2021 Domaine Phillippe Viret, Energie VdF Rouge

Built primarily from young-vines Syrah with a splash of Mourvèdre and tiny sprinklings of old Rhône varieties like Picpoul Noir, Vaccarèse, Muscardin, and Counoise, “Energie” is vinified and aged in a combination of cement and steel tanks for one year with no added sulfur. The long but gentle infusion-method of extraction gives this wine great clarity of line, with pure, ringing acidity and a tasteful spiciness that speaks more of the northern Rhône than the frequently coarse Syrah of these southerly zones; its name could hardly be more apt.