Famille Perrin, Vinsobres (Rhône Valley, France) 2018

Vinsobres is a village withing the southern Rhône that has (deservedly) worked its way up the food chain to become an appellation in its own right, alongside the likes of Rasteau, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and, yes, Châteauneuf du Pape.  Whether wines from the village will ever earn comparable respect or command comparable prices remains to be seen, but what is already apparent is that it will take wines like this to achieve that result.  A model of purity and poise without seeming remotely wimpy, this is fresh and elegant, with lovely aromas and flavors recalling lilac blossoms, Asian spices, red raspberries, red cherries and more, with some savory notes grudgingly emerging as this wine warms and loosens with aeration.  Those savory notes will become more prominent with time, and buyers would be very well advised to cellar this for another five years to let them join the party fully.  But after a year like 2020, nobody could be blamed for wanting to party right now, and this will serve the purpose if that’s your aim.  But again, this is a wine that’s all about purity and precision, and if you want to know how good this appellation can be, give this baby some time to develop.