Grenache takes control in Abélard, making up 85% of the blend; 40-year-old vines facing northwest, the young wine treated to 18 months in barrique. Tight and oaky, with initial notes of dark chocolate and morello cherry, then licorice and wild strawberry and a hint of garrigue behind the plush. High-toned and ersuasive; a rigorous dialectic is sure to ensue as the tannins soften. Once again, the acidity provides the backbone to the discourse: complex and rigorous, for sure, but as with all of the best things, appealingly simple and simply appealing. | 92