Color: light pink Nose: Strawberry, cherry and watermelon. Palate: Light to medium palate filled with light red fruit and some floral in the finish. A touch sweet, but can still be considered dry. Finishes good, but with less acidity than I prefer.

48% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon 16% Grenache and 12% Syrah. Aromas of ripe black cherry, fresh bay leaf and pepper combine on the bouquet. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied with soft, rich tannins and blackberry fruit. A touch of chocolate and vanilla linger on the finish.

Reminiscent of the many nameless house wines I've sampled in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, this one tastes like a bordeaux but is much drier. I've often believed that wines travel poorly over oceans, so this probably gets 5 stars when drunk at the source...

Straightforward red, with some plummy and stewy notes, with a touch of astringency on the finish. Drink now. 12,000 cases made. –KM

Lovely aromas of violet, dark cherry and spice, with flavors to match. Ripe and full-bodied, wth plenty of character and power. Smoke and cocoa notes with mineral shadings fill the finish. Drink now through 2007. 5,500 cases made. –KM

NV Saint Cosme Little James Basket Press (Rhone): I enjoyed the non-vintage Little James. A blend of primarily Grenache (from both the Southern Rhone and the Languedoc-Roussillon), some of which is vinified carbonically, it is an excellent, surprisingly substantial, heady, full-flavored bistro red. Consume it over the next several years. 87 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #163 (Feb 2006...

His coy and passionate nature was fun and made learning about Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon...