Rich fruitiness on the palate recalls ripe strawberries, and then notes of spice and licorice kick in for a full-bodied, full-flavored finish that marries beautifully with ratatouille or smoked pork chops.

An abundance of violets and velvet, amid a cooling sensation of a cold spring on a hot day.

Deep, concentrated, and refreshingly saline, this is like great Cornas with Mediterranean influences.

Grenache is joined by Syrah and a drop of Mourvèdre to create this delightful everyday red scented of herbes de Provence and ripe black cherry.

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

Leydiers at Domaine de Durban are particularly proud of their Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, a vin doux naturel, as they are among the last to craft it in the traditional style.

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

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

If Télégramme is more about fruit than stones, it is still undeniably Châteauneuf, expressing the nobility of carefully farmed Grenache from the Rhône’s finest terroirs.

Dark-fruited, with fresh acidity and stony tannins, it’s about as versatile as reds come from the south of France.