Domaine de Châteaumar 'Cuvée Bastien' Côtes-du-Rhône 2021

From a single vineyard planted to 50+ year old Grenache. No oak. Deep, dark purple, almost black in color, the wine surprises with its high-toned raspberry, strawberry and floral aromas of youth. But once you start drinking, the dark flavors hinted at by the color start to emerge – raspberry ganache, blackberry preserves, black pepper, anise and spice. Firm tannins add solid structure to the wine, but are already integrated and seamless, making this a joy to drink right now, but a candidate for a few years of bottle age. Which means you oughta buy cases if you want it to be around that long! (Shameless, I know… but serious at the same time…)