The Gualco’s 2006 Corbieres Bois des Dames (barrique-aged Carignan, Syrah and Grenache) offers aromas of black tea, fresh blackberries, conifers, and dark chocolate. With an unexpected amount of freshness and lift on an otherwise quite plush and ultra-finely tannic palate, it delivers a saline and cleanly meaty savor in a long, lip-smacking finish. I would plan to enjoy it over the next 2-3 years. This represents the finest group of wines I have tasted from the Gualco family, and my experience with their wines goes back more than 20 vintages.Christopher Cannan Europvin Selections (various importers), Bordeaux; fax 001-33-5 57-87-43-22

The Gualco’s 2004 Corbieres Bois des Dames (barrique-aged Carignan, Syrah and Grenache) offers a sweet, spicy aromatic melange of blackberry and mulberry jam, cardamom, clove and wood smoke. Rich and juicy in the mouth, with smoky, spicy notes persisting into a generous, sweetly-ripe finish, this is – like all of the domaine’s wines – designed to provide immediate pleasure, though the domaine insists (I’ve never tried this) that it can safely age for more than a decade.A Christopher Cannan Europvin Selection (various importers), Bordeaux; fax 001-33-5 57-87-43-22