This Provence-based négociant has turned out a respectable 2016 Cotes du Roussillon Villages from a blend of 44% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan. It's a medium-bodied wine, with clean black cherry fruit and some savory touches of earth and spice but not much depth or richness.

A chuggable, well-made, textured red that delivers plenty of black fruits, leather, and dried earth aromas and flavors, the 2014 Cote du Roussillon Villages (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the balance Mourvèdre and Carignan) is medium-bodied, nicely concentrated and textured, with ripe tannin. It’s another high-quality wine from this consistent label.

Offering ample red and black fruits, smoked meats, spice and even hints of chocolate, the 2013 Cotes du Roussillon Villages is medium-bodied, pure and impressive on the palate. Showing more peppery nuances with time in the glass, this blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the balance Mourvèdre and Carignan is already enjoyable, yet should evolve nicely for 4-5 years on its overall balance.

Whereas in 2011 Hecht & Bannier had to seek sources of Syrah to replace those hammered by hail, Gregory Hecht calls 2012 “the revenge of the Syrah in Roussillon,” and their 2012 Cotes du Roussillon Villages incorporates from of that variety from Lesquerde as well as fruit for the grapes and places that informed the corresponding 2011 reviewed here as well. Tasted assembled from tank, this 2012 exhibits a Syrah-typical, soy-like streak that serves for mouthwatering persistence. An almost bitter point of collective dark berry, resinous herb and carnal concentration – incorporating juniper berry, huckleberry, and cherry pit – guarantees palate-staining persistence in a cuvee that promises excellent value through at least 2018. Gregory Hecht and Francois Bannier – for more about whose impeccable micro-negociant operation, consult the Languedoc section of my reports in issues 183 and 195 – have recently expanded both their total production and their range of bottlings, but that has not significantly affected their limited offerings specific to Roussillon. (See my upcoming Languedoc report for notes on recent Hecht & Bannier releases from inter alia Faugeres, Minervois and Saint-Chinian.) Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

The 2011 Cotes du Roussillon Villages gives up classic red and black fruits, dusty pebble-like minerality, licorice and earth aromas and flavors as well as a medium to full-bodied, lively, yet nicely textured profile on the palate. Mid-weight through the middle, with savory tannin, it will evolve nicely through 2019. This was a superb lineup from Gregory Hecht and Francois Bannier. The wines show distinctive personalities as well as solid underlying structures. They also represent excellent values. www.hechtbannier.com Importer: Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 230-0911