2003 Merlot de Campuget

[tandkvd]

I guess this is the correct place to post about this wine. I am not familiar with France and or French wine.

I am not sure what wine this is but here is what is on the bottle.

Vin De Pays D'oc
Merlot de Campuget
2003
Mis en bouteille a la propriete (I gues this means that it is estate bottled)
Red Table Wine

I paid $8.99 at World Market
When I first opened this bottle it smelled awfull. I was sure the wine had gone bad. However, I let it sit for about 20 min. before I took the first sip. The smell had soffened a bit and the taste was far differant from the smell. I then let it sit for about an hour while I cooked dinner (a frozen pizza from Sams that I doctored up with fresh mushrooms, fresh motzerella, onions and seasonings with a salad). The wine was very good, too strong of a wine for my wife but I liked it. I wish I was better at discribing taste of wine. But, it did have a strong funky smell at first. All I can think of as I finish the bottle is an earthy, smokey flavor maby what ya'll discribe as pencil shavings.

Does anyone else know anything about this wine? I thought it was going to be Merlot because of the name, but it is a bigger wine than any Merlot I have had before.