The issue Cotes du Rhone is titled "Sensation" by its' very artsy label and rightly so, as this passionate blendola of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20 % silky Carignan, and ghostly background 5% Cinsaut is PUSHING ALL MY buttons, just reading the label? Pascal Maillet, Vintner e owner. Nastiestness encountered in the incorrectly used synthetic cork, a polypropylene~olefin one it appears, caused intense interference with the press fit into the neck and caused, well, pardon my Italinano: molto il momento duro excruciating di unseat il sughero maledetto! or the cork, she pretty hard to get out? It required brute force, something I am pretty familiar with, needing almost 65 - 90 foot pounds of vertical force to extricate stubborn testa dura or hard head cork from the vessel. It was like glued in place. Interesting bottle nose of black currant fresh fruit, new mowed sugar cane, and cut seagrape leaves. Initial whiff in the glass was of tar-volatile black raisin airs. -I thought: it'll be interesting to see if I live through to the end of the sampling? I do: taste brings deep black currant richness fruit, just a nice dichotomous balance back und forth between sharp/soft balance tannin to lt. medium body, a wood-stem herbaceous notes followed by a nice proud, clean modern finito. Nice enough to serve to Grandma.