Roucas Toumba La Grande Terre Vacqueyras, 2011

This is classic Vacqueyras--ripe, dramatic and full of gamey personality. It was a great match for grilled lamb chops.

Deep, dark ruby. No traces of new oak or small barrels. Powerful bouquet of dark cherry, blackberries, violets, black licorice and pepper. Equally bold on the palate. Cherries and new leather. Good body and ripe flavors that coat the tongue. 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre, but the Syrah and Mourvedre seem to dominate at this stage of the wine's development. The Wine Advocate recommended drinking by 2019; John Livingstone-Learmouth (DrinkRhone,com), by 2022-2023. I think it still offers several more years of dramatic pleasure.