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This is surely one of the best-value wines in the shop. Frank and I visited this property when we first when to Gigondas ten years ago. Gigondas is one of those “most-picturesque” villages in France. Domaine Les Florets has a small hotel surrounded by vineyards nestled in the shadow of the Dentelles de Montmirial in Provence. It is absolutely stunning and most decidedly still very traditional, very Frend. Like its estate, Domaine Les Florets Gigondas is a traditional wine, evoking a clear sense of place. This is the same estate, by the way, that produces the Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone, to my mind the best Cotes du Rhone for the price year after year.

The following review appeared in Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, awarding it a 93 score. “Dark red. Extremely seductive nose offers a kaleidoscopic bouquet of fresh red berries, flowers, Asian spices and minerals; smells like a topnotch Chambolle-Musigny! Sweet and impressively energetic, with precise strawberry and raspberry flavors, medium body and fine, silky tannins. An utterly effortless, graceful example of Gigondas.”

Nebbiolo is one of the world’s great grape varietals. It is the varietal of Barolo and Barbaeresco, two majestic wines of great longevity. More affordably, Nebbiolo d’Alba and Langhe afford the opportunity to taste this varietal without the commensurate price tag of Barolo. These are also wines that you can enjoy much sooner, with warmer, longer summer days and warmer evenings in the Po Valley leading to riper grapes with softer tannins.

This is a wine to savor, slowly letting the flavors open and shift from rose to brambly fruit to fennel. Enjoy this when the sun has set and a little coolness has set in, ideally with a plate of aged Italian cheese like a good Parmigiano-Reggiano. If you eat meat, include some prosciutto or fennel salami on the plate as well.

The following review was written by Antonio Galloni, Italian wine critic for the Wine Advocate. “Readers who want to get an early idea of the 2006 vintage in Piedmont will want to check out Produttori del Barbaresco’s terrific 2006 Nebbiolo delle Langhe. The wine shows the super-ripe qualities of the vintage in its sweet dark fruit, licorice, tar and spices. To be honest, I haven’t always been a fan of this bottling as too often it can come across as green and under-ripe, but none of those qualities are present in this 2006, which bodes well for the estate’s top wines. In the meantime, this is a sexy, perfumed Nebbiolo to enjoy over the next few years. As is the case with the more important wines here, the Nebbiolo was aged in cask, six months in this case. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2011.”

We were first introduced to the Falesco “Vitiano” when we opened the wine shop two and a half years ago. Then, as now, it was a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot. Then, unlike now, it was $9.99 and frequently went on sale for $8.99. It was a steal then, and it is still a great value despite last year’s descent of the dollar that resulted in nearly across-the-board price increases for Italian wines. This remains a go-to wine; for everyday drinking, put this in your repertoire, along with Kermit Lynch’s Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, “Tradition,” the Berger Gruner-Veltliner (out of stock at our distributor).

Ridiculously dark black-ruby color. Pretty aromas of cassis, black plum and earth, with a pronounced vanilla presence that does not overpower the fruit. Rich and densely packed, with distinctly ripe flavors of black fruits, raisin and chocolate lifted by an intriguing balsamic vinegar note. This finishes lighter than it starts, with welcome acidity nicely delineating the borderline-overripe fruit. Finishes creamy and long. This is a lot of wine for the money, and the best Vitiano in years, far removed from some astringent versions of recent memory.

This is a great introduction to Malbec– rich flavors of black berry fruit, mulberry and black cherry along with a bit of licorice and spice. The new vintage was just released, and to promote it, the distributor offered a deal. The wine usually sells for $2 more per bottle, so now is the time to buy this one by the case. Save the $2 from the distributor, plus another 10% for the case and 6% on tax. That makes this wine just $9.89 a bottle. You will be hard-pressed to find a tastier Malbec for less than $12.99.

Malbec is the perfect match for red meats off the grill. Argentina is, after all, the land of abundant grass-fed cattle.

This super-value has been a crowd pleaser since we first introduced it over a year ago. An unoaked Tempranillo from La Mancha, it is the perfect weight for those who only drink red and need something less ponderous for summer evenings. It can be enjoyed as a glass on its own, but also pairs nicely with grilled pizza, roasted vegetables including eggplant and fennel, and burgers.

International Wine Cellar submitted the following review for the 2007 Campos Reales. “Bright purple. Primary dark berry aromas are complemented by licorice and dark chocolate. Straightforward and a bit youthfully grapey, with sweet blackberry and cassis flavors, supple texture and a late candied floral quality. This became firmer with air but is in no way hard. Very easy to drink and a ridiculous value.”

This is our harbinger of summer; when the Peyrassol arrives, we know that summer is not far behind. A blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, we buy this wine by the case and serve it at early evening gatherings when the sun is still out and parched throats yearn for something refreshing. When we first started going to France, the country of so much good wine, we were surprised to see so many natives drinking pink. We finally tried it in the south of France with a pissaladiere for lunch and have been strong proponents since.

Cotes du Provence, the appellation de controllée (AOC) in which the Peyrassol estate is located, is known for dry, minerally, floral rosés. We try lots of rosés when visiting France and when we travel domestically. The Peyrassol captures the essence of Provencal rosés: pale pink, with aromas of nectarine, pink grapefruit, carnation and just a hint of garrigue– a rosemary, thyme, lavender mix. In the mouth, wild strawberries, nectarine, and wet stones and that clean, bright finish with lingering minerality. If you’ve been to the Cote d’Azur, a glass of this will transport you back. Enjoy it on its own in the evening on your deck or pair it with anything Provencial, from aioli tossed with green beans and potatoes to pissaladiere or Caprese salads.

The following review appeared in the International Wine Cellar, a well-respected industry review of wines edited by Wesleyan graduate, Stephen Tanzer who, it turns out, gave the Peyrassol a 90. “Pale orange. Spicy aromas of wild strawberry, pear, orange, honeysuckle and white pepper. Fleshy, palate-coating red berry flavors display very good depth and are firmed by juicy acidity. Finishes on a sappy note, with strong mineral snap and floral persistence.”

This will be like no other Sauvignon Blanc you’ve tasted. It is so unusual, more like Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) than a Sauvignon Blanc. If it resembles any Sauvignon Blanc, it would be a Graves from Bordeaux, and then only because of the Semillon blended with the Sauvignon. Though the wine is dry, it has such rich aromas and flavors that you will want to pair this with something substantial. You’ll notice that it weighs-in at nearly 14% alcohol. If you pair it with a main course, it could go with lobster or with pork with a sweet maple glaze. I’d be inclined to put this with some rich cheeses, from a double cream Camembert or Brie to a triple cream Epoisses or perhaps best, a creamy (not salty) blue cheese like Colston Bassett or more locally, Boucher Blue.

The following review was written by Robert Parker. “The 1997 Sauvignon Blanc Potter Valley has those honeyed, white corn, waxy nectarine notes, with medium to full-bodied flavors, gorgeously fresh acidity, and lots of fig and melon. It is a remarkable Sauvignon Blanc that tastes young in spite of already being 11 years of age! The reclusive and idiosyncratic Terry Leighton continues to release his wines a good ten years later than just about anybody else in California. He also continues to turn out one of the finest Sauvignon Blancs and longest-lived Chardonnays.”

This is an opportunity to taste a terrific white Burgundy at an affordable price. Domaine Caillot is located in the village of Meursault. In February, the owner and winemaker, Michel Caillot visited Vermont and we were able to taste through 8 of his wines, each of which we wanted to buy. We finally settled on the Les Herbeux for the white as the biggest bang for the buck (we also carry two of Domaine Caillot’s reds). It is essentially Meursault masquerading as a Bourgogne Blanc.

When you taste it, you will have no doubt that you are in Burgundy. There is the signature minerality of the Cote d’Or’s limestone, crisp lemon-lime citrus, a little smokiness and a creamy texture, the totality of which gives way to a beautiful, long, pure finish. White Burgundies and double cream cheeses are a match made in heaven. The Caillot can also easily pair with grilled or roasted chicken or halibut, though as a vegetarian, I’ve put this with a barbecued tempeh (for the smokiness) and corn salad (for the creaminess) and was blissfully content.

This is a very unusual, distinctive and delicious wine. It is a blend of 80% Petit Manseng, 20% Gros Manseng from the Jurancon. Even if you travel a lot in France, you are unlikely to have visited the Jurancon. It is located in far south-west France, just north of the Pyrennes and in the middle area of that border between France and Spain. The grapes, as noted above, are Petit and Gros Manseng, both of which are intensely aromatic and flavorful. Gros Manseng generally has larger yields, but the grapes are deeply-colored yellow bordering on pinkish-grey, and the skins have high levels of tannin and color for white grapes. Consequently, they must be pressed very delicately so that the resultant juice is white rather than grayish-pink. Petit Manseng, which has similar aromas and flavors (honey, apricot and quince) is much lower-yielding with additional floral, mint and spice aromas and flavors. It adds elegance and finesse to what would otherwise be a very powerful white wine. This is a complex wine whose floral (narcissus), mint, orange zest and quince flavors are beautifully integrated and enhanced by the surprising and wonderfully refreshing acidity. While it enters the mouth with a round, almost unctuous feel, it finishes bright and fresh. Because of the body of this wine, it will easily pair with white meats. For vegetarians, try a sweet and sour tofu. We just had this with an appetizer of fresh ricotta with lavender honey and it was superb.

Here is an opportunity to taste two grapes (50% Clairette and 50% Bourboulenc) that are more often blended with lots of other grapes. They are two of the thirteen grapes allowed in Chateauneuf du Papes. Chateau de Beaucastel still famously uses all thirteen in their stellar Chateauneuf, but most use just 2-4 varietals. Of the Chateauneuf “Thirteen,” eight are red and five are white, including Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Picpoul and Picardan. White Hermitage, from the Northern Rhone, is Marsanne and Roussanne; Cassis, a small village-size AOC in southwestern Provence, is principally Marsanne and Clairette; and Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc is Picpoul. This is a rare hybrid, or rather, a seldom-exported hybrid that features more Bourboulenc, a grape that adds elegance and complexity, and therefore the opportunity to isolate some flavors associated with it.

The Domaine La Manarine offers an intriguing nose of mineral and white flowers along with white peach and lime zest. It has similar flavors on the palate, with good body but lots of fresh acidity to finish clean. It could pair nicely with a salad of mixed greens and fresh blueberries, shrimp ceviche, or a tangy goat cheese.