If it sometimes appears that I have reviewed more than my share of Cotes du Rhone wines, I apologize. As I have mentioned so many times in the past, recent vintages of this type are often great values, delivering good flavor for what are often low (but, sadly, now rising) prices. At $9, this red wine gives a reasonable bang for the buck. As far as I can tell, this has only recently entered the market, which suggests a relatively long aging for this appellation.

The result is a little more complexity than you might expect from a Cotes du Rhone. It offers the typical color for this type of wine, a healthy but transparent red not unlike cranberry juice. The aroma is fruity and hints at some oakiness, and indeed there is some oak in the background of the taste. The acids in this one are perhaps a bit high, and it could have used a little more tannin for structure, but the fruity, cherry-centric tastes are refreshing and make for smooth drinking.

I should note that I opened a second bottle of this last night that did not compare favorably to the first. But I suspect this second one was beginning to react with the cork, so it was probably a fluke.

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