Could the inky/purple-colored 2003 Costieres de Nimes Capitelles des Mourgues be the poor person’s Hermitage? Reminiscent of a wine from the northern Rhone, it offers blackberry liqueur, licorice, melted asphalt, and new barrique-like aromas. Dense, powerful, and full-bodied, this sensational effort possesses considerable noblesse as well as quality. Give it 1-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following decade.
Importer: David Bowler Wine, tel: 212-807-1680, www.bowlerwine.com