Ferraton Père & Fils : Les Dionnières 2016

Smoky and cedary up front, the 2016 Ermitage Les Dionnières is already drinkable. Cola and black olive notes give this medium- to full-bodied wine a decidedly savory profile, but it finishes velvety and long.

Quite ripe and well-focused, with waves of dark plum, fig and blackberry compote rolling through, inlaid deeply with a graphite note and backed by swaths of loam and tobacco on the finish. This relies predominantly on its bass line. Best from 2022 through 2033. 200 cases made, 30 cases imported.

A very appealing nose, with intense, expressive and lively dark fruits among woodsmoke and herbs. It's a very full, large-scale Hermitage, expansive in the mouth and very tannic with a very long finish, but crucially, although dry and savoury, it's also ripe. This will take time for the tannins to soften.

A profoundly spicy and dark-stony nose with a deep-set, dark-plum core. Petrichor and pepper here, too. The palate has a very dense, quite plush and suave feel with a sweet-spice edge and very assertive, mouth-filling tannins, bathed in dark-plum and black-cherry flavors. Try from 2026.

Brilliant purple. Deeply perfumed dark berry liqueur, violet pastille, smoky bacon and exotic spice aromas show outstanding clarity and mineral lift. Alluringly sweet, palate-coating black raspberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Rich but energetic, finishing with powerful mineral thrust, sneaky tannins and building floral and spice qualities. Fermented in concrete tanks and aged for 18 months in oak demi-muids, 25% of them new.

Tasted before bottling. Nose of dark fruits and wild berries, concentrated and alluring aromas. On the palate, a supple, well-framed tannin, plenty of charm and seamless harmony across the mid-palate, with a chocolate-driven finish—very well done.

A beautiful palette with notes of graphite and charcoal. The nose is precise, with élevage handled beautifully. A tight, dense palate without an ounce of rusticity. The fine sap shows the scale and potential of this wine.