2009 J. L. Chave Selection, Côtes-du-Rhône, Mon Coeur, Rhône Valley, France ... 18.99/203.00
This blend of primarily Grenache and Syrah sourced from superb sites in the Southern Rhône Valley left us speechless. Opaque black-plum in the glass, the Mon Coeur explodes with classic aromas of black cherries, cassis, black pepper and herbal garrigue. Richly textured, the wine saturates the palate with herb and pepper-infused blackberry and black currant fruit. Mouth filling yet weightless on the palate, the Mon Coeur defies the laws of gravity and finishes so cool, so clean and so refreshing as to belie its southern origins. Notes of tobacco, game and cured meat join fine, round tannins as the wine lingers on the palate. Chave’s Mon Coeur outperforms its appellation in the same way his Hermitage sets its own standard. Fans of Rhône Valley wines owe it to themselves to experience this selection. Enjoy now for its youthful vigor with full-bodied Southern French cuisine, and lay down a half-case or more to allow the genie in the bottle perform her magic.

2009 Vincenzo Ippolito, Ciro Rosso, Classico Superiore, Liber Pater, Calabria, Italy ... 11.50/123.00
Calabria is the “toe” of Italy’s “boot,” a rugged region where vineyards sweep right down to the beaches along the Ionian Sea. Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore is based on the rare Gaglioppo grape grown exclusively from vineyards in Cirò’s historical core. Deep crimson-garnet in the bowl, Ippolito’s Liber Pater Cirò Rosso captures all of Gaglioppo’s earthy goodness with exuberant aromas of cherry fruit infused with suggestions of leather, tar and dried orange peel. On the palate, the Liber Pater bursts with lip-smackingly delicious sour cherry and black currant fruit balanced by chewy tannins, tarry earth and black licorice. The wine finishes long and firm, revisiting its brisk kernel of cherry fruit while adding hints of bay leaf, smoky soil and mushroom underbrush. Superb balance, bracing acidity and fine, food-friendly tannins make this a perfect match for pasta dishes, hearty vegetable casseroles, grilled eggplant, roasts of lamb or pork dishes. Enjoy now or cellar three to seven years to allow the tannins to melt into the wine’s kernel of dusty cherry fruit.

2006 Faldas da Serra, Quinta das Maias, Malvasia-Fina, Dão, Portugal ... 13.99/149.50
Portuguese white wines continue to wow us. The Dão is well known to be Portugal’s finest source of dry red wines, but conscientious producers like Quinta das Maias are raising the ante by experimenting with indigenous varietals to make crisp, modern, dry white wines. Somewhat akin to a cross between a minerally Chenin Blanc from Savennières, a full-bodied Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc and a waxy Viura from Rioja, the Malvasia-Fina offers a brilliant lemon-gold hue and aromas of honeydew melon, smoky schistose minerals and sappy pine. Brisk and broad on the palate, the wine introduces complex notes of menthol, lemon balm and quince. Quinta das Maias’s Malvasia-Fina finishes long and minerally with reprises of mentholated lemon, green melon and smoky minerals. Highly distinctive, bone dry and bristling with acidity, we recommend enjoying this delight with heartier fare like herbed roast chicken, quail, braised pork, duck and rabbit, or with aromatic vegetarian fare featuring bay leaf and thyme.