The 2005 Cotes du Rhone La Dame Rousse is a beautiful dark ruby/purple-colored wine, more compact than the 2004 tended to be, but it may just need more time to round out in bottle. It is a wine with a lot of Grenache and Syrah but also 15% Carignan and Cinsault. The good acidity and ripeness give the wine more structure and freshness than usual, so the wine will probably last longer, but I would still drink it in its first 3-4 years. This is an estate that was a no-brainer for inclusion in my recent book on the world’s greatest wine estates. With 135 acres spread throughout some of the most impressive appellations of the southern Rhone, Christophe Delorme and his brother took over this estate in the early to mid-1990s and have done nothing but produce one exquisite wine after another. Of course, the top cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape are rare and expensive, but this is a place to find terrific Cotes du Rhones and Liracs as well. Delorme is equally adept at dry whites as well as reds, and turns out some stunning roses both under the Cotes du Rhone and Tavel appellations. Visitors to the area will be surprised to find out that Mordoree is actually in Tavel, not Chateauneuf du Pape. Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228