($17, Levecke Imports):  The CPR refers to the blend of this zippy wine:  Chardonnay 23%, Pinot Gris 50%, and Riesling.  A charmer, it leads with fine and flowery aromatics and then follows with sufficient depth to hold up and balance its energy.… Read more

($25, Kysela Pere et Fils):  Regular WineReviewOnline readers know of my aversion to rosé, which, all too often, is insipid and lacks interest.  Not this one!  Of course, it comes from Tavel, an appellation that allows producers to make only rosé and from one of the top producers not just in Tavel, but in the entire Rhône Valley. … Read more

($35, Kysela Pere et Fils):  Lirac, a lesser-known appellation across the Rhône River from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is, like that more well-known neighbor, also a cru of the Rhône, a distinction given to a village and its surroundings that makes distinctive wines.  So, looking at the Rhône quality pyramid, Lirac sits with Gigondas, Vacqueryas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and other crus, at the top. … Read more

($25, Kysela Pere et Fils):  The quality of wines labeled Côtes du Rhône is as vast as the appellation, which is to say, vast.  So, what differentiates one from another?  The producer, of course.  And Domaine de la Mordorée is one of the best, not only of Côtes du Rhône, but of other Rhône Valley appellations as well. … Read more

($29, Louis/Dressner Selections):  Elodie Balme symbolizes a new generation of winemakers in Rasteau, employing organic viticulture and making slightly less muscular wines that are formerly emblematic to this appellation.  That said, no one would categorize this beauty, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, as a light wine. … Read more

($30):  Lirac, an often-overlooked appellation of the southern Rhône just to the west of Châteauneuf du Pape, is one of two Rhône appellations that makes all three colors, reds, whites, and rosés.  (Vacqueyras is the other.)  From what I heard from many during my recent trip to the area, Château de Montfaucon is one of the leading producers there. … Read more

($15):  French wine regulators allow 22 (at current count) villages that produce sufficiently distinctive wine to put their name on the label along with the appellation Côtes du Rhône Villages.  It is an elite club, accounting for only about ten percent of the wine from the Rhône Valley. … Read more

($70, Vintus Wines):  Condrieu, a small roughly 500-acre, appellation in the northern Rhône valley, mandates the exclusive use of Viognier, a temperamental grape.  Guigal, arguably the Rhône’s best producer overall, has (perhaps unsurprisingly) tamed it and turned it into an excellent wine. … Read more

($30, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Chapoutier, one of the best producers in the Rhône Valley, is both a négociant and a grower.  As a grower, the house makes estate wine from grapes in vineyards they own.  As a négociant, the company buys either very newly pressed wine or grapes from their neighbors and transform it into wine.… Read more

($16, Vintus Wines):  To me, the mark of a great producer lies in their least expensive wine.  Of course, Guigal is rightly known for their mind-boggling La La’s, small single-vineyard wines, La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque, from the Côte Rôtie, whose approximate 20,000-bottle combined annual production is highly allocated and sells for hundreds of dollars a bottle. … Read more

($73):  Côte Rôtie, a small appellation in the Northern Rhône that is home to spectacular red wines, allows the inclusion of up to 20 percent Viognier.  Burgaud included some Viognier in their Côte Rôtie in the past, but Pierre Burgaud, who is currently in charge, told me that with climate change and better ripening of Syrah, they no longer feel the need to add Viognier to bolster the alcohol. … Read more