The 2010 Vacqueyras Domaine de la Soleiade includes tank-aged Grenache and wood-aged Syrah in the blend. It is an impressively endowed, sexy, full-throttle, voluptuously textured effort displaying lots of jammy strawberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with licorice, garrigue and pepper notes. Drink this spicy, forward, lush wine over the next 3-4 years. Vignerons de Charactere is a large cooperative that controls nearly 1,300 acres in Vacqueyras from many growers/domaines from which they bottle many of their single domaine wines. The quality is impeccably high as this is one of the best run coops in southern France. These cuvees range in price from a low of $20 to as much as $75, but most are in the $25 range. They are located on the road to Vaison La Romain north of Vacqueyras itself. The wines listed include all my favorite cuvees, and they all merit serious attention. Various American importers, including Importer: W. J. Deutsch and Sons, Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; Ideal Wine & Spirits, Medford, MA, tel. (781) 395-3300; and Fruit of the Vines, New York, NY; tel. (212) 765-2970

Potentially even better, the 2009 Vacqueyras Domaine de la Soleaide comes from very old Grenache vines blended with Syrah, all aged in cement tanks. Slightly less expensive than Les Hauts de Castellas, it represents a great expression of Provencal viticulture. Lavender, spice box, tobacco leaf, jus de viande, licorice and kirsch notes emerge from this deep, plum/ruby-colored wine along with wonderful ripeness, admirable purity and a medium to full-bodied texture with no hard edges. It, too, should drink nicely for 5-6 years. (Not yet released) This is a well-run large cooperative in Vacqueyras that admirably displays the talent involved. I tasted a dozen separate cuvees from this operation and six of them were potentially outstanding. Most of the others were competent, correct wines. This huge cooperative controls over 1,100 acres in Vacqueyras, and the wines are realistically priced for such high quality. The following six wines should change the mind of anyone with an anti-cooperative prejudice. Importers: Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, NY; tel. (718) 392-5640; and Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH; tel. (800) 597-1491

The general style is one of fruity, good quality, commercially-styled wines that represent very good value, and are immediately appealing. All of the 2007s are fruit-laden, lush, and best drunk in their first 3-5 years of life. These wines are aged in tank prior to early bottling I’ll keep my tasting notes brief as these are all well-made Vacqueyras that represent different blends, usually dominated by Grenache with various percentages of Syrah and Mourvedre added. Vinification tends to be traditional, with carbonic maceration employed for some cuvees. Importers: Fruit of the Vine, New York, NY, and Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH; tel. (800) 597-1491

Intense, concentrated, modern and extracted. Dark berry aromas, oak tannin dominant. Closed yet chunky.