A tasty Southern Rhone Valley red from the highly regarded village/appellation of Vacqueyras. Typical blend of the area: 70% Grenache followed by Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. This wine has loads of ripe, dark, slightly jammy blueberries and dark strawberries plus anise, lavender and cracked black pepper. A whiff of barnyard but no more. (Good bret, IMHO) Firm tannins along the gums on the finish are to be expected from Vacqueyras. Overall, this is clean, juicy, fruit-first Southern Rhone red that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. At $23 it is a Great Value. I would suggest letting it breathe to let the fruit catch up to those tannins on the finish.
