This is undoubtedly one of the tastiest 1996 Cotes du Rhones I tasted. In character, flavor, and richness it resembles the 1995 or 1990 more than the general stylistic characteristics of the 1996 vintage. The color is a deep, dark, dense ruby. The wine offers up gobs of sweet, smoky, berry fruit intertwined with pepper and spice. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied, lush, and ripe. Generous quantities of glycerin ensure there is no hardness or toughness to this ripe, fleshy Cotes du Rhone. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173