($28, Kermit Lynch):  Les Racines comes from parcels from the lower part of the estate, around the winery.  Made from old vines (65 year average), it is a blend of Grenache (80%) Syrah and Cinsault (15%) and Clairette.  It’s more overt at this stage than Terrasse du Diablo, conveying more power, richness and spice. … Read more

($28, Kermit Lynch):  With the 2007 vintage, there are two cuvées, this one and “Les Racines” (also reviewed this week), from this leading Gigondas producer.  More similar than different, they represent different expressions of the estate.  They are definitely not a “first” and “second” wine. … Read more

($10, Vineyard Brands):  The Perrin family, owners of the renowned Chateau Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape, have consistently made solid “everyday” wines under their Vieille Ferme label from grapes and wine they purchase.  A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, it delivers a mid-weight combination of fresh cherry-like fruit flavors and zesty spice notes. … Read more

($68, Vineyard Brands):  Two Rhone Valley powerhouses, the Perrin family of Châteauneuf du Pape, and Nicholas Jaboulet of the eponymous house in Hermitage, have forged an alliance and brought out a new line of wines.  Judging from this one, it will be a successful project. … Read more

($12, Vineyard Brands):  I wish regulations prohibited the use of Reserve when that’s all the producer makes (or exports).  And the fact is, this wine needs no labeling hype.  It’s very good.  Made from the typical blend of white Rhone grapes–Viognier, Marsanne, Roussane, Bourblanc and Grenache Blanc–it’s floral and refined. … Read more

($68, Vineyard Brands):  Two Rhone Valley powerhouses, the Perrin family of Châteauneuf du Pape, and Nicholas Jaboulet of the eponymous house in Hermitage, have forged an alliance and brought out a new line of wine.  Judging from this one, it will be a successful project. … Read more

($14, Ex Cellars Wine Agency):  Although the vast amount of wine produced in the Rhone Valley is red, consumers should explore the small amount of white wines that originates there because they offer richness and body.  The only potential downside of Rhône whites, which Guigal avoids, is that they can come across as heavy if they have insufficient acidity. … Read more

($34, Martine’s Wines, Inc.):  Château Rayas is on everybody’s short list of the top producers in the southern Rhône.  They are best known for their exquisite Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but you can get a glimmer of their grandeur with this Côtes du Rhône. … Read more

($15, Martine’s Wines):  You’d be hard pressed to find a more promising partnership in the southern Rhone.  This négociant firm, founded in 1998, is a partnership of two of the very best producers in Châteauneuf du Pape, Laurence Feraud, whose family owns Château Pegau, and André Brunel, owner of Les Cailloux. … Read more

($15, Ex Cellars Wine Agency):  This wine remains my benchmark for red Cotes du Rhone.  I am continually impressed by Guigal’s ability to make 250,000 cases of this high-quality wine year in and year out.  Of course, he is a great producer. … Read more

($22, Ex Cellars Wine Agency):  Guigal, perhaps the Rhône’s best producer overall, made his reputation with his stellar wines from Côte Rôtie.  But since he purchased two estates that gave him vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage, the less steeply sloped land adjacent to Hermitage, he has been making wonderful wines from there as well. … Read more

($70, Ex Cellars Wine Agency):  There are many wines that claim to be ready to drink now, but will age beautifully.  Few deliver on that promise. This is one of them. It has all of the lovely peppery components that young Syrah delivers when grown in cooler climate, such as the Côte-Rôtie. … Read more

($22, Vineyard Brands):  Like the Perrin Rasteau (also reviewed this week), the Vinsorbes, from another named village in the southern Rhône, is a marvelous example of what the much touted 2007 vintage delivered in the Rhone Valley.  The blend is flipped–Syrah, with 65%, dominates the Grenache–but the results no less enjoyable. … Read more

($25, Vineyard Brands):  Rasteau, one of the villages in the southern Rhône Valley, has the potential to produce distinctive wines and hence, the village name appears on the label.  With a blend of Grenache (80%) and Syrah, the Perrins have fulfilled that potential with this wine. … Read more

($50, Ex Cellars Wine Agency): Guigal is the Rhone’s most talented producer. His array of wines—from inexpensive Cotes du Rhone to single vineyard Cote Rôtie priced in the triple digits—is unmatched. Take this Châteauneuf-du-Pape for example.  He owns no land there and has no vineyards.… Read more

($22, Vineyard Brands): The French authorities elevated Vinsobres to its own appellation–on the same level as Châteauneuf du Pape–in 2005.  They don’t have the grandeur–nor the price–of Châteauneuf, but like their Rhône neighbors to the south, they can be enjoyed when young. … Read more

($19, Kobrand): Tavel, a village in the south of France near Châteauneuf-du-Pape, makes only rosé wine from the usual blend of Rhône grapes–including Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre.  Almost light red in color, this dry wine conveys serious strawberry-tinged flavors that spread over the palate. … Read more

($94, The Sorting Table): You have to search the bottle to know this wine is from Châteauneuf-du-Pape because that information is hidden on the back label.  The front label–pure white–has just the word Pure on it.  Fortunately, the contents of the bottle upstage the edgy labeling. … Read more

($37, Kermit Lynch): Gigondas, like Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Vacqueyras, is one of the cru of the southern Rhone.  Although the blend of primarily Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and other Rhône varieties, is similar to Châteauneuf, the wines are often a bit more rustic. … Read more

($23, Kermit Lynch): This cuvée, the only one the producer makes, honors the current owner’s grandmother.  She would be pleased.  Made from a typical Mediterranean blend–mostly (55%) Grenache, with Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault comprising the remainder–it is a charmingly robust wine.  Layers of black fruit flavors, spice, and herbal nuances are supported by moderate tannins. … Read more

($22, Wildman): Jaboulet, one of the premier producers in the Rhône, makes noteworthy wines from a multiple of areas within the region.  Beaumes-de-Venise, a small village traditionally known more for its sweet wines than for its robust reds, had been lumped with other villages that comprised Côtes du Rhône for its red wines. … Read more

($15, Wines of France/Alain Junguenet Selection): A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, this Côtes du Rhône has exceptional polish and grace to complement its bright red fruit flavors.  Its length and density belies its lowly appellation.  Don’t miss it.… Read more

($16): Rasteau is one of the villages under Côtes du Rhone Villages appellation that is allowed to put its name on the label because it has the potential to make better and more distinctive wines than the average of villages within the legally delimited region.… Read more

($12, Vineyard Brands): In addition to owning the famed Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Perrin family has a négociant business buying grapes and unfinished wines from growers–often neighbors–in the southern Rhone Valley and selling the finished wine under the Perrin & Fils label. … Read more

($33, Vineyard Brands): Powerful, yes, but it’s this wine’s refinement that shows why Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the southern Rhone’s most well-known appellation.  A beautiful minerality and floral components harmonize effortlessly with spicy nuances.  Though made from the usual blend of Mediterranean grapes, this wine has a gracefulness not usually associated with the southern Rhône that makes it enjoyable to drink now.… Read more

($23, Wildman): Jaboulet, one the Rhône’s most reliable and top producers, makes two wines, this one and one labeled Thalabert, from Crozes-Hermitage, the flatter land surrounding the more prestigious Hermitage appellation.  Les Jalets has a smoothness and elegance surrounding its characteristic peppery spicy core. … Read more

($26, Ex Cellars Wine Agency): Over the years, Guigal, one of the Rhone’s best producers, has expanded his portfolio by selective purchases of competitors’ vineyards.  He now produces a marvelous Crozes-Hermitage at about only twice the price of his basic, good-value Cotes du Rhone, which makes it another excellent buy. … Read more

($85, Ex Cellars Wine Agency): The quality and resulting deserved popularity of this wine–along with a sinking dollar–has increased its price dramatically.  Nonetheless, the Guigal’s sensational 2003 Brune et Blonde, clearly one of his best ever, should be in every Rhône-lover’s cellar. … Read more

($22, Vineyard Brands): Vacqueyras is a village in the southern Rhône Valley, formerly under the Côtes du Rhône Villages umbrella, that has convinced authorities that it makes more distinctive wines than the southern Rhône norm and should have its own appellation. … Read more

($19, Vineyard Brands): Rasteau is one of the 18 villages in the southern Rhone Valley that are capable of making more distinctive wine than the average for the region.  Hence, it and the other 17 carry the village name on the label–as well as the appellation, Côtes du Rhône Villages–as opposed to the more anonymous, ‘Côtes du Rhone’ designation.  … Read more

($11, Vineyard Brands): In addition to owning Château Beaucastel, one of the best properties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Perrin family runs a top-notch négociant business buying grapes or wine from growers with whom they have long term relationships.  The Perrin Reserve Côtes du Rhône–always reliable–is even better in the 2005 vintage. … Read more

($8, Vineyard Brands): As wines from the Côtes du Rhone appellation increase in price, producers look to less acclaimed nearby areas for similarly styled wines at lower prices.   This wine from Côtes de Ventoux–simple but luscious–fits the bill as a satisfying Southern Rhône wine. … Read more

($35, Vineyard Brands): With only about 5% of the area’s production devoted to white wine–and much of that heavy and unappealing–one sometimes wonders why anyone bothers with white Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  This wine is why.   A blend of 75% Grenache Blanc and 25% Clairette, it has the hint of apricot common in many whites from the southern Rhône, and good intensity, but without a trace of heaviness. … Read more

($12, ExCellars): Marcel Guigal and his son, Philippe, oversee the winemaking at this stellar firm, which was started by Marcel’s father, Etienne, just after World War II.  Guigal is probably best known for their small-production–300 case–expensive ($200+ a bottle) single vineyard wines from the Côte Rôtie, La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque. … Read more

($22, ExCellars): Crozes-Hermitage is the flatter, less well situated land around the prestigious hill of Hermitage.  From conscientious producers, like Guigal, these wines can be great values. This wine shows the ripeness of the vintage without being marred by over-extraction. There is an almost Australian-like quality to the flavors–although not so flamboyant with alcohol–but its European lineage shows in the acid/tannin structure.… Read more

($13, Serge Doré Selections): Wines labeled Côte du Rhône Villages should be a cut above those labeled Côte du Rhône because they come from 18 selected villages with the potential to make better wine.  Often they are not, but in this instance, Domaine de la Renjarde fulfills expectations. … Read more

($10, Vineyard Brands): The Perrin family consistently makes outstanding wine at their estate, Château Beaucastel, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Their wines sold under the Perrin label represent their négociant business in which they buy newly made wines from others, blend, age and bottle them. … Read more

($18, Neal Rosenthal): Do not worry about all the fine print identifying the origin of this wine.  Just remember it is Syrah made by Yves Cuilleron, one of the finest producers in the Rhône, where that grape is native.  Its classy, peppery profile is a great example of how Syrah fares in cooler climates. … Read more

($14, Kobrand): Château Mont-Redon is one of the finest producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Their Côtes du Rhône, made from a similar blend of grapes grown just outside of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area, has a satisfying combination of spice and fruit with enough structure to make perfect with hearty winter fare.… Read more

($13, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co.): The right (west) bank of France’s Rhône River has many undiscovered areas, including the Costières de Nîmes, a small area stretching between Nîmes and Arles.  For Château de Campuget’s Tradition Rouge, the usual Mediterranean suspects-Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre-are blended to yield a wine that delivers a hefty dose of spice and intensity yet retains finesse.… Read more

($41, Louis Dressner Selections): You don’t often think of white Châteauneuf-du-Pape as light and airy, but that’s the style of wine Texier has made. It tastes of minerals, earth and a touch of apricot, but it’s elegant and, unlike many white wines from the southern Rhône, fresh and lacey.… Read more

($33, Chemin des Vins): Philippe Desmure and his daughter Emilie are making fabulous wine at this estate. This 2001 — a fabulous vintage in the northern Rhone — is a heavyweight Crozes-Hermitage. Meaty, with supple tannins, it has traces of minerals and tar more often seen in Hermitage than Crozes-Hermitage.… Read more

($45, Louis Dressner Selections): Trained as a nuclear engineer, Texier turned to winemaking. He worked in Burgundy and told me he tries to put ‘Burgundian sensibilities into Rhône wines.’ His 2005 Condrieu has the Burgundian character of incredible flavor without heaviness.… Read more

($22, Ex-Cellars Wine Agency): Guigal, arguably the Rhône’s best producer, has been making stellar wines from Côte Rôtie since the 1960s. His first vintage of Crozes Hermitage was 1999, just prior to his acquiring land in that part of the Northern Rhône.… Read more

($140, Ex-Cellars Wine Agency): Guigal introduced this wine, a blend from six exceptionally well located parcels-three on the Côte Brune and three on the Côte Blonde-with the 1995 vintage. It’s meant to be a bridge between his regular Brune et Blonde and the single vineyards wines, La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque.… Read more

($27, Patrick LeSec /Chemin des Vins): The Southern Rhone handled the heat of 2003 much better than most areas of France and, as a result, turned out some fabulous wines. This is one of them. Meaty and full-blown, it retains remarkable succulence and balance.… Read more