Domaine Les Semelles de Vent, Gigondas (Rhône Valley, France) 2012

This wine shows very impressively on the sheer quality of its fruit, with very little in the way of woody cosmetics or other cellar tricks being in evidence.  Although it displays impressive density and depth of flavor, it also shows the easy charm of the 2012 vintage, without any hard edge to the finish.  It will benefit from additional time in bottle to let tertiary notes emerge, but it doesn’t need time to become soft enough to enjoy.