The 2012s here are loaded with potential. Starting out, the 2012 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, with the Grenache aged all in concrete and the Syrah in 2-year-old barrels. Full-bodied, rich and beautifully proportioned, with sweet, silky tannin and rocking length, it gives up copious cassis, currants, graphite, crushed rock and licorice aromas and flavors. Classic Rasteau, it’s well worth seeking out and should shine for upward of a decade. Drink 2014-2022. Run by Jean-Pierre Bertrand, with consulting help from Philippe Cambie, this top-notch estate covers over 70 acres, mostly in Rasteau. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

Features a beam of juicy raspberry and blackberry fruit laced with anise notes, carrying through the finish with a hint of pain d'épices. Drink now through 2016. 350 cases imported.??–JM??Region: France / Southern Rh?ne / Rasteau Select to Add