Irouléguy is the only appellation in French Basque country, tucked into the foothills of the Pyrénées, and Peio Espil is one of its most respected vignerons. He was the first organic grower in the region, painstakingly terracing the steep schist and limestone slopes to make farming possible at all. The blend is the classic Basque triumvirate - Tannat backed by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon - grown on the kind of slopes you can barely stand on. The result is a wine that tastes like the place: brambly, savory, lifted, with the structure that Tannat brings but none of the rusticity that lesser examples can suffer. Give it a year or two and it really sings.