We’ve been AWOL for a few months, when life intervened in our wine tasting. But we’re happy to be back enjoying great, and not so great, wine, and spilling the beans…literally. We spilled a bottle of red all over the living room rug while we were writing this review.  I guess we’re out of practice.

Said red was Domaine du Poujol Proteus 2005 from the Languedoc region in the south of France. We’re working hard to expand our “New World”-centric wine knowledge and have come to appreciate wines from the Languedoc, which we first discovered on New Year’s Eve 2004 with a phenomenal Pic St Loup at Cambridge’s Chez Henri . Gary asked the proprietor of Crushed Grapes in Lexington for a Languedoc suggestion, and he proffered the Proteus, a blend of Merlot (50%), Cinsault (30%), and 10% each of Cab Sauv and Carignan.

The Domaine du Poujol winemaker calls Proteus an “every day wine,” so we paired it with that most every day entrée—roast chicken. A little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic was all the bird needed to come out seasoned, succulent, and ready for the wine.

The Proteus is a dark ruby red. The nose was intoxicating…lots of ripe fruit, mostly blackberry and cherry, with hints of leather and spice. If we didn’t know Merlot was the dominant grape, the nose gave it away. The wine drinks beautifully; nicely balanced fruit and spice, with a long finish. Lisa detected some vanilla in the finish; Gary noted leather. This wine is in no way a fruit bomb; just a classic food-friendly wine that complements both meat and poultry. We bought it for $15.99; you can probably find it for $12-16 at your local shop.  But don’t wait too long; the ’05 is probably coming to the end of its useful life.