a welcome degree of primary juiciness as well as the aforementioned herbal characteristics that help to offset that sweetness in what is an impressively long finish. I suspect this will be most enjoyable over the next 3-4 years though perhaps greater interest and - after a considerable elapse of time - a diminution in sucrosity will develop. -David Schildknecht