Gismondi in the Sun gave this a glowing review, recommending it as a cellar pick.  Picked up a bottle based on that recommendation as well as to decide whether I should tuck a few away.  The best thing about this wine is that it isn’t a typical 90 point type wine, or however many points he gave it.  Rather, it has all the character and nuance you want in a blend and it reminded me of so many wonderful reds we’ve had in bistros and restaurants in France.  It doesn’t clobber you over the head with any one flavour; it’s layered with gorgeous subtle notes that are revealed slowly, with air, glass to glass.  Really a wonderful sipper, light like cru Beaujolais but with much more demonstrative varietals.  Gismondi recommended it with rich meat dishes although we tried it with a hearty vegetarian root vegetable stew and it paired a treat.  Nice label to plop on the table too, when guests are around.  If you see it in the US, where it sells at about $16.50 a bottle, geddit.

Price: $26.74 at Burrard Liquor ($23.25 shelf price, plus 5% GST plus 10% liquor tax; a “tax in addition to price” practice not common in liquor stores in BC).

Market Liquidity: Rhone rules.