Inadvertently, I let this one sit for an hour or so in my glass, and when I came back to it I was enormously surprised at how much the wine had opened up.  The Féraud-Brunel Côtes du Rhône Villages consists of a high percentage of Grenache, a grape typically found in southern Rhône-style wines.  When I first popped open the bottle, I got a nose full of black pepper and wood with raspberry in the background, but after an hour or so of the wine’s sitting in my glass, the aroma of raspberry jam really came alive. 

Once in my mouth, this wine’s scents carried through as flavors, but interestingly, the spiciness turned out to be quite a bit less tingly to the tongue than my sense of smell would have predicted — this was a plus, because I think that too much spiciness would have distracted from the lengthy, juicy finish.   As to mouthfeel, I found light tannins and medium acidity and body, all of which made this wine easy to please.

This one is yet another strong performer for $15, and while it might not be meant for much time in the cellar, it may benefit from another six months on the rack.