Chocolate-covered plum and cherry; cassis and blackberry headily scent and lushly saturate the plush palate of Hecht & Bannier's 2009 Cotes du Roussillon Villages a less complex or dynamic wine - tasted from tank just prior to bottling - than its 2008 counterpart (which was a hard act to follow by any measure) but with a seductive richness all its own. Nor is this simply about fruit: a deep red meatiness and saliva-inducing salinity permeate the palate and add the finishing enticement to take the next sip. The small amount of Mourvedre present here seems surprisingly efficacious. Look for this excellent value to reward for the next 4-6 years. Gregory Hecht and Francois Bannier - for more about whose almost uniquely quality-conscious and hands-on negociant operation, consult the Languedoc section of my report in issue 183 as well as in this issue - are extremely dedicated to as well as fascinated by Roussillon potential, even though they have been releasing until this year only a single wine of Roussillon appellation, which nowadays features roughly half Grenache from the chalk of Vingrau and Tautavel as well as the schist of Maury; Carignan from high elevation, gneiss and granite sites in Belesta and Caramany; Syrah, beginning in 2008 from the high, granite hills of Lesquerde; and a "small drop" of Mourvedre from Estagel. The results - just as with this team's work in Languedoc appellations - have been wines on a par with those of the finest domaines, yet at amazingly modest prices. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700