When you're seeking the finest from the southern Rhône, you need to look to the hills—where vines feed from pure limestone on the steepest hillsides.

This kind of powerful wine is exactly what you'll discover with the outstanding, unique wines of Martinelle. Run by the energetic and extremely talented Corinna Kruse, Martinelle in just a few short years has climbed to the top of the short list of southern Rhône superstars. Her blockbuster 2005 wines were highly recommended by France's leading critics—but just wait until you taste the fruits of 2006.

This is the real deal—expertly crafted, boldly flavored and excitingly robust red wine from the finest mountain terroir on the “other” side of the Dentelles de Montmirail near Gigondas. Here, the Côtes de Ventoux is simply one of the region's finest sites—and it's a wine that comes in a classy package that looks great on the table, too.

From the get-go we've been floored by the top-notch quality at Martinelle—we just wish there was more to go around. This is a micro-estate that does everything by hand, cultivating old-vine Grenache and Syrah on craggy, stony slopes—simply the best terroir around. These high-altitude vineyards—900 feet and higher—allow southern varietals to ripen perfectly, preserving a mineral freshness underneath so much succulent and juicy southern Rhône fruit.

These are the wines you want on your table tonight, and certainly the bottles you should have in your cellar—the potential of these excellent wines, especially considering their jaw-dropping price, is stellar.