Strange Folk Wines NV Le Commandante Red Wine, Idaho, $14

Best Buy! Per capita, Idaho may have more mavericks in its wine industry than most, and Jed Glavin of Split Rail Winery in the Boise suburb of Garden City continues to push out new ideas. His red version from the Gem State’s first wine-in-a-can program uses Rhône varieties, which makes perfect sense for the Snake River Valley, offering a GSM-style blend with Syrah (60%), Counoise (12%), Cinsault (12%), Grenache (10%) and Mourvèdre. It opens with aromas of black cherry, dried strawberry and currant with hints of coffee, saddle leather and lime peel. It continues down that darker red fruit profile with Bing cherry, black currant and raspberry in the flavors. There’s some good tannin texture and meatiness to the midpalate before a flood of bright acidity leads to an easy finish with sage and mint. Glavin removes any pretense with his food pairing ideas — chicken nuggets or pork and beans. Editor’s note: The retail price listed in this review is the equivalent of a standard 750-ml bottle. A can retails for $7, and they are available through the website and select retailers in Idaho.

Rating: Excellent

Production: 1,000 cases

Alcohol: 14%

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