2020 Gigondas Le Regard Loin Domaine des Bosquets

This smolders with spiced dried fig, plum cake and blackberry edged in singed iron and crushed, charred herbs. Concentrated and rich, with lavender and black pepper bringing freshness, while vibrant, salty minerality courses throughout the very long, still unfurling finish.

Glass-staining ruby. Smoke-tinged red and dark berry liqueur, licorice, candied lavender, incense and exotic spice aromas and a distinct garrigue note. Lush and expansive on the palate, offering intensely concentrated black raspberry, cherry-cola, blueberry, licorice and floral pastille flavors that show fine definition and spicy back-end thrust. It shows a deft blend of richness and vivacity and finishes wonderfully long, smoky and gently chewy, with resonating florality and steadily building tannins. The Syrah comes from Serine cuttings that arrived from Domaine J.L. Chave, via Château Rayas.

I loved the 2020 Gigondas Le Regard Loin, which is a tiny production sourced from five separate parcels, all vinified separately. The final blend is a mix of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, and the percentages weren't specified. Gorgeous darker fruits, chocolate, Provençal spice, iron, and ground herbs all define the aromatics, and it's beautifully complex as well as intense. Full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, a deep, rich, powerful core of fruit, flawless balance, and a great finish, it's another tour de force from superstar winemaker Julien Brechet. If you find a bottle, buy it. It's going to evolve for 15-20 years and is in the top handful of Gigondas out there.