I see this term on some wine bottles, sometimes its the only distinction btwn two identical bottles.

Wondering if this term is meant to show something superior or inferior about the grapes/ wine making techniques. Or is it something else?

Thx..

You'll find ample information in wine literature and on the net, but let's see if we can do this by heart.

"Villages" has to do with the appellation contrôlée system in France.

The system links a wine with the place it is grown.
In a way the American AVA system is a variation on that theme.

You can have a wine region as a whole. Let's say Côtes du Rhône with certain wine making rules (volume per hectare, allowed varieties etc.), which aren't very thorough. Within such a region you have smaller entities with stricter rules. In the example: Côtes du Rhône-Villages (there you have them). The latter being supposed to be harvested on better plots and mad following stricter rules, making a better wine. The villages by itself is further divided by quality to individual communes, like Gigondas or Vaqueyras, with still stricter rules, normally better wines and of course higher prices.

Note that in Burgundy the Villages-with-a-village-name (Gevrey-Chambertin, Volnay, Beaune, Chambolle-Musigny...) are further devided along the quality of the vinyards: the better Premier Grand Cru (with the name of the parcel of land: Les Combottes, Les Chaumes...) and the best Grand Cru (dropping the name of the village entirely: Chambertin, Corton, Musigny...).

thanks Rik

You're welcome. Hopefully, some forum scrutinizers will add and correct.

Like e.g. the c missing in the word "Vacqueyras".