2007 Vacqueyras Cuvee St Roch

The 2007 Vacqueyras Saint-Roch is 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre, aged traditionally for ten months in stainless steel followed by almost a year in concrete tanks before bottling. This full-bodied wine seems more forward and precocious than the Templiers, but it displays plenty of roasted Provencal herbs, pepper, lavender, black currant and blackberry fruit. It is a thick, juicy, succulent style of wine to drink over the next 5-7 years. (Interestingly, the producer told me that the estate believes that if people want to drink – as the French say – “sur le fruit,” they should drink this wine in the first 3-4 years, but those who want more complexity and animal notes should conserve it for 8-10 years.) One of the best estates of Vacqueyras, all three cuvees here are noteworthy and, given not only the greatness of the vintage, but the reasonable pricing, definitely worth considering. Importers: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228; Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 863-1753; and Riservati, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 623-5758