We smell southern France in the glass: wild juniper berries, sage, tar and sun baked limestone dust. We taste the plum, Provençal cherry and black currant from the wine’s mélange of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan fruit. We note hints of sous bois, mushrooms, cinnamon, leather, game and that indescribably southern French “funk” that adds complexity and lifts the wine high above its humble origins. But mostly we sense the tradition that gives this bottling its name. There’s nothing modern or manipulated here: the wine tastes as if it was eked out of parched, herb-drenched earth. And indeed it was. Enjoy this southern French beauty over the coming five years with rosemary scented grilled lamb, olive tapenade, ratatouille and the myriad cuisine featuring anchovies, garlic, eggplant, rosemary, black olives, capers and aioli.
–A Kermit Lynch Selection

In Spain’s Utiel-Requena D.O., the deeply-pigmented, indigenous Bobal grape thrives and gives us another reason to pay homage to the great and often unknown wines of Spain. The family-owned Vera de Estenas estate fashions some of the finest and most distinctive wines in the region, and we’re delighted to present their rare 100% Bobal offering that’s been matured in barrique. Vera de Estenas’s P.G. opens with a dense, impenetrable black-plum color and aromas of bitter cherry skins, leather and smoky earth. Brisk acidity and fine, firm tannins emerge on the back-palate and transition the wine to its long black-cherry, tar and smoky finish. Deep, classy and fathomless, enjoy this wonder from Spain’s high-altitude interior now and over the coming five years with grilled beef, lamb, game, rabbit, eggplant, porcini mushrooms and other hearty fare that needs a burly, full-bodied red wine.

Known for its exemplary white wines, Umbria’s Orvieto zone also produces lovely red wines based on the Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes. Smoky, meaty and brimming with plum fruit, Barberani’s Polago rosso is a smash from the moment it hits your glass. A deep black-garnet color yields to spicy, smoky, meaty aromas that beg for something hot off the grill. On the palate the wine fuses gamy, leathery cherry fruit with hints of wood smoke, herbs and bayleaf. Firmly tannic on the back-end, the Polago’s firm structure counters the wine’s deep plum and cherry fruit core and make it a clear winner at the table. Pair this super Italian rosso with grilled meat and hearty vegetables – burgers, hanger steaks, eggplant and lamb. It will also be a delicious foil for whole roast suckling pig. Enjoy now and over the coming three years.

Decades ago and before the barrique revolution, Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo d’Alba were wines of translucent color, intensely complex woodsy perfume and mouth-searing tannins. All these wonderful “retro” characters are exemplified in this superb Nebbiolo d’Alba from Giovanni Rocca. The color is a translucent garnet-crimson core gradating to an orange rim. The aromas are like a walk through a hardwood forest on a damp autumn afternoon. The structure, well, let’s just say that there’s enough tannin here to delight even the most old-school neb-head. The beauty of this wine is that all these components are balanced and complementary. The woodsy, cinnamon-tinged perfume accents the wine’s licorice, blackberry and black-cherry fruit core. The Nebbiolo’s tannins amplify the wine’s limestone minerality, and the wine’s leafy, menthol and tobacco notes make one hungry for another bit of carne cruda, risotto al funghi, or egg tagliatelli with a meat sauce. Of course the Nebbiolo will be fabulous with less exotic cuisine like burgers, pizza, spaghetti and lamb shanks. Enjoy a few bottles now, but be sure to lay the better part of your case down for five to fifteen years.