Mas Belles Eaux 2005 Languedoc "les Coteaux"

A Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.

Opaque purple color.

Full smell of blackberry, oak, a bit of tar.

Very fruity flavor, blackberry, cherry, peach, black pepper, alcohol warmth at the end.

Very nice bottle for $21.99, more like a fruit-forward product of a California "Rhone Ranger" than of the Rhone itself. More about power than about subtlety.