WINE OF THE WEEK

Aime Guibert is one of the pioneers of quality wine in the Languedoc, an area which historically made nothing but undistinguished everyday wines. His Mas de Daumas Gassac estate has had its ups and downs since in the last two decades, but in a vintage like this one, Guibert’s upstart wine outclasses many Bordeaux that go for double the price.

Much of Mas de Daumas Gassac’s quality and complexity is due to its extraordinary location and rich reddish soil. In fact, Robert Mondavi is planning to plant a vineyard nearby--another indication that Guibert’s gamble has paid off.

With its nose of blackberries and plums, deep color and soft ripe tannins, this Cabernet blend is lush and intensely concentrated. Yet for all that, this a remarkably elegant wine.

It’s also the most food-friendly of reds. Consider the 1998 another possibility for the Thanksgiving turkey.

About $28. Available at fine wine stores. If you can’t find it, have your local retailer call the distributor, Grapevine Wine Co., at (310) 338-9463.