The deep ruby-colored 2006 Cote Rotie, which is dominated by purchases from the Cote Brune, has some striking olive and lavender notes intermixed with pepper, underbrush, sweet currants, and raspberries. It is an elegant, lighter style to drink over the next 7-8 years. This high-quality negociant operation, started by Burgundian Dominique Laurent and his southern sidekick, the charismatic Michel Tardieu, continues to turn out high-class wines from purchased wine. Front man Michel Tardieu seems to know some of the finest growers in the Rhone, and he is willing to pay top dollar in order to get the stuff he wants.Importers: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808 and Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029

Violets, dried fruit and crushed blackberry. Fine, poised palate: kirsch, vanilla and undergrowth. Feminine wine with length.