While slightly less impressive than last year’s offering, the Les Jamelles 2007 Merlot still represents excellent value. Black cherry, mint, dark chocolate, and hints of humus inform both the nose and palate, and there is a richness of texture and ripeness of finishing fruit that one seldom encounters in an inexpensive Merlot from anywhere in the world. Enjoy this over the coming year or two. Les Jamelles’s wines continue to be well-sourced from throughout the greater Languedoc and include some notable values. The latest collection was even more consistent in quality than that I tasted last year. Among the latest releases I tasted, only a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Les Jamelles – while pleasant – failed to really rise to the level of notable value.Importer: Cellar Door Selections, Columbia, MD; tel. (410) 309-6061