A half million bottles are produced of the 2010 GSM Vin de Pays d’Oc, a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre. It is a tank-aged, elegant, fruity dry red meant to be a casual quaffing wine for bars, bistros and brasseries. Offering lots of peppery, berry and kirsch fruit intermixed with hints of damp earth, roasted herbs and spice box, it can be drunk immediately. 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

An inexpensive wine, based somewhat on the Australian model, is the 2008 GSM Vin de Pays d-Oc. Made from 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre, it is aimed at the American market and younger generations of consumers. It is a wine that sells for under $10.00, yet it's loaded with black cherry and kirsch fruit, licorice, herbs, and pepper. It is a delicious, round, richly fruity wine that is impeccably made and should drink nicely for another year or so. Anyone who has visited the Cote Rotie recently probably couldn't help but notice the extraordinary new winemaking facility of Vidal-Fleury, situated at the foot of some of the finest Cote Rotie vineyards on the Cote Blonde. Guigal, who has owned Vidal-Fleury for 26 years, seems to have finally gotten this firm where the quality of the wines is first and foremost. Of course, the Maison Vidal-Fleury is one of the oldest in the entire Rhone Valley, with its history dating back to 1781. It was first located at the entrance to the little one-horse village of Ampuis, and the historic building is still there. Most of the wines are negociant blends, including the southern Rhone wines. With their new facility and a complete make-over of the winemaking team, quality has jumped significantly, and this is now clearly a negociant to keep an eye on for both quality and value. Much of this is to the credit of father and son Marcel and Philippe Guigal as well as the new Director General of Maison Vidal-Fleury, Guy Sarton de Jonchay.Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-WINE