Perhaps the best Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage made since the blockbuster 1990, the 2009 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert (nearly 10,000 cases produced) boasts an opaque purple/blue color along with notes of blueberries, boysenberries, creme de cassis, licorice, incense and Asian spices. The wine possesses sweet, velvety tannin, an opulent, full-bodied palate, laser-like precision and good acidity as well as freshness. It should drink well for 15 years or more.