2012 Francois Villard SYRAH "L'Appel des Sereines" (France)

This producer is located in the Rhone, and the grape is Syrah, so I'm assuming it's a Rhone wine.  The label doesn't say.  But it tastes like a Loire red.  A really good Loire red.  Ripe and fragrant, yet low in alcohol (12.3%), with mouthwatering acids.

Medium dark ruby magenta.  Nose is great.  Earthy and meaty (and initially a bit on the funky side), but loads of crisp black cherry and boysenberry fruit come through, all undergirded with a saline minerality you can actually smell.  Ripe, crisp, earthy cherry fruit, with tons of rocky minerals.  Fantastic acidity keeps it refreshing.  This was about $16, if I remember correctly, from Red White & Bleu in Falls Church.  This light-bodied quaffer knows exactly who it is:  something that quenches your thirst and fits right in with a wide variety of foods (would be dynamite with braised chicken dishes, such as coq au vin).  Though it's a style that does not aspire to greatness, I give it an A-, based on its exuberant and highly distinctive character.  Imported by Elite Wines, Lorton, VA.