Readers shouldn’t look at Vidal Fleury as a stepchild of Guigal, as enormous investments are being made and I think the best days of Vidal Fleury’s wines are ahead of them. Vidal Fleury has consistently done a brilliant job with their dessert wine, the 2005 Beaumes de Venise. I know this is a southern Rhone, but it deserves attention as it is beautifully precise, with aromas and flavors of apricot/peach and marmalade. A honeyed style of sweet wine with good acidity and terrific fragrance, it should be consumed over the next year.
Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-WINE