The 2009 vintage was even warmer and riper than the 2010, and I expected to like this wine decidedly less than its younger counterpart, but I was reasonably well-disposed to this more fruit-driven example of La Landonne...
The 2009 vintage was even warmer and riper than the 2010, and I expected to like this wine decidedly less than its younger counterpart, but I was reasonably well-disposed to this more fruit-driven example of La Landonne, as the wine is at least not overtly overripe or alcoholic. The sun-baked bouquet is a mix of cassis, dark berries, pepper, hung game, damp soil tones and black olives. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, gamy and chocolaty, with a plump core, low acids and pretty good length and grip on the ripely tannic finish. This has the glossiness to its structure of a very ripe year, and I suspect that this wine will be ready to start drinking in only another three or four years. It is not a great La Landonne from Monsieur Rostaing, but, given the style of the vintage, I was expecting worse! 88+