2007 Jean-Louis Tribouley, Cotes Catalanes, "Les Bacs"

This wine is another example of the superb wines that have been surfacing in the wine regions of southern France which, until recently, have produced mostly forgettable wines. To top it off, 2007 is probably the best vintage in this region in the last 10 years. This wine is a vin de pay from the Cotes Catalanes. 20 years ago, this lack of any pedigree would have relegated it to "plonk" status, but not so today. It is carefully crafted from 75% grenache and 25% carignan, all from old vines.
The color is inky purple-black. Ripe raspberry and fig aromas jump from the glass. The wines' structure and extract level tells you this is serious stuff. Full but ripe tannins and a long finish makes this wine easy to drink now with hearty foods, but it also will amply reward five or more years in your cellar.
I bought this wine from the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA (1-800-76-WINEX). The $25 price tag seems very fair to me, given the superb quality. Parker gave it 93 points and I can't argue with that number. There is also a similar wine from this producer called "Orchis" with identical price, grape percentages and Parker rating. You can't go wrong with either one.