A step up in quality is the 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages, which is a sleeper of the vintage. A blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah and Mourvedre, all from two sources in the villages of Lirac and Chusclan, it reveals a dense color along with lots of round, berry fruit, roasted meat, herb and spice box characteristics. As I wrote last year, the Vidal Fleury enterprise, which is in large part a negociant business owned by the Guigal family and run with considerable precision by Guy Sarton-de-Joncquey, seems to be going from strength to strength with a bevy of wines offering some of the most reasonable prices of any Rhone Valley negociant. Both Guigal and Vidal Fleury consistently produce excellent rose wines. Last year, the 2010 GSM, a Southern Rhone cuvee that is bottled early to preserve its freshness and fruit, was introduced. Vidal Fleury has also done exceptionally well with their selections from Vacqueyras. Cote Rotie has always been one of Vidal Fleury’s specialties and they have done exceptionally well in 2010 and 2011 with the Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde as well as the limited production, single vineyard offering, La Chatillonne. Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-WINE

The 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages shows good potential with lots of dense strawberry and black cherry fruit, loamy, earthy soil, underbrush and licorice notes. This solidly made wine should drink nicely for 3-4 years. (Not yet released)My visit to the impressive, modern facilities at Vidal-Fleury in the Cote Blonde sector of Cote Rotie went well as I believe this is an up-and-coming producer. Owners Marcel and Philippe Guigal and the estate’s director, Guy Sarton de Jonchay, are instituting an earlier bottling, resulting in more freshness and lively fruit in the wines.Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-WINE