Pushed to the limit of extraction and richness, the fruit for the 2009 Faugeres Cuvee Speciale Peby (100% Merlot cropped at 18 hectoliters per hectare) was harvested especially late, with the last grapes coming in during the third week of October. Half of the wine is fermented traditionally in tank, and the other half is fermented in small barrels. Exceptionally full-bodied with a black/blue color, it offers up a big, sweet kiss of vanillin intermixed with blackberry liqueur, graphite, earth, and charcoal. There is massive richness, and the elevated tannins are sweet and well-integrated. Along with the wine’s freshness and moderate pH, that results in a wine that clearly defines all the special and distinctive characteristics of the 2009 vintage. (Tasted three times.)