2005 Domaine de Escaravailles Le Hautes Granges (Roaix, Cotes du Rhone, France)
"What?!?!" was literally our reaction when we heard there was any of this wine left. We thought it was gone long ago. Club members are getting all that’s left of this wine! Not only is this an outright rare, even unknown import (the write up in Wine Spectator states "not imported into the U.S."), but it hails from a most high-quality label and region in the Rhone valley called Roaix, named for the small village which produces gusty, stylish red blends. You may recall the Domaine de Escaravailles means "Domaine of the Beetles", referring to the days when a small sect of monks called the Black Penitents ran the vineyards above the town, and as the monks scurried amongst the vines in their black robes, the townspeople thought they looked like beetles. 2005 was a great year in France, and the Hautes Granges has a beautiful, silky texture to its braised fig and currant notes, which are decorated with ever-so-slightly sweet cherry and chocolate notes, and hints of herb and espresso. A wild sounding profile to be sure, but the different notes are all seamlessly combined in this wine. Cherish it but drink soon; allow to breathe for at least 30 minutes. Sometimes we suggest drinking a wine on its own, and it’s hard to let any dish get in the way of this beautiful wine, but it would go nicely with Chicken Marbella, simply seasoned grilled meats, and savory appetizers.

2007 Clos de los Siete (Mendoza, Argentina)
A highly stylized blend first introduced in 2002, with the intent of imitating the stellar results of the calibrated, nearly obsessively-blended reds from Northern California from famous producers like Mondavi, Ridge, Sloan, and the like. The idea was to produce something distinctive from the wealth of good fruit available in Argentina, and to keep it modestly priced too. Each year has been a success, and the 2007 is considered one of the most intriguing: using Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, power fruit definitely leads the way, but notable twists and turns take us past licorice, spice, raisin, cocoa, and leather, all of which exits smoothly on the deft, lengthy finish. Powerful stuff to be sure, but comes off with great style and balance.

2009 Domaine Alary Le Grange Daniel Blanc (Rhone, France)
A beautiful wine which exhibits the style and finesse of the French method in using entirely stainless steel to ferment the Roussanne grapes. Beautiful and floral, with distinct rose notes on the nose, along with honeysuckle and hints of apple too. The body is very rich (that’s the stainless steel fermenting talking there) with amazing depth and focus to the apricot, mineral, and light almond flavors. French whites such as this are ideal "cooler weather wines," and are bold enough with generous acidity so that they can be paired with meat dishes, stews, soups, and the like.