Produce of 100% Garnacha fruit grown in clay and limestone soils in the Navarra region of northern Spain. Bright red with a glint of burnt orange to translucent at the edges with tantalizingly fresh spicy berry aromas and hint of white pepper; just ample on the tongue, then completely compellingly crisp and refreshing and ulp ... Ah, spring.

Opaque ruby. The highly perfumed nose offers an exotic array of red and dark berries, spicecake and potpourri, with hints of smoky herbs and olive adding complexity. Juicy and fresh for a wine that's over 15% alcohol, offering sweet raspberry and cherry flavors framed by silky tannins. Very suave and open-knit today, with excellent finishing clarity and smoky persistence. Rated 94. ‑ Josh Raynolds, Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar January/February, 2010

Balanced and harmonious with lively flavors of fruit, flowers and minerals. Rated ** ½. ‑ The New York Times

It seems such a short time ago we were introduced to a comparatively precocious Lot of only 11 — now its the big five-oh. My, time does seem to fly. But, just like way back when, Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red is still produced predominantly from Zinfandel, with a dollop of Petite Sirah and Carignane, replicating the old Cal-Ital field blends of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Lot Number 50 benefits from an admixture of Syrah from Marietta's Mendocino Hill vineyard, lending additional nuance. Characteristically deep ruby in color with forward Zin aromas suggesting blackberry and spiced plum; at once balanced and generous, lush and supple on the tongue with a nicely rounded and mouth-filling finish. This is, for sure, the same up-front, delicious wine we've come to know and love over these last thirty-something lots but, perhaps, now with just an inkling of contemplative reflection. If Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red is approaching venerability as a brand, it is, indeed, getting even better with age...

Mas de Lavail is located in sunny and dry Languedoc-Roussillon, between the Mountains of the Pyrenées and Corbières, in a little town named Maury. People of this region are very proud of their Catalan national heritage, where they speak their own language, deeply influenced by the Spanish culture. Its vignerons work hard in the vineyards, using leaf-pulling and hand-picking to extract wines of great concentration and flavor from the fertile terroir. Nicolas Battle (pronounced "buy") is a young winemaker of great talent and the fifth generation of his family to practice this noble profession. Together with his cousin, Lionel Lavail, they work this new domain of fantastic potential, with very old vines averaging 80+ years of age planted to the formidable black schist soils of this part of the Languedoc-Roussillon. Their 2007 vintage Mas Lavail Carignan Vieilles Vignes Terre d'Ardoise, produced from 100% old vines Carignan, is a shimmering garnet in color; at once both light and lively, warm and round, plump, ripe, juicy and succulent, with smooth rounded tannins and grapey fresh flavors that just plain deliciously please.

The relationship between Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris is similar to that between Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Like Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Gris has evolved naturally and developed a pink/grey pigmentation in its skin, yielding a wine diverging from that of Sauvignon Blanc, one more aromatically discreet with less green and more orange-tinted fruit, a wine softer and more richly-textured than your average Sauvignon Blanc. This 2008 vintage Cousiño-Macul Sauvignon Gris gives aroma of wildflowers, white peach, mandarin orange and tropical fruit with nuance of ginger and spice; like a mandarin orange it has a gentle vibrance on the tongue, soft-textured and smooth around the edges with flavors that reprise the aromas refreshingly.

The 2006 Cairanne Reserve des Seigneurs is a terrific wine that speaks loudly about the brilliance of the two brothers who run this estate, Frederic and Francois Alary. This wine has admirable texture, purity, length, and full-bodied power. It is just a shame that some of the more prestigious appellations don’t have producers making wine as good as this. It should drink nicely for 7-8 years. Rated 91. ‑ Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 178, August, 2008

On the 1st of September, 1729, and shortly following a royal decree allowing Champagne wines to be transported in bottles, the House of Ruinart was officially established, making it the very first of Champagne houses to come into existence. The House of Ruinart is today renowned as a specialist with Chardonnay and their superb Blanc de Blancs is produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Luminous light golden in color; both fresh and complex aromas suggest wine-scented crayères, ripe citrus fruits, just baking brioche dough and a little something indescribable more; on the tongue, this is une Champagne très raffiné, fine delicately creamy textured, yet dreamy rich and toasty; elegant, harmonious, round and sumptuous, it just fills the mouth with joyous and generous bubbles. Indeed, Ruinart do have a way with Chardonnay! Regularly $57.50 the bottle, on sale now at:

One of the most consistently impressive estates in the northern Medoc, Potensac’s 2006 (made by the same winemaking team that produces the great Leoville Las Cases) reveals a deep ruby hue, notes of sweet cherries, roasted herbs, licorice, and gamy meat, and good fruit, structure, purity, and freshness. It can be drunk now as well as over the next 7-10 years. Good value. Rated 88. ‑ Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 181, February 2009

Medium red-ruby. Currant, mocha, tobacco, cedar, menthol and a whiff of smoky game on the expressive nose. Supple and broad, combining good volume for the vintage with rather cool flavors of black cherry, menthol and roasted herbs. This spreads out nicely on the back end, with the substantial but ripe tannins dusting the incisors. Rated 87. ‑ Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 143, March/April 2009

Good full, bright red. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, rose petal, minerals and leather, lifted by a spicy component; rather Burgundian. Suave, silky, dry and classic; offers plenty of stuffing without obvious weight. This refined wine really saturates the palate with perfumed flavors of redcurrant, leather, mocha and underbrush. Has the juicy acidity and the firm tannic spine to support a slow and successful evolution in bottle. Very classy sangiovese. Rated 92. ‑ Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 145, July/August 2009

Lisini’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a racy, sleek wine loaded with super-ripe dark fruit. This is a fairly immediate style for this producer, yet the wine is highly pleasurable for the integrity of its fruit and its round, enveloping personality. Clean, minerally notes frame the finish, giving the wine a lovely sense of balance and proportion. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Rated 93. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June 2009

Bright medium red. Knockout nose suggests a wine of strong extract and extends one's Brunello vocabulary: cherry, peach pit, licorice, lead pencil, honey, jasmine, botanical herbs, you name it. Dry, classic and sharply delineated, conveying a strong impression of energy allied with great delicacy. This manages to be very ripe, broad and silky and at the same time virtually weightless. Finishes sweet, pliant, minerally and very long. With aeration, though, this shut down dramatically in my glass and showed a leathery element. One for the cellar. Rated 93(+?). ‑ Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 145, July/August 2009

High-toned aromatics lead to a firm, taut expression of fruit in Costanti’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Wild herbs, red cherries, tobacco and flowers are just some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, traditionally-made Brunello. The wine possesses gorgeous length and finessed tannins that provide lovely balance. Today the wine is clenched and unexpressive, but it should come together in bottle. That said, numerous bottles of this Brunello have failed to deliver the magic I found when I tasted the wine from tank prior to bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Rated 90. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 183, June 2009

Rich and subtle, delivering plum, berry and ripe strawberry character, with dried mushroom undertones. Full, with a ripe, velvety tannin backbone and beautiful fruit. Features coffee and berries on the finish, with bright acidity. Best after 2011. 2,500 cases made. Rated 92. ‑ JS, http://www.winespectator.com

We are so very pleased to have again received this postcard from the end of the world, er, that would be Patagonia, Argentina. Produce of 100% Malbec grown in this high-desert vineyard where, not unlike Washington state, irrigation makes an otherwise marginal site a vineyard to be reckoned with on the world stage. Here, a twenty kilometre channel from the Neuquén river has made it possible for the grapevine to flourish and to produce fine wine in Patagonia. Postales del Fin del Mundo is the Bodegas' entry level wine, and it way over-delivers at its price. Ruby red in colour with hints of violet; aromas of dark berries and ripe plums with notes of vanilla, tobacco and earth; deliciously plump and round, just plain juicy on the tongue with soft tannins and a gentle crisp acidity that balance and give shape and lift to the flavorful finish. Give this little red the respect of a good decanting and reap even greater reward. Again, and in our humble estimation, this is stunning value.

From the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-PapeProduce of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Ugni Blanc grown in the cool vineyards of the Côtes du Luberon, this is essentially the same quality of wine one might reasonably expect from a good southern Côtes-du-Rhône white. Aromatically inviting; cool, clean, refreshingly fruity, wholly gulpable, then crisp and dry on the finish. We lovingly call it our "chicken wine" on account of the chickens on the label (La Vieille Ferme translates to "The Old Farm"). Best jug wine we know of either side of the Atlantic. And, at its very modest price, its a darn good choice for budget recovery wine, too!

Produce of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan and 15% Cinsault from vines planted on the slopes of Mont Ventoux in the southern Rhône Valley. Aromas redolent of berries and spice; full-bodied and fruity, with soft rounded tannins and a lasting flavor. Priced for everyday consumption, but delivering a good deal more than everyday quality!

A favorite among our discerning clientèle, but one that seems to fly rather under the radar (if only for lack of ready availability). From 60 year-old Garnacha vines planted in vineyards at the edge of native forests of small oak trees (known locally as chaparro) in the north of Navarra, itself just north of La Rioja in northern Spain. Vivid, bright ruby in color with aromas suggesting blackberry, raspberry, cracked pepper and an arid vineyard floor; seemingly medium light-bodied on entry, the wine expands on the tongue with gentle grip of light chalky tannins and bursting spicy berry flavor; ample, warm, expansive and flavorful to the considerable finish. For many among our discerning clientèle, especially those with a taste for the red wines of the southern Rhône and Burgundy, this wine represents uniquely superb value, too!

Ruby-red. Exuberant raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by anise, rose, baking spices and smoky herbs. Offers an intriguing blend of sweetness and spice on the palate, which offers pliant red berry and bitter cherry flavors with cinnamon, white pepper and lavender pastille accents. Finishes with a strong echo of red berries and impressive clarity. This is delicious now. Rated 91. ‑ Josh Raynolds, Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 142, January/February, 2009

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape displays the vintage’s distinctive, explosively earthy, spicy, peppery, garrigue-dominated essence of Provence-like aromatics. The fruit takes a back seat to the spicy, earthy component. Les Cailloux’s tradition cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault, aged in both tank and small barrels. This full-bodied, supple-textured effort is already seductive and round. Enjoy it over the next 10-12 years. Rated 90. ‑ Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 179, October, 2008

Domaine des Nugues (rhymes with Fugue, as in "The Art of...") is located in the northern part of Beaujolais at Lancié. Owner Gérard Gelin has some 15 hectares of vineyards bordered by crus Morgon to the west and Fleurie to the east. Planted to soils of clay and granite, the vines average some 40 years in age. The 100% gamay noir à jus blanc fruit is hand-harvested then whole-cluster vinified. Translucent ruby red in color with bright-fruited aromas that are not at all shy, rather bold and sassy, underpinned with that certain gout de terroir; both full-bodied and round, but somehow still light on its feet with bright cherry/berryish fruit flavors taut and tantalizing on the tongue; crisp, cheery, cherry/berry fruit on the finish leaves the palate exhilarated and ready for another pull. This is indeed a happy wine! For happy times! Or to make the times happier, as the case may be.