Tonight's wine is as honest as they come (maybe I'm being a bit subjective here, equating flavours that I like and winemaking approaches I respect, with honesty), and unsurprisingly it's another Les Caves de Pyrene wine. It's also a a very good accompaniment to a Manchego cheese I'm eating tonight (which is a Spainsh sheep's milk cheese that's semi-hard with a nice creamy edge and a bit of 'tang').

Robert & Bernard Plageoles Braucol 2005 Gaillac, France
Fresh, bright, supple and a little sappy, with bright red fruits and a tantalizing minerally, gravelly twist that confers a rather savoury character. It's fresh but reasonably fruity, with a nice balance to it. I guess you could call this a little rustic, but not in a negative sense. It's very, very easy to drink. Very good+ 88/100 (but it seems kind of absurd to add a score to this sort of wine - it's a cultural thing)