Domaine de Fontavin's 1996 Gigondas Cuvee Combe Sauvage is a winner. The color is a dark ruby/purple, and the wine possesses a sweet inner-core of ripe fruit suggestive of old vines and/or low yields. The dense purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with sweet kirsch and framboise-like fruit intertwined with pepper, spice, and licorice. This purely made, dense, chewy Gigondas should age well for a decade, although it will be accessible young. I have never before tasted the wines from this estate, run by Martine and Michel Chouvet, but I was impressed by both the 1995 and 1996 Gigondas, especially the strong 1996, from a vintage that produced a plethora of light to medium-weight wines that are meant to be drunk within 4-5 years of the vintage. This estate merits a closer look - importers take note! No known American importer.