The Domaine des 3 Vallees 2008 Cotes du Roussillon Grenache Gris is remarkable in any number of respects, not least for offering sensational value. (In my view, this wine was mis-priced, but there’s no going back on that now!) It marries fruit from a grower in Maury who belongs to the Tautavel coop with fruit from ancient vines on the edge of the latter village’s great stone cirque, grown by its coop’s largest landholder. And as for the name of this wine – Grenache Gris being notoriously unrecognized for appellation controlee (other than in Collioure) – thanks to American liberties and the magic of the “back” label, Kravitz (who calls one of his estate wines “In Spite of the Civil Servants”) can pretty much call it whatever he pleases! Intense aromas and sappy, subtly oily palate presence of pineapple and lime tinged with Szechwan pepper, musk, and smoky black tea make for a beverage of striking, utterly intriguing distinction, richly-textured yet incorporating positive tartness and cut, and depositing a lasting load of salt, pepper, chalk, and smoke. While there’s no track record for this wine per se, you can count on it being worth following for at least 3-4 years. If you have not yet discovered why Grenache Gris – despite being a rarity almost entirely localized to Catalan France – is one of the world’s most exciting grapes, here are some 4,000 inexpensive bottles containing all the reason you need. Domaine des 3 Vallees is a new project of importer Dan Kravitz (wines from whose own Roussillon estate, Domaine Cabirau, are profiled elsewhere in this report, as well as in issue 183), and takes advantage of the custom crush facilities of the cooperative of Tautavel as well as of quality fruit available from its members. The sample of a clearly concentrated and promising Syrah-dominated Villages-Tautabel cuvee did not make it to me in good shape, and will in any event retail for $32, so a report on it will have to await a later occasion.Importer: Handpicked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347 9400