A relatively rare beast, Serge’s blanc is a ripe, honey-infused cornucopia of fruit.

Stony and smoky, and full of garrigue and black cherry, it is an epic wine that opens up wonderfully now.

The palate is dense and ripe, yet wonderfully smooth and elegant. Racines seems to tap into the history of Les Pallières, the prestige and the high-toned elegance.

The flavors are mostly deep and dark—stones, licorice, black olive, and blackberry—but the frame is lithe.

The Férigoules have honed a unique style of Vacqueyras that mixes deep, dark color with a lightness of touch, rusticity with warmth, and minerality with delicious fresh fruit.

Les Racines has a deep core of dark berry fruits, notes of licorice, or réglisse, and a concentrated texture that conveys power with silkiness.

Violets and dark berries dominate the palate, with a pleasant wild side lurking below the surface.

It beckons you to follow Maxime-François’s advice: “Drink it when you are very, very thirsty!”

This is about as quaffable as the region’s rouges get.

Serve this one cool, from a carafe, with a plain old burger—generously seasoned with herbes de Provence.