2005 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône

(based on 55% syrah) Deep red. Intensely perfumed bouquet of dark berries, kirsch, smoked meat, violet and graphite; really showing off the syrah today. Round and sweet, with fleshy cherry, black raspberry and candied flower flavors framed by silky tannins. A deeper cocoa quality joins the dark berries on the finish. This superb Cotes du Rhone is a benchmark for the category.

A blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, the 2005 Cotes du Rhone is a real head turner. Full-bodied, with a deep ruby/purple color and sweet notes of berry fruit, a hint of road tar, and some pepper, the wine is dense, chewy, ripe, and a surprisingly big mouthful of juicy, velvety-textured wine to drink over the next 3-4 years. The Rhone Valley’s most successful producer continues to ratchet up the level of quality of his Cotes du Rhone cuvees, of which he produces hundreds of thousands of cases. Both Marcel Guigal and his son Philippe realize how important quality is and demonstrate that commitment in these lower level wines. They just get better and better. Guigal’s red Cotes du Rhones have become a staple of much everyday drinking, and I have enjoyed them when flying business class on United Airlines as well. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153

Deep ruby. Dark cherry and licorice on the nose, with pungent herbs and minerals adding complexity. Sweeter raspberry and strawberry flavors are complemented by succulent herbs and braced by zesty minerality. Fresh and focused on the long, sappy finish. As usual, this punches well above its weight. By the way, a couple of recent bottles of the 1998 were drinking wonderfully.