2004 Domaine de l’Hortus Grande Cuvée Pic Saint Loup rouge

Brrr. . . . We’re moving into winter -- the time for brawny reds to drink with long-simmered daubes and stews. One favorite comes from Domaine de l’Hortus in the Languedoc region of southern France, an estate that produces sturdy, seriously delicious reds from a valley sheltered between two forbidding rock faces about 20 miles north of Montpellier.

Though the domaine founded by the dynamic Jean Orliac makes a number of wines, the reliably excellent Grande Cuvée is Orliac’s top wine. The 2004 -- a stunning example of a Syrah-Mourvèdre- Grenache blend from the Languedoc -- could be the best he’s ever produced. Dark ruby in color, it is intensely fragrant, concentrated and lush with a taste of wild herbs and berries.

Pop the cork for braised meats and stews, roast duck or pork. Open it or decant a little beforehand to let it breathe.

--S. Irene Virbila

Region: Languedoc

Price: $22 to $29

Style: Rich and concentrated

Food it goes with: Braised meats and stews, roast duck or pork.

Where you find it: Manhattan Fine Wines (formerly Manhattan Liquors) in Manhattan Beach, (310) 374-3454, www.manhattanfinewines.com; the Wine Country in Signal Hill, (562) 597-8303; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 769-4639, www.winex.com; the Wine House in West L.A., (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com and Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111 www.whwc.com.