2017 Hermitage, Ligne de Crête, Les Grandes Vignes, Delas Frères, Rhône

Layers of scorched earth, graphite, clove and peppercorn perfume this robust, almost meaty, Syrah sourced from a sunny amphitheater at the top of the Hermitage slope. Tasted at the end of 2021, the rich wine is packed with flavors of roasted plum and black-cherry compote, but dimensions of flora and earth are still yet to awaken. Cellar till 2023 at least. The wine should improve through 2050 and hold further.

The 2017 Hermitage Ligne de Crete Les Grandes Vignes is a forceful, muscular brute. Blueberries and blackberries dominate the nose, allowing just hints of the wine's stony underpinning and oak aging to seep through. Full-bodied and monochromatic, it demands a good 4-5 years in the cellar. In any event, readers will want to put it away to allow some of the copious tannins to resolve. The long, complex finish of mocha, olives and roasted meat suggests good things lie ahead for the patient.

Drink 2025 - 2045