As a young guy just learning to drink wine (and speak French) for the first time in Paris, I committed to memory early on these most fruitful words: "Un ballon de Rhône, s'il vous plaît. . . . "
A glass of Côtes du Rhone, please, was a smart place to start, a solid cut above the supermarket bin bottles of five-franc swill, but well within a student's budget. The Rhône's famous generic red is still a good bet for value vin, with big producers like E. Guigal, Jaboulet, Colombo, and Chapoutier delivering reliable bottles at a nice price. There are some exceptional Rhônes to be found, though, from smaller producers known for more prestigious appellations such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape - like this 2006 Cuvée Sommelongue from Domaine André Brunel. Known for his Les Cailloux (a $60-plus bottle), Brunel's $16.99 Rhône has a ripe, dark fruit core of grenache that opens up with earthiness, acidity, and a linger of cracked-pepper spice.