2018 Phillippe Viret “Sylibre” Vin de France

“Sylibre” shows off Philippe’s extraordinarily deft touch with Syrah in this southerly climate. Aged two years in a combination of concrete vat and used oak barrels and produced with no added sulfur at all, the 2018 is soaringly expressive on the nose, full of fresh-laundry spice and pepper. It offers an elegant, relatively silky palate with elongated, ultra-fine tannins, and it peers into the black depths Syrah can express in this region without slipping down the sides of the well.