Gigondas Cuvee Prestige

Wine: Gigondas Cuvee Prestige.

Grapes: grenache (75 percent), syrah (15 percent), mourvedre (10 percent)

Region: Southern Rhone, France

Vintage: 2010

Price: $14.99

In the glass: Gigondas wine is a deep blackish-garnet color with a dense inky core going out into a deep antique rose rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: There are buttery, creamy and peppery notes of crushed blueberries, marionberries and black cherries right off the bat powerfully emanating from the depths of the bowl. It has loads of rich concentrated black fruit, pink peppercorn and violets in the mix as well and is a lovely fragrant wine.

On the palate: The wine coats the palate with ripe, chewy spice-laden black fruits, tons of character and complexity, and then peppered beef jerky, cranberry jelly, stewed black cherries, English licorice, herbes de Provence, black ripe plums and soft notes of wood. The midpalate of Gigondas is classic, and while spicy it is also heady and refined with supple tannins that comingle perfectly with the dark fruits still coming through. The finale is a lengthy 40-plus second finish with delicious and powerful pepper-laced black fruit and hints of fern.

Odds and ends: 2010 was one of the greatest vintages ever in the Rhone Valley and especially wines from the Southern Rhone were legendary in quality. Gigondas is a prestigious appellation that is close enough to the southern coast of France to enjoy a maritime influence and has no white wines within its appellation borders, meaning the focus is entirely on red varieties such as grenache, syrah and mourvedre that this wine is made from and some other minor varieties as well. You can usually expect to pay upward of $35 to $40 for a good bottle of Gigondas wine, no matter the producer, but this excellent value proposition is less than $15. It is a great wine to enjoy now (opening the bottle about one hour before consumption) or keep in good storage for 10-plus years. It can be enjoyed with a variety of food, but I would recommend spaghetti Bolognaise as the perfect match. Drink it now through 2025.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.