2020 Philippe Viret “Energie,” Côtes du Rhône, France

Built primarily from young-vines Syrah with a splash of Mourvèdre and tiny sprinklings of old Rhone varieties like Picpoul Noir, Vaccarese, 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 Rhone than the frequently coarse Syrah of these southerly zones; its name could hardly be more apt.