Always one of the top value offerings here, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage Vieilles Vignes—sourced from the communes of Gervans and Larnage—features soaring, exotic perfumes of stone fruit, violets, star anise and fresh herbs. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, with a fresh, silky feel and a sexy juxtaposition of power and restraint that brought me back for second and third tastes. A lengthy finish reprises the floral aspects of the nose, while adding deeper notes of black olive and licorice.

Sourced from the areas of Gervans and Larnage, the 2017 Crozes Hermitage Vieilles Vignes is a fine effort. Peppery, herbal nuances stand out against a backdrop of ripe cherry fruit and vanilla shadings. Medium to full-bodied, it's rich and concentrated yet very drinkable at the same time, with a lively finish that invites another sip.

The 2015 Crozes Hermitage Vieilles Vignes is another inky-colored red that gives up plump, forward notes of black cherries, black raspberries, graphite, scorched earth and licorice aromas and flavors. It’s a big, fruit-forward, sexy Crozes Hermitage that should drink reasonably well in its youth, yet evolve gracefully through 2025.

From 50-year-old vines and brought up all in French oak (a percentage of which are new), the 550-case 2013 Crozes Hermitage Vieilles Vignes sports a deep ruby, mostly opaque color to go with classic, gamy northern Rhone notes of olive tapenade, peppery herbs, earth and smoked dark fruits. A medium to full-bodied, rich, chunky and concentrated 2013 (especially in the vintage), it has bright acidity, a full and rich mid-palate, and enough tannin to warrant short term cellaring.

The 2012 Crozes Hermitage Vieilles Vignes comes from 50-60-year-old vines, from steep granite soils, and was aged in 20% new French oak. Medium to full-bodied, fresh and long, it offers up textbook Northern Rhone aromas of blackberry, spice and smoked meats. It should be an outstanding bottle of wine and drink nicely for 8-10 years. Proprietor Michel Tardieu makes a bevy of high-class efforts from throughout the entire Rhone Valley. While the focus here is on his Northern Rhone releases, I reviewed a number of his Southern Rhone bottlings in Issues 209 and 210. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661