2003 Domaine Terres de Solence Côtes du Ventoux Rouge Les Trois Peres, 70% Grenache, 20% Carignan, 10% Mourvèdre, 12-14% alc., $15.99: Showing good dark color, this little lovely throws off attractive spicy black currant-cassis aromatics that echo and expand on the palate, with shades of underbrush adding interest. Rich, round and expressive, the wine is full bodied without any sense of heaviness; it has good structure and concentration, and although it offers promise for further development over the next few years, it’s already eminently drinkable. We opened four of these in a little more that a week, and a few showed some minor bottle variation with a little bit of the barnyard to them, but all performed admirably. Find this wine

For the record, this is from the portfolio of United Estates Wine Imports, Ltd., which specializes in bringing in wines from small producers in southern France, all of which at least employ sustainable farming practices, if not being certified organic. All seven wines that we tasted a few weeks back with UE honcho Patrick Allen were delicious, and we’ll file a report on the rest soon.

Imported by USA Wine Imports, Inc., New York, NY

1997 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, 12.9% alc.: This was the last bottle of an old friend, and it was undoubtedly the best of the bunch. It still exhibits good dark color, with just a hint of brick, and has a nice mature quality to it, with its smoky, pruney, leathery, tertiary characterics, all with supporting notes of earth, underbrush and some subtle forest floor. Smoothly textured, with mostly resolved tannins and balanced acidity, this is rich, lovely and quite simply a joy to drink. So long, old pal… Find this wine

Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd., New York, NY

The next selection isn’t what I normally think of as a “playoff wine,” but there it was in the rack, so I opened it, liked it for what it is and the Wings still won Game 3, 4-3.

2006 Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Villages, 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache, 13% alc., $14.99: Good dark color, with impressions of coffee, leather, earth, underbrush that all vie for dominance in both flavor and aroma. Well structured for three to five years of further development, yet already drinking well with little or no air, and of course, it keeps getting better as it opens. A solid, if unexceptional Côtes du Rhône Villages. Find this wine

We ratcheted things up a bit for what proved to be the series clinching game; like I said about the 2004 version of this wine, we’re suckers for good Gigondas at our house, and here’s yet another example of just why that is.

2005 Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille, 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, $26.99, 14% alc.: Slightly cloudy dark garnet color, with some sulfur that dominates the nose initially, eventually dissipating to reveal deep, dark, tarry, earthy black fruit that follows through on the palate with shades of iron and leather as it opens. This is big and brawny, a ten-year wine at least, and while approachable now with air, I’d wait until 2012 before opening another to see how it’s coming along. Find this wine

So there you go, Blackie. Four game sweeps make for short reports, wine-wise. I doubt the same will happen in the Conference Finals, so we’ll be raising the bar with our Red Rhône mojo. I’ll let you know what we uncork.

Cheers,