The minute I poured this 2010 Lirac, the scent of dried wild herbs, ripe blackberries, olives and earth leapt out of the glass. It’s so rich and intense, it comes on like a baby Chteauneuf. In fact, the Brechet family that produces this wine, a blend of 60 percent Syrah and 40 percent Grenache, is renowned for their Chteauneuf-du-Pape. The “Plateau des Chenes” Lirac is fresh and easy to drink now, though it would be fun to see what it would become with some aging.

Somehow, I don’t think my bottles are going to hang around for that long. It’s too tempting to break one out for a slow-roasted salmon or a Cornish game hen. I’d pair it with schnitzel or grilled calves’ liver too.

● Region: Southern Rhone

● Price: About $20

● Style: Fresh and complicated

● What it goes with: Salmon, roast birds, veal, calves’ liver

By S. Irene Virbila

(os Angeles Times)

MCT Information Services)