I love Rhône wines from this vintage! Those who regularly read my blog will know.

I thus opened this bottle coming from Yves Gras vineyards in Vacqueyras with a certain thrill and expectations. The majority of Grenache, assisted by some Syrah, create an intense bouquet of prunes, ginger bread and chocolate, in a style as wild and intractable as the Dentelles de Montmirail, a stunning rock formation that overlooks the village. Very expressive on the palate, the wine shows a certain generosity, as well as lively acidity and doesn’t hide the typical fleshiness of Rhône wines.

As required by great vintages, the wine is young but harmonious, but it should receive some attention when serving now: A temperature of 16°C will be perfect and it will appreciate the space of a decanter to fully develop. The constitution of the wine promises an interesting evolution towards finesse and complexity after a couple of years of cellaring. In any cases it should be faced by savoury food: beef, lamb chops, Mediterranean spices, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese or Cantal entre-deux…