Grange des Pères Rouge, Domaine de la Grange des Pères 1999

(a blend of syrah, mourvedre and cabernet) Full red. An exotic head shop of a nose: blackberry, orange peel, roasted meat, mace, clove, grilled nuts. Then extremely intensely flavored and dense with extract; combines an almost confectionary late-harvest sweetness with bracing acid structure. Distinctly peppery, salty finish, like steak au poivre Laurent Vaille told me in the spring of 2000 that he brought in some of his mourvedre in '99 with potential alcohol as high as 18.5%! An extremely idiosyncratic, fascinating wine that gives the impression of coming from fruit picked weeks later than that at nearby Mas de Daumas Gassac.