Pungent, a bit like smoked black olives, but with a bright beam of blackberry fruit. This is medium to full bodied in the mouth, a little creamy in texture without being overly lush, with a jammy, fruit-filled finish. Drink now–2015.——J.C.(12/15/2011)—— 89

A bit lean in the mouth and short on the finish, but there’s some nice red fruit notes with accents of foliage and spice.——L.B.(11/1/2009)—— 81

Even though the 2006 Vin de Pays Syrah/Grenache (60% and 40% respectively) is from the Costieres de Nimes, by putting the varietals on the label, Mas Carlot is forced to call it a vin de pays. Elegant berry fruit interwoven with notions of pepper, licorice, and tar emerge from this dark ruby-hued effort. With good ripeness and medium body, it is an ideal match for bistro/brasserie cuisine. This excellent estate in the Costieres de Nimes continues to turn out some superb bargain-priced wines that consumers should seek out for relief from increasingly higher prices as well as the weak dollar. The 2006 red wines all reveal zesty acidity, beautiful pure fruit, perhaps not the structure of the 2005s, but they are more friendly.Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083