A real sleeper of the vintage as well as a big-time value is the 2007 Coteaux du Tricastin Chateau des Estubiers, which is produced from old vine Grenache (80%) and Syrah (20%). It possesses a dark ruby/purple color in addition to abundant notes of cassis, black raspberries, licorice, pepper, and incense. Medium-bodied and loaded with fruit, it is the finest example I have ever tasted from this estate. It should drink well for 2-3 years. Michel Chapoutier fashions some terrific low-end wines that sell for a song, and in 2007, they are of exceptionally high quality. The handful of 2008s I tasted also look very good for the vintage. These are sleeper selections, especially his La Ciboise and Estubiers from the Coteaux du Tricastin.Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

The 2006 Coteaux du Tricastin Chateau des Estubiers offers earth, cedar, licorice, black currant, and smoky herb characteristics in a medium-bodied, attractively fruity, up-front style. While Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world's greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone (see my ecstatic reviews of his 2007 and 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #179), he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed. These are some top-notch picks from the southern sector of the region that all sell for exceptionally fair prices.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

A real sleeper selection from Chapoutier is his excellent, possibly outstanding 2005 Chateau des Estubliers. This is a wine with considerable Grenache, and of course, it comes from an area best known for superb black truffles. The wine has terrific fruit, loads of licorice, black currant, and cherry notes intermixed with some earth and spice box. It is ripe, medium-bodied, and filled with personality and character. I actually thought it tasted as good as Chapoutier’s more expensive 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. The great terroiriste and biodynamic farmer of the northern Rhone, Michel Chapoutier, continues to display impressive talent for turning out strong wines from the southern Rhone even though his undeniable strengths are his single-vineyard wines from the north.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900