Moving to the 2019 Gigondas Les Hauts De Montmirail, which is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and the rest Mourvèdre from a higher elevation, terraced vineyard, it has incredible cassis and darker berry fruit characteristics as well as complex notes of sappy garrigue, ground pepper, flowers, and chalky minerality. It’s perfectly balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, remarkable purity, and one heck of a great finish. There are a tiny 1,000 cases produced, but do your best to latch onto a few bottles. It’s going to drink fabulously well for upwards of two decades.

From Brusset's higher-altitude plantings, the 2019 Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail shows what appears to be a bit of oak on the nose, nicely fitting into place among purple raspberries, garrigue and even a bit of cassis. Full-bodied and impressively concentrated, it boasts a plush, velvety feel on the palate, sumptuous tannins and a lingering, richly textured finish. It's a super Gigondas to drink over the next decade or so. - JC

Lovely sense of purity to this wine, rounded and very elegant. Well-balanced acidity, just gently warming on the finish, but otherwise balanced. Long finish too. A lovely wine, fresh, pure and elegant. The oak is very well handled, it doesn't dominate. Grown on terraces just underneath the Dentelles de Montmirail, all destemmed, half the wine is matured in new oak barrels. Drinking Window 2020 - 2027

Vivid ruby. A highly expressive and exotically perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red fruit, potpourri and botanical herbs; a Moroccan spice nuance builds in the glass. It stains the palate with intense, spice-laced raspberry, cherry and lavender pastille flavors that steadily deepen with air. Delivers a suave blend of power and finesse and finishes impressively long and juicy, with resonating florality. Fine-grained tannins add framework and grip. -- Josh Raynolds

Wild mint and oregano meld into raspberry and strawberry preserves in this full-bodied, piquant red. A juicy but firmly tannic blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah matured in 70% stainless steel and 30% French oak, it's bright in red fruit but accented by smoky accents of char, toast and hazelnut. While approachable young alongside a big steak or game, its tannins should smooth nicely through 2030. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA