That the best wines come from the best vineyards should be easy enough to understand, but somehow the cult of the winemaker has obscured that simple truth so much it comes as a surprise to people new to wine. But there it is: every vineyard has its own combination of soil, water, air, and sun; some of those combinations are better for a given grape variety than others; and a winemaker can only achieve GENUINELY high quality by starting with a genuinely good vineyard.

But then it's also true that a vineyard needs a vineyardist as much as a vineyardist needs a vineyard.

Vincent Durieu is a hard-working, well-schooled vigneron in Ch?teauneuf du Pape, one of France's greatest red wine appellations. But he also owns a few hectares a few miles away in the AOC Ventoux, the southwards extension of the C?tes du Rh?ne, where similarly rocky, water-starved soils bake under an identically hot southern sun . . . with a wide variety of quality outcomes.

The Ventoux was never a prestigious appellation, and most of its vineyards were farmed for quantity and managed haphazardly with their fruit sold in bulk to darken and thicken the anonymous blends of large scale merchants.

But where the price of wine is low, so is the price of land, so Vincent was able to take his choice in the Ventoux, selecting a 3 hectare parcel with ideal conditions: the right type (and depth) of soil, the right angle to the sun, the right elevation, and a deep enough water table to force its vines to push their roots down deep.

Then he planted his parcel with Grenache (70%) and Syrah (30%). And he worked it like he worked his Ch?teauneuf du Pape. And the result he got was year after year of rich, smooth, warmly complex wines capable of challenging anything from the C?tes du Rh?ne.

Vincent's 2013 might actually be even better than any 2013 from the C?tes du Rh?ne. Its aromas have a layered complexity beyond anything I've been finding in other southern wines from this cooler vintage. And in the mouth its advantages of fullness and richness are obvious.Whatever the weather might have been in Avignon and Orange, it was evidently perfect on the south side of Mount Ventoux.

It is also a great value. As Rh?nes in general have followed the upward trend in pricing these last few years this one has remained stable.

Enjoy!

2013 Domaine Durieu Ventoux - Rhone Valley, France  

Regularly $13.99, Special Offer Price $11.89

Cheese Pairing: Marcel Petite Comt? Raw Cow's Milk - $32.99/lb.