2010 Vacqueyras

The dark plum/purple-tinged 2010 Vacqueyras reveals smoky, damp earth, tobacco leaf, underbrush, black currant and black cherry fruit aromas. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from the Maret family’s tiny Vacqueyras holdings (just over 10 acres), this wine was aged in truncated oak vats and cement. With serious size and structure in the finish, it will be even better in a year or so, and should drink nicely for 5-6. One of my favorite estates in the southern Rhone, Domaine de la Charbonniere is run with great passion and enthusiasm by Michel Maret, and more recently, by his two daughters. The Marets own nearly 44 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape, and one of their most under-valued and under-rated wines is their sensational Vacqueyras. They consistently produce four cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape that are traditionally made, even though a handful of the wines spend time in small oak casks (although new oak is generally shunned at this estate). Other than one large parcel in the northwest sector of the appellation, Maret’s biggest holdings are all in the eastern area of Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2011s are all delicious, fruit-forward, surprisingly well-endowed efforts. As I reported last year, the 2010s are superb, and consumers can’t go wrong with any of these wines, which range from outstanding to prodigious in the case of the Hautes Brusquieres and the Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

Showing an incredibly reduced profile at first, the 2010 Domaine de la Charbonnière Vacqueyras needed a solid 2 hours of air to flesh out and show its fruit. A blend of Grenache and Syrah that is aged all in vat, it is a solid effort that has a dark fruited, mineral-driven core, medium+ body, and fine tannin that emerges on the finish. Classy and overall elegant, I think it will be better in a year or so, and drink nicely for 5-7 years. Decant if drinking anytime soon.

Bright purple. Fresh red and dark berry aromas perked up by a hint of peppery spices. Tight and slow to open, offering tangy cherry and blackcurrant flavors and a slightly hard edge. The taut, linear finish shows good juicy persistence but is missing flesh and sweetness right now.