An excellent effort, La Roubine’s 2004 Gigondas takes blackberry and pepper notes and combines them in a lovely bouquet that’s more than the sum of its parts. There’s a lushly textured, creamy mouthfeel that makes for even more hedonistic delight. Like a repeating decimal, it’s long on the finish. Drink now–2012, maybe longer. ——J.C.(11/15/2006)—— 91