The 2015 Vacqueyras Les Restanques de Cabassole got a few expletives in the notes and is a terrific wine that's up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Loaded with notions of black raspberries, cassis, toasted spice, garrigue and hints of chocolate, this beauty is full-bodied, concentrated and layered, as well as elegant. With superb tannin quality and a great finish, it's going to continue drinking nicely for a decade or more.

(aged for 18 months in a combination of demi-muids for the Grenache and barriques for the rest) Bright ruby. Powerful red and dark berry aromas are complemented by baking spice, incense and lavender pastille notes. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering vivacious black raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors energized by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Silky, harmonious tannins build slowly on an impressively long, seamless finish that leaves behind energetic floral and dark berry notes.

The 2015 Vacqueyras les Restanques de Cabassole is a meaty, savory wine, loaded with attractive smoky-bacony notes, but it's somewhat earthy and lacking primary fruit. It also has a coarse, rough texture on the finish.