Tannin

The southern Rhone Valley of France is one of the world's great storehouses of Big Reds -- not your dainty little sipping wines but full-throated powerhouses that virtually demand to be fed raw meat.So it was encouraging indeed to hear that after a string of poor to middling years of Rhone production, 1995 would provide the most robust red wines since the acclaimed twin vintages of 1989 and 1990.But hearing and tasting are two different matters. Before all you Rhone fanatics out there go stocking up on multiple cases, it would be wise to pause and listen to the caveats.

1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia, Napa Valley ($65).Two years ago, this Bordeaux-style blend astonished me at a tasting in Washington, where I thought it was the best California barrel sample I had ever tasted. Now that it is bottled and on the market, it has lost none of its incredible concentration, supple texture, enthralling complexity and captivating charm. It is simply loaded with flavor: black currant, black cherry, exotic spices, raspberry, smoked meat and cedar. It is so appealing now that you might think it couldn't age, but there's plenty of tannin lurking behind the enormous fruit.

1995 Fossi Chianti ($8.49).There are few wines more useful than a well-made, inexpensive Chianti, and There are few wines more useful than a well-made, inexpensive Chianti, and there are few producers more adept at meeting this need than Fossi. This is a solid wine, packed with black cherry fruit and nuances of tomato. There's a slight hardness, but not enough to detract from the flavor. In fact, the dollop of tannin suggests one can safely buy this wine by the case and use it over the course of the next year or two.Pub Date: 5/18/97@

This junior version of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a spectacular value. It offers lush black raspberry fruit with hints of earth and herbes de Provence. There's enough tannin for structure but not enough to keep you from thoroughly enjoying it now. It's hard to make a case for buying 1991 Bordeaux when $8 will bring you this much complexity and depth in a wine from the south of France. It's worth buying by the case.

This lovely, flavorful, medium-bodied nonvintage red is obviously declassified Barolo, probably from the difficult 1991 and 1992 vintages. Clerico has done its best with what nature gave it, fashioning a delicious wine for early consumption. The black cherry, blackberry and earth flavors have Barolo intensity but without the tannin or body weight. A Marc de Grazia selection, it is perfect for finer Italian restaurants. Drink over the next two years.