A sleeper of the vintage (and usually one of the finest wines from this appellation) is the 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Argiles Bleus. This old vine Grenache from the appellation’s famous blue clay soils exhibits an inky/plum/purple color as well as a highly extracted nose of black fruits, earth, vitamins, and chocolate. Deep, full-bodied, powerful, and rich, this wine will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age, and should keep for a minimum of 7-8 years. At the time of writing, Domaine de Beaurenard was in the process of changing importers, having lost nearly 250,000 euros when they were not paid for the sale of their 2005s.One of the oldest estate bottlers of Chateauneuf du Pape, the Coulon family boasts an extraordinary track record of making wine. They were one of the first to offer a luxury cuvee, called Boisrenard. The Chateauneuf du Pape (a blend of 70% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 8% Cinsault, and the rest various authorized varietals) spends time in both small barrel and foudre.