This 2019 “White Label” from Domaine Combier was crafted from completely destemmed fruit which was fermented in stainless steel and transferred to used French oak barrels for 12 months of aging before bottling. In the glass it is a deeply concentrated dark purple with magenta highlights at the rim, with aromatics that scream ‘textbook’ northern Rhône: scents of black raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry rise from the glass, along with more savory/floral notes of violets, lavender, underbrush, wildflowers, cured meat, black olive, wild herbs, and black pepper. It is medium-plus in body, with sweet black and blue fruit in the mid-palate accented by well-integrated olive and meat notes. It is a beautifully balanced red with a lot of lift—and a delightfully aromatic finish that seems to go on for minutes.