One of two releases from Vinsobres, which is located in the northern, cooler part of the Southern Rh?ne Valley. From higher elevation and cooler sites, the 2015 Vinsobres Les Cornuds is a 50/50 split of Grenache and Syrah. It should end up being an outstanding wine and offers lots of black fruits, pepper and garrigue in a full-bodied, seriously textured and layered style.

The 2014 C?tes du Rh?ne Villages Vinsobres les Cornuds comes from an up and coming appellation that is located in the northern part of the southern Rh?ne. The wines from this region always have a cool climate, almost northern Rh?ne-like character. The 2014 exhibits an inky purple color to go with lots of black pepper, violets, olive, and garrigue aromas and flavors. My note says “it’s a northern Rh?ne Syrah with a kiss of the south.” It will drink nicely for at least 4-5 years.

More serious and endowed with more muscle and richness is the 2011 Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds. This wine comes from the very cool northern sector of the Cotes du Rhone appellation, which is a treasure trove for Syrah. The Perrins vinify the Syrah in truncated tanks and then age it in barrel, while the Grenache is fermented and aged in stainless steel, with blending taking place after six months. This beautiful 2011 displays plenty of black cherry fruit and lavender as well as hints of blackberry, licorice and graphite. Medium-bodied, richly fruity and offering loads of perfume, this is a wine to drink over the next several years. Of course, Jeb Dunnuck is covering the wines of the remarkable Perrin family, who own Chateau Beaucastel and also make the phenomenally successful Cote du Ventoux and Cote du Luberon La Vieille Ferme. They have also partnered with Robert Haas for their California project, Tablas Creek. These are two just-released cuvees that merit interest from shrewd consumers looking to maximize their value. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802; fax (205) 980-0408 ; www.vineyardbrands.com

The 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vinsobres Les Cornuds is dark ruby/purple, exhibiting loads of minerality, blue and black fruits, crisp acids and a cool climate, zesty, yet powerful mouthfeel. As I said last year, the Perrin family is a large one indeed, with brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois sitting at the top of the hierarchy and their four sons, Mathieu, Pierre, Thomas and Marc increasingly taking charge of their negociant business and their extensive estates throughout Southern Rhone. Now controlling over 1200 acres, as well as having a network of contracts, this operation is the equivalent of a major Southern Rhone train operating at high speed. Moreover, they are doing some incredible work in all price ranges. Other 2011s that the Perrin boys have produced include the following wines, which were very good across the board, especially for 2011s. In particular, readers need to take a hard look at their estate in Vinsobres, which is making the finest wines of that appellation, and more recently, what they are doing in Gigondas with the estate they purchased there, Clos des Tourelles. These are special wines. There are now three cuvees of Gigondas from the Perrins - the Gigondas La Gille, the Gigondas Vieilles Vignes and the Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. All three merit serious attention. Tasting the 2010s, which were all set to go into bottle right after my visit, certainly shows that this vintage is impressive, although I'm not sure that Marc and Pierre Perrin haven't done as good a job with their selections in 2011. Three cuvees of Gigondas look to all have outstanding potential and will probably be in bottle by the time this report is published. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802