For the most part I feel like a drink a pretty wide range of wines from all over the world. But last night I tried a wine from a region that I had never had before: the Gigondas of the Rhone Valley in France. And what a treat this wine was! I love big, strong, brawny red likes cabs, but they are a little hard to drink on their own - food, more times than not, needs to accompany the wine. But the 2004 Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Romane Machotte I had last night somehow solved this wine riddle: it was hefty, earthy… had a real genuine terroir and yet, it was easy to drink on its own.

The wine comes from Grenache and Syrah vines planted in 1929 and the flavors are authentic and complex: vanilla, black currant with a black pepper spiciness. I cannot think of a better wine to kick off the Fall season.