From the folks at Domaine Chante Cigale, who bring us right good value in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cicada Blanc is a wine whose arrival is timely, as the cicada makes its annual appearance to ring in and ring out les canicules, that is, the dog days of summer. Cicada Blanc is an inspired mingling of Viognier, Picpoul and Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards in the south of France and fresh as the summer days are long (and they are long there at roughly 45°N in latitude). The Viognier gives both aroma and body, the Picpoul citrus and nerve, the Sauvignon Blanc a delicious ripe melon-like aroma and flavor; together they yield a wine with an alluring freshness, a quaffability that is ever so refreshing and all at a price that is oh so easy to swallow. The Cicada with the guitar is cute, too. Cicada Blanc might just be the wine to accompany the very sounds of summer. And it'll pound the porch with the best of them.

Equally delicious in red as well. From the fruit of 80% Grenache and 20% Carignane vines averaging 30 years in age and planted to clay and limestone soils in the southern Rhône Valley of France. Vivid medium ruby in color with aromas that conjure baies mélangées with only just a whisper of garrigue; crisp and vibrant with gentle fresh acidity pushing those bouncy berry flavors forward on the palate and leaving everything all the more refreshed for it. Put a little chill on this one and take the edge off the end of the day.

Deep crimson. A complex, expansive bouquet evokes smoky red and blue fruits, potpourri, licorice, game and garrigue. Stains the palate with sweet boysenberry, black raspberry and lavender pastille flavors sharpened by building spice and mineral notes. Finishes with strong tenacity, a touch of smoked meat and youthfully gripping tannins. Rated (91-92). - Josh Raynolds, vinous.com December, 2019

Produce of 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Carignan, 5% Cinsault and 5% Mourvèdre grown on 20 acres adjacent to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards of Domaine de La Janasse. This superb Côtes-du-Rhône has been a go-to bottle for us for some years now: deep, deep ruby red, with hints of garrigue and stone almost wholly subsumed by sun-drenched, ripe grapey aromas; rich, round and powerful with ripe kirsch-like Grenache flavors and chalky stony tannins building on the palate and giving shape and structure on to the warm and invigorating finish.

Mostly grown on the sandy soils of lieu-dit Chapouin, with some Crau and Janasse components too, the oldest vines were planted way back in 1912. Two-thirds of the wine are aged in foudre, one-third in demi-muid. It's very lush and opulent, showing black fruits with prune, plum and loganberry. It has a good weight of tannin, and the ripe acidity helps to pull it into focus, leading onto a long finish. An authentic expression of quintessential Châteauneuf - loud, proud and high fidelity. Drink 2020-2029. Rated 94. - Matt Walls, decanter.com (tasted October 31, 2018)

The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes derives from parcels planted on classic clay and galets roulés soils. It's 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% other varieties. Tight, intense, even clenched, it's in need of several years' cellaring before it becomes truly enjoyable to drink. For now, those gorgeous black cherries are restrained behind a firm wall of tannins. Full-bodied and rich, this is ripe, it just requires patience. Drink 2022-2035. Rated 97. - Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate Issue 244, August, 2019

Produce of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah planted to the slopes of the small valley of Trignon, with cool and breezy nights favorable to a slow even ripening of the fruit. The poor limestone gravel subsoil here also has the advantage of good drainage. Through a glass darkly, almost translucent medium deep ruby in color in our straight-sided tasting glass, full ripe fleshy fruit aromas suggesting myriad red and black berry fruits, black cherry, plum, lavender, pulverized limestone and even more with time in the glass; while this is no beast of a wine (it is smooth and slippery on entry) it surely is not a wine for the faint of heart, weighing in at 15% alcohol by volume, potent and full with ripe flavors on a backdrop of solid rock, with jittery fine-grained tannins underpinning and supporting their presence long and warm on the finish. We would recommend this with the air-conditioning turned down low, with slow-cooked meats, bean soups, soft ripened cheeses and the like.

Produced at Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this is, as they say, a 'gateway' to the more 'elevated' wines of the southern Rhône Valley. Only, in this case, the Ventoux appellation is actually higher in elevation, and more altitude in this part of the winegrowing world tends to give more freshness and more an easygoingness and, you'll notice, a little lighter touch in terms of price. Produce of 55% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 8% Cinsault and 7% Mourvèdre all hand-harvested from two vineyard sites, 3 hectares of Côtes‑du‑Rhône on the left bank of the Rhône river 15 km north of Avignon, and 7 hectares in the commune of Caromb, at the foot of Mont Ventoux in the Ventoux appellation itself. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled cement tanks, then aged in a combination of the same and foudres (large oak barrels). Lovely translucent ruby in color with aromas of ripe red and dark berry fruits, along with kirsch, hints of garrigue and, as la Famille Brunier suggest, réglisse; ample on entry, silky in texture with nicely rounded tannins giving the wine shape and form on the delicately flavorful, if warm and engagingly long finish. Put this one in a nice bowl-shaped Burgundy glass and pretend to yourself that you paid a lot more for it. And it'll get better still with air.

Produce of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre grapes hand-harvested from vines averaging 60 years in age from vineyards near Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône Valley. Each cluster is carefully sorted and the grapes are entirely destemmed then chilled to 12°C to undergo cold soaking, extracting as much fruit flavour and colour as possible. They are then put into stainless steel vats and undergo pigéage and a slow, temperature-controlled fermentation for some 15 to 20 days, yielding more robust, round, persistent tannins and body. The wine is then aged in concrete vats for 12 to 15 months before bottling. Lovely translucent cherry skin red with aromas of pulverized stone, wild strawberry, cherry, rosemary, lavender and more; supple on entry, then expansive on the palate to a generous mouth-filling medium-full in body with fine dusty jittery ripe tannins keeping everything fresh and flavorful on the long finish.

Dark bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe black and blue fruit liqueur, incense, smoked meat and candied lavender qualities on the deeply perfumed, spice-accented nose. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering intense black raspberry, bitter cherry and fruitcake flavors that tighten up and turn livelier with air. Shows plenty of energy for a hot-vintage wine and finishes impressively long and chewy, with mounting tannins and repeating smoke and floral notes. Rated (93-94). - Josh Raynolds, vinous.com December, 2019

A rich, mouthfilling effort, Vieux Donjon's 2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is concentrated and velvety, showing plenty of power and weight. Ripe cherries and raspberries are dusted with clove and star anise, then joined by hints of leather and cocoa on the long, intense finish. This is a beautiful Vieux Donjon that should drink well for more than a decade. Drink 2020-2033. Rated 95. - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate September 24th, 2020

This small château is located near the town of Saint-Gilles just west of the Rhône River some 5 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The rocky soils here are reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the fruit is always picked late, ensuring deep and profound wines with soft tannins. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers on the vineyards or crops. The fruit is vinified separately in stainless steel tanks by varietal and by vineyard site. This 2018 Château Guiot Costières de Nîmes is a blend of hand-harvested Grenache and Syrah fruit; very primary aromas of fleshy ripe grapes and grape pomace with suggestion of blue plum, kirsch and a good healthy winegrowing earth; just full and fruity and round on the tongue with nice crisp bright acids and supple tannins lending the gentlest astringency and keeping things refreshing and vibrant to the long and flavorful finish. Some kind of value, too!