The Alain Jaume 2009 Cotes du Ventoux Les Gelinottes is a steal. A delicious, super-seductive blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah aged in stainless steel, it possesses silky tannins, abundant kirsch and blackberry fruit, a succulent, juicy mid-palate, and a luscious finish. This is Provencal seduction at its best. Drink it over the next 1-2 years. Grand Veneur is one of the most brilliant estates in Chateauneuf du Pape as well as the force behind the negociant wines sold under the Alain Jaume label. Virtually everything they produce has merit. Some of this estate’s 2009 red wines are just hitting the market as they are bottled early to preserve their fruit and freshness. I can’t say enough about the job Alain Jaume’s two sons, Sebastian and Christophe, have done with this estate. The impeccable attention to detail in the vineyards, the meticulous vinification, and the careful bottling benefit every consumer.Importer: Fran Kysela, Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228; Fax (540) 722-9258

There is a bevy of other value-priced Alain Jaume wines. For example, the 2007 Cotes du Ventoux Les Gelinottes (50% Grenache and 50% Syrah) reveals abundant berry fruit, crushed rock, and roasted herb characteristics in a straightforward, juicy, succulent style that will have plenty of fans given its lowly price. Enjoy it over the next several years. This is one of the most ambitious estates as well as burgeoning negociant operations in Chateauneuf du Pape. The two Jaume brothers, Sebastien and Christophe, continue to ratchet up the level of quality with a bevy of brilliant Chateauneuf du Papes and for bargain hunters, some top-flight offerings that include generic Cotes du Rhones as well as Cotes du Rhone-Villages. They also produce an impressive Gigondas. The estate wines, bottled under the name Domaine Grand Veneur, include two of the finest white Chateauneuf du Papes of the village (they own 5 acres of white grapes, a relatively large amount when only 3-4% of the appellation's production is in white wine).Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228

Some very good values under the negociant label include the Alain Jaume 2006 Cotes du Ventoux Les Gelinottes. This is a classic French vin de plaisir. Soft, lovely, not complex, but with medium body and loads of fruit, this is a pretty example of a wine meant for drinking, not introspection. Readers need to differentiate between the estate wines, which appear under the “Domaine Grand Veneur” name, and the burgeoning number of high quality negociant wines made by this producer, which are bottled under the name “Alain Jaume.” First the estate wines: these two brilliant vintages for Jaume continue an almost unbroken record of highly successful wines that goes back well over a decade (and they are still fairly priced). This is definitely a modernist take on Chateauneuf du Pape, but the wines never lose the soul and typicity of Provence. They are impeccably well-made, pure, and deeply colored.Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228