The 1991 Cote Rotie Cotes Blonde et Brune exhibits the soft, succulent, precocious character of this rich, velvety-textured vintage. Forward, with gobs of sweet, toasty oak intermingled with lavish quantities of cassis, smoke, and pepper, it is a lush, medium to full-bodied wine with low acidity and ripe tannin. Already delicious, it should drink well for at least a decade. Readers should give the 1989 Cote Rotie Cotes Blonde et Brune a try as it is the most developed, accessible and delicious of the regular cuvees of Guigal's Cote Rotie. While every millionaire wine connoisseur would like to find a bottle or two of Guigal's single vineyard Cote Roties, the regular cuvee of Cote Rotie is typical of the best wines of the vintage, as well as a barometer for the style of Cote Rotie in a given year. Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; Tel. (617) 731-6644

Soft and pretty, packed with black cherry flavor. Lovely now but should close soon and re-emerge for drinking from 1996 to 2003.--Guigal Cote-Rotie vertical. -TM