A blend of 65% Syrah, 31% Grenache and 4% Roussanne, the 2012 IGP Vaucluse Heloise spent 18 months in oak prior to blending and bottling. Hints of sweaty leather and scorched meat combine with black olives and raspberries on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, supple and concentrated, with a long finish. Overall, it does a lovely job marrying fruity and savory elements and bringing them together in a silk-wrapped package.

This offers up a deep well of warm, crushed plum, açai and blackberry fruit flavors that glide over hints of loam, sage and menthol, all backed by a lingering licorice root note on the fleshy finish. Distinctive. Syrah, Grenache and Roussanne. Drink now through 2025. 1,000 cases made, 200 cases imported. — JM