Ferraton Pere & Fils Crozes Hermitage Les Calendes 2017

The 2017 Crozes-Hermitage Calendes is similar, offering impressive plum and blackcurrant fruits, hints of graphite and ground pepper, medium to full body, and just beautiful fruit and all-around balance. It too has plenty of tannins and is capable of lasting for upwards of a decade.

Juicy and compact, featuring dark plum and blackberry fruit flavors, wrapped in sweet tobacco and licorice root notes. Shows a tarry edge on the finish. Drink now through 2025. 7,500 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.

Intensely ripe, almost inky on the palate, this is a voluptuous Syrah that introduces itself with heady whiffs of clove, dark chocolate and fig. Black plum and cherry flavors are penetrating on the palate but calibrated neatly by pert acidity and plush, easing tannins. Aged in large oak barrels for eight months, it's a hedonistic but immediately approachable wine that should drink well through 2024.

Inky ruby. Ripe blackberry, cherry, olive and a subtle floral nuance on the nose. Broad, fleshy and seamless in texture, delivering juicy dark berry and violet pastille flavors complemented by hints of licorice and bitter chocolate. A smoky quality appears on the finish, which lingers with very good persistence and smooth, slow-building tannins. Aged in a 75/25 combination of concrete tanks and three-year-old barrels.

Cinnamon and mocha notes accent dark fruit and cola in the 2017 Crozes Hermitage Les Calendes, which comes from Ferraton's own vineyards. Medium to full-bodied, it's savory and earthy in style, finishing dry and dusty.