Hermitage, 2011

Inky ruby. Dark berries, incense and fresh flowers on the oak-spiced nose. Offers velvety, palate-staining black and blue fruit and vanilla flavors and a mounting spicy element. Chewy and appealingly sweet on the incisive, smoke-tinged finish, which is firmed by slowly building, fine-grained tannins. Quite structured for the vintage and, in Michel Tardieu's opinion, in need of a good seven or eight years of patience.