Camille Cayran Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne, 2004

If you're looking for a stereotype of Cairanne, you need two descriptors: dark cherries and black pepper. This wine has always been a typical Cairanne, and, as it matures, the dark cherry and black pepper elements are becoming all the more pronounced. At some point, the stereotype will become an over-the-hill caricature; but not yet.

The color is still deep and dark. The bouquet: cherries and pepper plus plus. The flavors are getting fuller and broader with maturity, and there is a peppery warmth on the mid-palate. Made by the coop at Cairanne, Camille Cayran was produced with at least some degree of carbonic maceration to preserve the fresh fruit traits. In its youth, it was a charmer; and in its late middle age, it still gives me plenty of pleasure.