2007 Domaine Monpertuis Côtes du Rhône Vignoble de la Ramière is a Rhône red wine built along traditional lines.  It is largely Grenache (90 %) with the remainder Syrah.  In describing the contribution of Grenache to the Rhône wines, the great winemaker Joseph Ducos put it best in 1880:  “Giving liquor, heat, and the marrowy.”

If it is the marrowy that you are looking for, you will like this one.  Dark purple, spicy, dense, and strong.  The grapes are fermented with the stems attached which eliminates the plastic cling of fruit and sugar.   In the great concrete fermentation tanks,  the  mixture of grapes and twigs develops the herbaceous tang that is so much a part of the Rhône wines.  Given a moment in the glass, the wine opens and becomes expressive with a dark fruit flavor.  It is a lovely wine, really, robust like black coffee and warm like fruit.  You could drink it with several of the little onion tarts called pissaladière.

You will find this little powerhouse at Dedalus for $15.75