2005 La Deveze 66 Cotes de Roussillon Villages

Olivier Bernstein doesn’t come from a winemaking family, but found his way by working and learning with some of France’s best winemakers, including Henri Jayer in Burgundy. What’s a winemaker without a property to do, though? Buy one. Burgundy was too expensive, but he found an old farm in Roussillon, the up-and-coming area bordering on the Languedoc.

Mas de la Deveze may have been rundown, but it had something very valuable: old vines. And with the grapes from the estate, Bernstein began to produce wines impressive enough to make it onto the lists of several three-star restaurants. The 2005 “66” -- only his third vintage -- is a blend of 70% old vine Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% old vine Carignane. It drinks like a Burgundy, sleek and silky, with smooth tannins and a hint of raspberry in the nose. At under $20, this is one to lay in for grilling season.

Pour it with slabs of ribs, chargrilled steaks and chops, rack of lamb or lasagna. Keep a look out for his other wines, too, including a less expensive regular Cotes de Roussillon and a couple of old-vine cuvees.

Quick swirl

Region: Roussillon

Price: About $19

Style: Sleek and silky

Food it goes with: Barbecued and grilled meats, lasagna, pasta with meat sauce.

Where you find it: Monsieur Marcel in Los Angeles, (323) 939-7792; Silver Lake Wine in L.A., (323) 662-9024, www.silverlakewine.com; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 76WINEX, www.winex.com; Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com; and Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111, www.whwc.com.

-- S. Irene Virbila