La Croix des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2012 (France)

Nose:  Heavy oakiness, peppery, not a whole lot of fruit but the generic 'dark berries' where they exist

Taste:  Dry, a bit fruity.

Finish:  Mild to medium tannins, lingering bitterness.

What we say:  S - "It kind of burns the nostrils"  V - "It's a less chemically fruit roll up smell, so probably cherry?" " I think the most interesting thing about this is the nose"  S - "It's not bad for a French wine"  V - "Yeah, it grew on me a bit as the night went on.  Not fantastic, but reasonably drinkable."  S - "I wish I could score 5.5, because 5 is almost a bit unfair, but 6 might indicate that we'd buy this again."

What they say:  Rich, concentrated wine with flavours of soft summer fruits through to dark chocolate.

Rating:  5.5 (S - 6; V - 5)

Price:  £9.99