There is a host of great wines coming out of Southern Rhone from the 2007 vintage. Robert Parker Jr. said in the Wine Advocate that the 2007 vintage out of this region is the best he has seen in his thirty + year career. This Cotes Du Rhone Villages is a testament to this assessment. This wine shows a load of fruit yet it is restrained enough not to be a fruit bomb. Intense blackberry and plum notes come through on the front of the palate and expand nicely through the mid with nice hits of black pepper and some old world notes that remind you that you are drinking a wine from France. The tannins are rich and smooth and extend into a long and pleasing finish. At fifteen bucks this wine is a steal and will age nicely over the next five to seven years. However, I believe that you will enjoy this wine immensely as it is now.