The 2016 Hermitage Ligne de Crete Les Grandes Vignes is more approachable than the 2015, offering up notes of violets, blueberries, peppered meat and black olives. It's medium to full-bodied, ripe and velvety-textured—perhaps a bit open-knit for truly long-term aging—but open enough to enjoy now and over the next decade or so. Notes of crushed stone and menthol mark the intense, lingering finish.