($119, Vineyard Brands):  Beaucastel is one of the top properties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Year after year, they produce a multidimensional, age-worthy wine.  Although Mourvèdre and Grenache, at about 30% each, comprise the majority of the blend, Beaucastel uses all 13 grape varieties permitted in the appellation, which may explain the phenomenal complexity of their wines, especially the 2009. … Read more

($57, Vintus):  Condrieu, home to Viognier grape, can be a hard wine to get right.  Viognier needs to be ripe to express its floral character, but not so ripe that the alcohol shows.  Guigal hit the bulls eye with their 2010. … Read more

($18, Vintus):  Wine lovers know Guigal is one of the top, if not the top, producers of red wines in the Rhône Valley.  Their red Côte du Rhône is a consistent winner.  Their white Côte du Rhone has been getting better and better as they’ve increased the proportion of Viognier in the blend. … Read more

($145, Vintus):  Hermitage and St. Joseph have precisely the same soil because when the Rhône River turned south, it sliced through the granite hill instead of coursing around it, putting Hermitage on the eastern bank and St. Joseph on its western bank. … Read more

($32, Vintus):  To my mind, Guigal is a genius.  And this wine shows why.  Gigondas is usually a big burly wine reflective of its home in the rugged area of the southern Rhone.  With concentrated black fruit-like flavors sprinkled with black pepper notes, Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas certainly has the burly aspect covered. … Read more

($72, Vintus):  The Brune et Blonde designation indicates that the wine comes from grapes grown in a variety of parcels on the two major slopes of the appellation, the Côte Brune and the Côte Blonde, names that reflect the color of the soil. … Read more

($24):  Not surprisingly given the appellation, Guigal’s 2007 Crozes-Hermitage is more distinctive than his Côtes du Rhone.  It conveys attractive black pepper notes and a ripe dark-fruit character reflective of the warm 2007 vintage.  It has added depth along with the hallmark Guigal classiness. … Read more

($18):  Guigal is the finest producer in the Rhone, making tiny quantities of iconic, single-vineyard, expensive (hundreds of dollars a bottle) Côte Rôtie, elegant Condrieu, and stunning Hermitage.  I could go on and on.  He also makes hundreds of thousands of cases of affordable red Côtes du Rhone. … Read more

($22, Cognac One):  The appellation of St. Joseph lies on the right (West) bank of the Rhône, facing east and its more famous neighbor, Hermitage.  Though the granite soil is similar to that of Hermitage and the grape (Syrah) is the same, the wines are lighter and earlier maturing because the east-facing exposure means less sunlight–and ripeness–during the harvest season. … Read more

($27, Winebow):  St. Joseph, well known for its reds, also produces a small amount (less than 10% of the appellation) of white wine from the usual white grapes of the Rhône, Marsanne and Roussanne.  In this one, the substantial amount of Roussanne (40%), imparts freshness and verve to the fruitier and slightly lanolin-like textured Marsanne. … Read more

($20, Cognac One):  Saint-Péray, a tiny appellation in the Rhône, produces only white or sparkling wine.  Cave de Tain is the local, highly regarded cooperative there.  Like many Rhône white wines, this one delivers fleshy yellow fruit flavors.  But unlike many white Rhônes, it also has lovely brightness and vivacity to balance the usual waxy texture. … Read more

($17, W. J. Deutsch & Sons Ltd.):  This is a brilliant white Côtes du Rhône.  Guigal, the leader in the Rhône, purchased Vidal-Fleury about twenty-five years ago.  Their hand, in the form of a healthy amount of Viognier, is apparent in this wine. … Read more