15.6 percent alcohol.  I repeat, 15.6%.  That is, quite frankly, an assault.  I lay harassment charges.

Decanter called this “intensely concentrated” and impressive for a Villages.  So, yes, it is that and then some.  It is deeply, deeply concentrated.  It looks twice as dark as Ribena and has the weight of, I don’t know, somewhere between platinum and plutonium.  Organic, so there’s that.

Is it good?  Deliriously good.  Sip after sip after sip.  But so is a decent Macallan, if it’s a matter of sipping, of nursing.  Not particularly food friendly; a gulp or two and you’ll need a lie down.  Smokers beware: Light a match and it could combust.

While I’m being lighthearted I’m also half serious: There has to be a civilized ceiling to alcohol content.  There’s a standard for everything else in France…

Price: $33 at Marquis but for a half case lot with a discount an extremely reasonable $29.

Market Liquidity: “…happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I’m miserable now…”