Domaine Brusset "Les Travers" 2006 $20

From Cairanne, in the Côtes du Rhône-Villages, this wine is dark and dense, with earthy hints of the garrigue – that wonderful word wine lovers love because we can pronouce it. And because we can define it -  garrigue smacks of lavender, violets, thyme, rosemary and sage, the scrub of Provence as it is scratched into the air by the mistral  blowing down the Rhône from the Alps. This wine requires coaxing – through a few hours breathing or 3-4 years rest in your cellar – before it can be convinced to show its true character, but it is worth the effort, and the wait.

Imported by Simon N Cellars of Charlottesville, Virginia. Reviewed in my January 14 column in The Washington Post.