Chateau Guillaume, Médoc, 2005 ($12.99) - This 32-acre property lies north of the great Haut-Médoc. The soil features clay and gravel here, and the planting consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. The wine was aged in 35% new oak barrels for ten months.

Chateau La Tour Figeac, St.-Emilion, 2004 ($37.99) - Christine Derenoncourt, the wife of one of Bordeaux’s leading winemaking gurus, Stephane Derenoncourt, made this blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc from a bio-dynamically farmed vineyard, and produced from yields of [only] 22.5 hectoliters per hectare. Wine Spectator: 88 "This is not a profound wine, but it is very pleasant and ready to drink now."

2003
Château Vrai Canon Bouche, Canon Fronsac (Bordeaux), 2003 ($19.99) - Robert Parker: 88-90. “This noble effort, displaying terrific purity, power, and richness, shows that Canon-Fronsac’s cool terroirs were beneficial in the torridly hot, dry summer of 2003. An inky-ruby-purple color accompanies aromas of violets, blueberries, and crushed stones. Powerful, rich, and generous, this sleeper of the vintage should be at its finest between 2006-2014.”

Tardieu-Laurent Gigondas “Les Grandes Bastides,” 2001 ($27.99) - T-L is Rhône negoçiant whose delicious, modern-styled wines are controversial with purists. This unfiltered wine is 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. It was aged in Alliers barrique (part new) for two years. Traditionalists find the level of wood excessive. My notes: Very deep color. Nose shows new oak, but plenty of fruit. Delicious. Very ripe, nice balance. Accessible, but good underlying structure. Parker: 89 “Minerality (crushed stones), blackberry and other assorted red and black fruits are found in the 2001 Gigondas. Firm, with high tannin, and a medium-bodied, fresh, vigorous, long, concentrated finish, it will drink well for 7-12 years. $35”

Bouissiere Gigondas, 2004 ($28.99) - Red wines from France’s Rhône district are some of the best values out there! Châteauneuf du Pape gets all the publicity, but the wines of nearby Gigondas are equally good, and they are often better values. Bouissiere is a top Gigondas producer, and this is a remarkable wine. Stephen Tanzer: 91-93 “Saturated deep red. Smoky and lush nose with red berries, cherry, rose, garrigue, and roasted coffee. Excellent energy and precise red berry flavors. Finishes floral, juicy, and long with little sign of its 16% alcohol.” Bouissiere’s  monumental “Font du Tonin” (barrique-aged, old vines) should arrive next month.

Coudoulet de Beaucastel, 2005 ($29.99) - Year after year, this is my favorite Côte du Rhône. Parker: 91 “Another outstanding example of this Côtes du Rhône made essentially across the border from Châteauneuf du Pape. Notes of tapenade, licorice, smoked herbs, and meat juices interwoven with black cherry and darker fruits are followed by an expansive, broadly flavored, full-bodied wine with no hard edges, gorgeous fruit purity, and a long, spicy, heady finish. This is almost the bottled essence of Provence. Drink it over the next decade or more.”

Domaine la Roquète Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2005 ($36.99) - Henri Brunier,  owner of the famous Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, purchased  this property in 1986 and turned it over to his sons, Daniel and  Frederic. New cellars were constructed in 1998, and quality is clearly  on the upswing. Because the vines are on several separate parcels,  Roquète cannot use bottles with the traditional raised crossed keys.  The vines, 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre average 45 years  of age. Traditional techniques are used and the wine is bottled  unfined and unfiltered. Wine Spectator: 93 and Top 100 of 2008!  "Highly Recommended! Layers of exotic fig, boysenberry, and loganberry  fruit ripple across the lush, dense structure, while hints of red  licorice, linzer torte, mesquite, and plum sauce glide through the  well-rounded finish. Drink now through 2025." The Wine Doctor wrote,  "The contrast with the 2004 vintage is fascinating. Here we have a  wine showing more depth, with an animalistic, savage edge to the nose.  The palate has a nice weight and is well composed, rather fuller and  fatter than the wine from the preceding year, but there is a good seam  of acidity underneath the wild cherry fruit to balance it out. There  is a good grip, and it has very fine potential. 17-17.5+/20" 

Perrin Chateauneuf du Papes “Les Sinards,” 2005 ($39.99) - The Perrin brothers, Jean-Pierre and François, are best known for their famous Chateau de Beaucastel, but they have been building a small wine empire that includes other properties in the Rhone, a small estate in California (Tablas Creek), and a negoçiant house (La Vieille Ferme) that makes wines from the Rhone, Côtes du Lubéron and Côtes du Ventoux. They also make this cuvée which is declassified Beaucastel blended with grapes from their Olivet estate in the Les Sinards district, and some purchased grapes. The blend here is 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, and 10% Mourvedre. With solid fruit and structure, it is nearly ready to drink, and, at half the price of Beaucastel, it is a terrific value. Parker: 91 "The 2005 Perrin et Fils Chateauneuf du Pape Les Sinards exhibits greater ripeness than the 2006 but a longer and more complete mouthfeel, with medium to full body, and terrific concentration and richness for what is essentially a declassified, young vine Beaucastel cuvee blended with another parcel. This wine should drink well young but last for 15 or more years. Drink 2007-2011."

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Galet du Papes “Vielles Vignes,” 1999 ($27.99) - Jean-Luc Mayard is a proud, dedicated, and determined traditionalist who makes classic, old-style CDPs. With an average vine age of 50 years, his wines are intense, deep, and powerful expressions of a disappearing style. The gnarled Vieilles Vignes parcel is over 100 years old and consists of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah. This is a concentrated, intense, and complex wine and one of the appellation’s great achievements. It’s a steal at the price!  

Jean-Luc Colombo Chateaueuf du Pape “Les Bartavelles,” 2001 ($35.99) - Whereas 2003 is being acclaimed by many who don’t realize what an irregular, difficult year it was, 2001 was a classic vintage with much better growing conditions. In addition, this wine had two years in the bottle to develop. Made by the producer of a previous "Wine of the Month," it is a blend of 45% Syrah and equal parts Grenache and Mourvèdre. The unusually high percentage of Syrah is not surprising given that Colombo is a northern Rhône specialist. Intense fruit with overtones of rosemary and thyme are found in this excellent, approachable, age-worthy wine.

Domaine la Bouissiere Gigondas “La Font de Tonin,” 2004 ($36.99) - The Rhône Valley continues to offer great values. Where else can you find a world class wine for less than $40? Gigondas lies northeast of Ch‚teauneuf du Pape and adjacent to Vacqueyras. In the southern Rhône, its quality is considered by many to be second only to Chateauneuf. The most commonly used grapes are Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Tanzer 95: “Massive in texture and weight, with sweet, dense, berry flavors building and expanding. Finishes with remarkable sweetness [ripeness, not sugar] as well as admirable definition to the outsized flavors. The tannins are completely absorbed by the sheer volume of fruit here.” Serve with game, beef stroganoff, or spare ribs. Cheese recommendations include St. Marcellin, Roquefort, and Epoisses.

Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape, 2004 ($39.99) - This is just the second release from this exciting new estate. Fresh from enology school, proprietor and winemaker Julien Barrot convinced his father to stop selling grapes and to establish their own domaine, which has 12.5 hectares and produces only red wine. The average vine age is 60 years old, but 1/3 of the vines are 100 year-old Grenache, and one parcel overlooks the vines of Chateau Rayas, the most expensive wine in all of Chateauneuf du Pape. The Barroche vineyards have been farmed organically for a generation. Stephen Tanzer 93: “Intense raspberry, strawberry, and exotic blood orange aromas complicated by garrigue and anise. Supple, sweet, and elegant, showing excellent depth and a broad range of red fruit tones. Silky, intensely fruity, and long.”

Alain Voge Cornas Vieilles Vignes, 2000 ($47.99) - Both Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator have called Voge’s wonderful Rhones some of the “finest wines in the world.” Wine Spectator 91: “Classy, Refined and subtle, with blueberry, blackberry, and black currant flavors. Lively, succulent, medium-bodied Syrah with a long and juicy finish.”

Châteauneuf du Pape “Bargeton,” Patrick Lesec, 2003 ($48.99) - Parker: 94! “This blockbuster was aged 80% in wood and 20% in tank. A blend of 78% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and a dollop of Cinsault, it offers up huge aromas of garrigue, ground pepper, kirsch, and roasted meats. Dark plum/purple-colored, heady, alcoholic, full-bodied, and enormously proportioned, this 2003 is meant for true hedonists.” This wine needs a few more years of aging.

Alain Jaume Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf du Pape “Les Origines,” 2003 ($54.99) - Wine Spectator 94: “Jaw-dropping raspberry ganache, plum fruit, cocoa, tar, hoisin sauce, and mineral notes are flamboyantly displayed, while an intense tarry, minerally drive extends the finish. Best from 2007-2025” Robert Parker 95: “Dazzling stuff and one of the vintage’s top efforts. Deep purple to the rim with a gorgeous nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with blueberries, smoke, licorice, roasted meats, and herbs, the wine has fabulous concentration, a multilayered mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish with sweet tannin and plenty of opulence. Drink it from 2006-2018. For the last 7-8 years, this has been one of the best-run estates in Châteauneuf du Pape. Alain Jaume and his two capable sons, Sebastien and Christophe, continue to propel Domaine Grand Veneur into the upper echelon of quality. They also offer an impressively well-made negoçiant line of wines (under the name Alain Jaume). The hallmarks of the Grand Veneur wines include their extraordinary purity of flavor and impeccable balance. Moreover, they have kept prices remarkably fair.”  

Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas “La Louvee,” 2005 ($74.99) - This young Rhone will benefit from some aging, but it is an exceptionally good, layered wine.” Wine Spectator: 94 “This is packed, with dark fig and raspberry ganache notes all richly layered with bittersweet cocoa, aged tobacco, loam, and iron. The long, muscular finish will need time to stretch out. Best from 2008 through 2017. 350 cases made.”

Others
Puech Cocut Merlot, Vin de Pays D'Oc, 2006/2007 ($9.35/750ml, $16.99/1.5L) - Although not from a prestigious part of France, this is a very solid every-day red wine. It is one of our best sellers.