On the nose, this wine presents a solid, medium bodied nose of red fruit gel with a hint of cinnamon or other sweet spice – cloves perhaps? There’s also a hint of cedar of possibly even cigar box; it isn’t feral, really, but more along the line of sweet wood, almost sandalwood.In the mouth, it’s immediately apparent that this is a French wine: there’s quite a bit of drying tannin there, and it’s only after a minute or so that the fruit starts to show itself; after the first swallow, it wasn’t especially pleasant. With time and air, a beautiful cherry note appeared; the wine starts off on almost a sour red candy note, then smooths out into a lovely, supple finish of rich, velvety red fruit and again some tannin.It’s entirely possible that this bottle needs a bit more air to further integrate the tannins; even so, this is a fine drink and good value for money.Sebastien Roux [Domaine Roux Pére et Fils]Price: US $19.99Closure: CorkDate tasted: March 2008