I’ve been buying Jeff Carrel’s Les Darons for ten years or so. It is unquestionably one of the greatest red-wine values ever. It hails from the Languedoc, in France – Southern Rhone works for me – and is composed of three grapes – Carignan, Grenache, Syrah. Rated as high as 93 points by some respected tasters, the 2017 vintage of this beauty sells in some places for less than $10. Which is truly insane. I got some from one of my favorite online establishments, Wine Library. FYI, for $49 you can get free shipping on almost all their wines for one year. Here’s what Wine Advocate said about the wine: “Ripe mulberries and black cherries abound in the 2017 Les Darons. It's medium to full-bodied, with touches of leather and smoke evident as well (despite being entirely unoaked), giving it an attractive savory complexity that's rare at this price point.” Bear in mind that no two reviewers I know of taste the same things in any wine. But they do seem to concur on words like “Good.” This is way better than that.
