The 2008 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Roaix Les Crottes , from a little known village that produces some fine wines, appears to have lost a little of its fruit since I tasted it last year. Nevertheless, it remains a competent wine for the vintage with a deep ruby color as well as lots of pepper, floral and black cherry notes, medium body and a more pinched finish than was apparent last year. The ebullient Yves Gras put me through a wonderful tasting of all his wines. His negociant operation under the Santa Duc Selections brand continues to expand. As most insiders are aware, the village of Sablet is well-known for its sandy soils and high quality white wines. Gras has produced two very good vintages of this cuvee, which is a blend of 35% Viognier, 35% Bourboulenc and the rest equal parts Clairette and Grenache Blanc. Yves Gras first made his Gigondas Grand Grenache 66 in 2007. An amusing story is that when I took my notes on it, he told me it was going to be called Grand Grenache GG and when I read through my notes, the two G’s looked like two 6's, so I called it Grand Grenache 66. Gras was on vacation when he began getting calls from all over the world ordering the 66 cuvee. He had no idea what that was since he had not made a 2007 Grand Grenache 66, but rather a Grand Grenache GG. To make a long story short, he ended up changing the label on the 2007 to Grand Grenache 66. I’m not sure if he intends to keep that name or not.Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083