Domaine des Escaravailles Les Sablieres 2007 Cotes Du Rhone

This beauty of a Southern French wine pours deep garnet red; It has a very dark, musky nose. It shows it's old world roots right of: Notes of herb and black pepper are immediately noticeable, and the pepper note really intensifies mid palate. There is a very woodsy quality to this wine- almost hearty. It has a very rich mouthfeel, heavy bodied, but with a surprising twist in the finish; tart and acidic, it lingers on and really kind of brings this wine together. It's not until that finish that any fruitiness starts to show itself. Restrained oak, tame tannin, nice concentration. A great little bottle of wine.