Hegarty Chamans, No. 1 (Syrah/Carignan/Mourvedre), Minervois 2003

Purple/red.

Wild, idiosyncratic aromas - chocolate, earth, game, fresh spearmint. I think the south of France often qualifies as a parallel wine universe.

Rich and quite deep in the mouth, but not sweet. In fact, this has monster depth of flavor, with crazy animal/spearmint action showing up in the mouth also. Tannin is well-refined and just slightly chewy.

Need a wake-up call? Too much easy-going, predictable crap from the New World? Try this.

Day 3 - Feral nose now shows exotic fruit (perfectly ripe mango?), peppermint ... Hilarious. WTF? Wild ride, might as well enjoy it. Retains its suave, plush character in the mouth. Acid-driven structure coats the sides of the mouth with serious chew.

Day 9 - No shit. Nose is a bit flatter, but retains all the essentials from Day 1. Spearmint quality keeps it alive. Fat and full in the mouth, no sign of oxidation. Raised in concrete or stainless? One of the most interesting bottles I can remember.

$20