From just outside the Cha?teauneuf du Pape appellation, the Armeniers have produced a terrific 2020 Cotes du Rhone from a blend of 60% Grenache and 20% each Mourvèdre and Syrah. Complex notions of cracked pepper, garrigue and dried flowers accent black cherry fruit on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is framed by gentle waves of silky, fine-grained tannins.

The Armeniers have two hectares of C?tes du Rh?ne largely planted to Grenache, to which they add some Syrah from Lirac to make their 2018 Cotes du Rhone. Blueberry and cherry fruit dominate this medium to full-bodied, warm, silky wine that's meant for immediate consumption. It was scheduled to be bottled the week after I tasted it from tank.