The 2006 Cotes du Ventoux, which is mostly Grenache with small quantities of Syrah and Carignan, is a front-end loaded, fruity wine that is seductive, sensual, and boasts loads of peppery black cherry fruit with some hints of damp earth and spice. It is a bistro-styled red to drink over the next 2-3 years. This firm, which has done such terrific work for the last decade under the ownership of the Louis Roederer Champagne firm and the management of the brilliant administrator Jacques Grange, has forged a noteworthy reputation for their selections from the northern Rhone. As I have written in the past, their southern Rhone selections have lagged behind in quality, but that seems to be changing dramatically, as evidenced by the following three cuvees, the best southern Rhone cuvees I have tasted from Delas in the ten-plus years I have been visiting them. Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000

Forward, with a light-bodied mix of red currant, cherry and floral notes followed by a slightly trim, minerally finish. Drink now. 21,665 cases made. -JM