For connoisseurs seeking a wine to age, the 2004 Vacqueyras Cantarelle, a blend of 80% Grenache (80-year old vines) and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre, is a polished, elegant, but backward, tannic effort. Not as forward as its siblings, it requires time to evolve in the bottle. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by copious amounts of licorice, black raspberry, cherry, and cassis fruit, along with a notion of scorched earth. Moderate tannin in the finish suggests 12-18 months of cellaring will be beneficial. This is a very special wine!Readers need to be careful buying these wines as there are multiple cuvees and significant differences in the quality. The best cuvees are all made by the famed southern Rhone oenologist Philippe Cambie and represented in the United States by importer European Selections (Eric Solomon). These wines (*) are custom cuvees bottled unfined and unfiltered for Solomon. They are different from bottlings sold elsewhere in the world. Solomon believes in getting the wines in the bottle much earlier than the proprietor, and I tend to agree.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565