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.