Offering more floral characteristics, with white pepper, green herbs, violets and sweet fruit, the 2015 C?tes du Rh?ne Villages Vieilles Vignes (70% Grenache and 30% Syrah) is medium-bodied, fresh and focused. It needs a year of bottle age.

Both the 2011 Cotes du Rhone Vieilles Vignes and 2011 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vieilles Vignes exhibit lots of kirsch, peppery, meaty notes with some Provencal bouquet garni nuances, medium body and silky smooth textures. Both are best consumed over the next 1-3 years. Importers: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880 and Village Wine Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 673-1056

This reliable Chateauneuf du Pape producer has also fashioned two very fine cuvees of Cotes du Rhone. Both are admirable efforts displaying loads of red and black fruit, spice box, earth, and pepper notes. Sexy and seductive, they deliver all that wines from this category should. In fact, they over-deliver. Both are sleepers of the vintage. Enjoy them over the next 2-3 years. Young proprietors Aime and Michel Arnaud continue to turn out forward, complex, seductive Chateauneuf du Papes. Importers: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880 and Village Wine Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 673-1056

The 2006 Cotes du Rhone is slightly more austere and lean, but still very good, almost tasting like a premier cru from Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Both wines should be drunk in the next 3-4 years. This is an estate to take notice of, as recent evaluations in this guide have certainly made abundantly clear. This is another great example of young emerging newcomers, in this case Aime and Michel Arnaud, doing all the right things to turn out some impressive wines. This fine estate offers two very tasty, inexpensive Cotes du Rhones. Importer: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880

The 2005 Cotes du Rhone looks to be the deeper and richer of the two versions, with plenty of black currant and loamy soil-infused cherry notes intermixed with some truffle and animal notes. Both wines should be drunk in the next 3-4 years. This is an estate to take notice of, as recent evaluations in this guide have certainly made abundantly clear. This is another great example of young emerging newcomers, in this case Aime and Michel Arnaud, doing all the right things to turn out some impressive wines. This fine estate offers two very tasty, inexpensive Cotes du Rhones. Importer: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880