"Goats do Roam Wine Company" is a South African winery and subsidiary of the giant "Fairview" South African Wine conglomerate.  Goats do Roam Wine Company makes several wines, all of which use Rhone style blends and incorporate "goat" into the name.  Apparently, there were a lot of goats in the vineyard areas, hence the fixation on the goat theme.  The names of the wines are all tongue in cheek take-offs on famous wine regions from the real Rhone River Valley in Southern France.  Offerings from Goats do Roam include "Goat-Rotie" (a play on Cote-Rotie), "Goats do Roam" (a play on the Cote du Rhone), and "Goats do Roam in Villages" (a play on Cote Du Rhone-Villages).  Each offering from Fairview is their own take on the wine from the particular region they are mocking, using similar varietals.  All are relatively good and represent good values.  In addition to the red wines, many of these wines are also available in white and rose versions, but I have no experience with them.  More recently, the winery has branched out to other varietals, and now offers "Bored Doe" (a take off on Bordeaux style cabs and merlot), and "Goat Door" (which uses chardonnay grapes in the style of Burgundy's Cote d'Or). 

The Goats Do Roam in Villages is a blend of Syrah (Shiraz), Pinotage, Mouvedre, and Viognier.  It is primarily composed of the Shiraz and Pinotage.  The 2003 is outstanding, and the 2004 is good also.  They do have a spicy robust Rhone flavor to them.  The Shiraz is clearly the big player here.  The wines are dark in color, have pleasing bouquets typical for the varietals used, and lots of black fruit, chocolate, and toasty oak on the palate. The finish is pleasant, but short.  The wines will probably survive several years of ageing, but I would not hold them too long.  The wines generally run in the 10 to 15 dollar range.  The "Goats do Roam in Villages" is superior to the less expensive "Goats do Roam".  I highly recommend the former as an excellent value for a very good wine.

2003 - 3.5 stars
2004 - 3 stars