The dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Driftsand Red Blend (70% Grenache, 15% Mataro, and 15% Shiraz) was aged in neutral old French wood. It reveals a Mediterranean, Cotes du Rhone-like bouquet of roasted herbs, garrigue, spice box, pepper, sweet cherries, and hints of plums and figs. This tasty, fruity, dense beauty can be enjoyed over the next 3-4 years. If you haven’t yet noticed, Christian Canute is one of Australia’s finest young mavericks. At the ripe old age of 28, he’s doing work that suggests someone with twice as much experience.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (888) 472-5283