Four Excellent Bordeaux
Cru Classé Pauillac
2010 Pauillac Grand Cru Classé (Château Grand-Puy Ducasse)
Sale Price $79.99 – $815.90 case of twelve
While admittedly expensive, the 2010 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse has serious merits as a true Pauillac without an insane price tag and a wait-twenty-years-to-open advisory. The Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot mix delivers compelling, iron-rich opening aromas along with blackberry fruit and firm, gripping tannins. With some air it smooths out into a full-bodied, earthy red with ripe roundness and a long, dry finish. Aging for another ten years will result in a better wine, but this lovely Pauillac shows no signs of shutting down over this time frame.

Modestly Priced Grand Cru
2010 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (Château Piney)
Sale Price $24.99 – $254.90 case of twelve
Saint-Émilion deserves its high accolades and its popularity. Here the Merlot grape reaches its charming best, and among the region’s many Grand Cru Châteaux it is possible to find value. The 2010 Château Piney is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, and delivers a mélange of perfect plum fruit and dusty, elegant tannins. Thoroughly delicious and eminently drinkable now, it has another 5 to 8 years of aging capability.

Cailloux
2010 Médoc (Château Cailloux de By)
Sale Price $17.99 – $183.50 case of twelve
We are returning to the 2010 vintage in Bordeaux because it has not been surpassed by more recent vintages and has not yet risen to the price peaks of the much hyped 2009 vintage. The 2010 Médoc from Cailloux de By is a supple, smooth, equal-parts blend of Cabernet and Merlot with fine-grained tannins and an earthy finish.

Tour
2010 Médoc Cru Bourgeois (Château Tour St. Bonnet)
Sale Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
The 2010 Tour St. Bonnet is packed with rich fruit and ripe tannins. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (45%), and Petit Verdot can be drunk young with a grilled rib eye or cellared for five more years for pairing with a more refined, elegant meal.

Two Traditional Riojas
The Royal Deal
2009 Rioja Crianza (Viña Real)
Sale Price $11.99 – $122.30 case of twelve
Viña Real and CUNE are now two wineries under the same ownership. In 2004 King Juan Carlos cut the ribbon on the new Viña Real winery in Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa. The CUNE wines continue to be fermented and aged in their historic bodega in Haro created in 1879. The two medium-term, oak-aged Crianzas that emerge from these two wineries are incredible values. This 2009 is a super smooth red with wonderful aromatics, elegant tannins, and mature barrel-aged flavors.

Viña Arana
2005 Rioja Reserva ‘Viña Arana’ (La Rioja Alta)
Sale Price $27.99 – $285.50 case of twelve
La Rioja Alta has been around since 1890 and for a time seemed to have lost its way, but we are happy to report that the winery is very much back on track. The 2004 Viña Ardanza is a full-on dramatic gusher of a wine. The 2005 Viña Arana may be more restrained, but it is every bit as good. Reds like this are referred to as Rioja Claret, as they are made to mimic red Bordeaux. We taste the resemblance in its very dry, elegant style. Unlike Bordeaux this is already aged and mature. This is 95% Tempranillo aged for three years in used American oak and then for two more years in bottle before release.

The Other Malbec
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (Domaine Bousquet)
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve
Given the popularity of Malbec from Argentina it is easy to forget that there are other red grapes in their vineyards. The Bousquet family emigrated from France to Mendoza and planted their vineyard in the Tupungato Valley, 3,600 feet up in the Andean foothills. The cool dry climate is ideally suited to organic viticulture. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and full bodied. Dark cherry fruit, fine tannins, and a nice long dry finish complete this fine Cabernet. .

Russian River Pinot on the Cheap
2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ‘Lot 395’ (Cameron Hughes)
Sale Price $15.99 – $163.10 case of twelve
A couple of months ago we ran a “Napa on the Cheap” feature on a pair of Cameron Hughes wines. This month we have moved to the Russian River Valley where C-H has sourced an extremely elegant Pinot Noir. This 2012 has wonderful fresh raspberry fruit along with an earthy forest-like aroma. The finish is dry with nicely ripe tannins. Try this wine with a seared salmon fillet and a spicy fruit chutney.

Saint Bris
2012 St Bris (La Chablisienne)
Sale Price $9.99 – $101.90 case of twelve
Good quality French Sauvignon Blanc is always in demand, and our Loire Valley selections always sell out. Fortunately there is Saint Bris, a small appellation near Chablis that is exclusively Sauvignon Blanc, and in the case of the wine from the La Chablisienne cooperative, extremely good value. The 2012 has sharp, lively aromatics and a surprisingly rich body. Have this with a corn chowder or some cracked crab.

Grand Muscadet
2012 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine ‘Clos des Briords’ (La Pépière)
Sale Price $15.99 – $163.10 case of twelve
For years Marc Ollivier was virtually a one-man-plus-harvesters operation, but as his estate expanded he realized that he needed some help. After Marc purchased some vines from a retiring grower, he hired Remi Branger, the grower’s son. Then after a few years Marc took him on as a partner. We hope to taste some new cuvées in the future; and we fervently hope that the single-vineyard Clos des Briords remains available. This has long been the Muscadet that changes our customers’ perception of Muscadet. The Clos des Briords vineyard was planted in 1930 on rocky, schistous soil with veins of granite jutting to the surface. This gives the wine a deep mineral character. The old vines and a good exposure ensure concentration of fruit, and Marc’s long cold fermentation and lees aging give the wine impressive complexity and longevity. With Remi’s help the estate has been converted to organic viticulture and the use of sulfur has been greatly reduced. The 2012 is another in a long line of great Clos de Briords from this now formidable team.

Black ‘n Blanco
2012 Priorat Blanco ‘Black Slate’ (La Morera)
Sale Price $19.99 – $203.90 case of twelve
It’s been over twenty years since we visited the Priorat wine region, but we still remember the incredibly steep hillsides and the slate soils that slid beneath our feet. Since then the wines have proven to be powerful; more recently they have been fine-tuned and now have more finesse. This applies to both reds and whites. This white Priorat grown on the distinctive licorella (black slate) soils began its journey over 100 years ago when the Garnacha Blanco vines were planted in the village of La Morera. This 2012 retains its fresh character due to optimal harvesting times plus a cool fermentation with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The result is an intense, bone dry white with incredible minerality fused to an eau-de-vie-like essence of stone fruit.