The very good 2007 Gigondas offers black cherry fruit notes intermixed with hints of white chocolate, loamy soil, pepper, and spice. Medium-bodied and surprisingly elegant, it is best consumed during its first 7-8 years of life. Few vignerons are more interesting to visit than Domaine La Soumade’s Andre Romero, whose wines are longtime reference points for the wines of Rasteau, a village with some incredible terroirs as well as a high percentage of old vine Grenache. Romero makes a bevy of Vin de Pays offerings, but his finest cuvees are his Cotes du Rhone and Rasteau wines. He also produces a small amount of Gigondas. Readers who don’t think Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon can do well in the Mistral winds and dry heat of the southern Rhone should check out Soumade’s offerings. St.-Emilion’s guru, Stephane Derenoncourt is the consulting winemaker, which may help explain why these wines are so good.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565