Even better is the outstanding 2007 Cotes du Rhone Roaix Les Crottes. This sleeper of the vintage (80% Grenache and 20% Syrah) has a dark ruby/purple color and loads of cassis and black raspberry fruit, with licorice, lavender, and other white flowers in the intense aromatics. The wine is full-bodied, deep, and an amazing effort that should drink well for 5-6 years. Yves Gras is one of the great personalities of the southern Rhone, and I always enjoy my visits with him. Aside from his passion and singular personality is his exceptional talent for winemaking and vineyard management. First, as I have indicated in the past, he has a small negociant operation. There are very few efforts in 2008 under the “Santa Duc Selection” moniker because of the challenging vintage; he did show me three wines. The estate wines in 2008 include only one cuvee of Gigondas, as there will be no Les Hautes Garrigues produced, or his new baby, the Grand Grenache 66. The three cuvees of 2007 are certainly the finest wines I have tasted from Yves Gras since I started visiting him in the mid-1980s.Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083