Whites & Rosés
Domaine de Gournier Rosé, 2007 ($8.99) - Another Kacher selection, this comes from a beautiful estate in southern France on the western edge of the Rhône Valley between Avignon and Nimes, where Maurice Barnouin purchased a 200-hectare estate and planted numerous varietals. This terrific dry Rosé is a blend of 55% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 15% Cinsault. Harvested expressly to craft rosé (as opposed to the saignée method of bleeding off juice from a fermenting batch of red wine), the grapes are vinified in stainless steel tanks to optimize the primary fruit flavors. Brightly colored, the explosive red berry fruits are accented by notes of spice and a touch of earth. Fresh and lively, this is a beautiful, dry, Provençal-style rosé. Limited.

Dolce Stefania Malbec, Mendoza, 2005 ($14.99) – Rich yet nicely balanced, this hearty Argentine wine combines a focused structure with an explosion of sweet, juicy fruit flavors held in check by zesty tang. The nose delivers dark chocolate, mint, and cherry. The dense and concentrated flavors include black currant, dark raspberry, and spiced black plum. It received a highly respectable 88-point rating from Jay Miller in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, but no tasting notes were given. Dolce Stefania is a brand produced by Naiara Winery. German Vichera and Guido Meldini bought this winery in 2002. The building dates to the late 19th century in Maipu, Mendoza, when it was used as a fort by the Argentine army during the early years of independence. Vichera and Meldini restored the facade to its original state, leaving the classic and historical exteriors while converting the interior into a winery.

Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma, 2005 (was $19.99; sale $14.99) - The curmudgeon in me often reflects on how much better this world would be if I were running it. I'm sure many, if not most, if not all would disagree. But I digress. We carried this fabulous wine in the 2004 and then the 2005 vintages and sold a lot of it at $15.99. Diagio, the owner of the Moon Mountain brand, had a good thing going, but the idiots couldn't just leave it alone. Diagio raised the price, so we raised ours to $16.99. They raised it again until eventually we had to go up to $19.99! It had been a great value at $15.99 and $16.99, and it was a good value at $19.99, but I discontinued the item when another price increase came along. Gee whiz, guess what happened? Their sales dropped! After 8 months of wondering why, they lowered the price to make room for the new vintage. I took all they had left (6 cases), and we're offering it at a sale (net) price of $14.99. When it runs out, it runs out. Donft miss this delicious Cab.

Domaine Galevan Côtes du Rhône "Paroles de Femme," 2007 ($15.99) - This is the perfect replacement for the delicious 2007 Paul Autard CDR that sold out. Parker: 89-90 "The 2007 CDR Paroles de Femme (meaning "words of a woman") is a sexy, deep, ripe, full-bodied blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and the rest equal parts Cinsault and Carignan. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by abundant amounts of Provençal typicity as well as roasted herb, meat juice, kirsch, and black raspberry fruit notes. Enjoy it now - 2011. Proprietor Coralie Goumarre is another woman among many in the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation who seem to be pushing the envelope of quality. Sensational! A sleeper of the vintage."

Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 2006 ($18.69) - From a certified organic vineyard, this is a solid Napa Cabernet and a terrific value. It shows fleshy, ripe fruit and a nice amount of oak. Steaks on the grill anyone? Rutherford Ranch (formerly Round Hill) was started in the late 1970s by Ernie and Virginia Van Asperen. Upon their retirement, long-time shareholders Marko and Theo Zaninovich acquired the winery. Winemaker Steve Rueda was the winemaker at Kenwood for five years.

Plowbuster Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2006 ($24.99) - This is amazingly slick and polished for a second label (Carabella Vineyard). With a velvety texture and clean Pinot Noir character, this delicious wine is a great value. Carabella is a 49-acre site in the new Chehalem Mountains AVA, North Willamette Valley. Twenty-seven acres are planted to five Pinot Noir clones on gravelly volcanic soils. The vineyard is farmed sustainably using no herbicides. "It is all about vineyard site," says geologist, owner, and winemaker Mike Hallock. The vineyard was the culmination of a twelve-year search for a location combining the best criteria of top quality Oregon and French terroirs. Making modest use of new French oak, the focus is on purity of fruit and elegance of style. Hallock uses the diversity within the vineyard to make wines of elegant complexity. There are five Pinot Noir clones currently planted and two more will be planted this fall. The aim is to plant as much diversity within the vineyard as possible, so the winemaker has a broad spectrum of blending elements going into the final blends.

Delaforce Vintage Port, 2000 (was $54.99; sale $29.99) - Port in the summer? You'd be surprised. Besides this is an incredible opportunity to stock up on a delicious, ready-to-drink Port for the fall and winter. Parker: 90  "Sweet, open-knit, precocious style. Dense color with sweet, accessible black cherry/blackberry fruit, smoke, earth, and truffles. A lush, medium to full-bodied, juicy, succulent effort. Now - 2017." Tanzer: 90 "Full medium ruby. Roasted black raspberry and cassis lifted by musky espresso and an exotic smoky, peaty element. Dense and rich; sweet and approachable but with shape and grip. Smoke and earth notes. Very good length."

Badge Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara), 2005 ($32.99) - Badge is a new Pinot Noir-focused label from winemaker Bruno D'Alfonso who was the winemaker at Sanford for 23 years. This gutsy style of Pinot is very different from that of the Plowbuster. According to the Wine Spectator, the 2005 has "aromas of black cherry, anise and spice. Supple and delicate on the palate with a touch of cola and firm, earthy tannins. Drink now through 2010. 1,000 cases made." Two vineyards were used, 60% from the La Encantada vineyard (clones 667, 115, and Pommard 4) with the balance of the blend (clones 115 and 777) coming form the Gaia Vineyard (formerly Ashleys Vineyard). The wine is sleek and glossy, laden with a delectable profusion of super-ripe plum, cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate fruit accented with alluring vanilla, cola, pepper, sweet herb, and spice notes. It spent 16 months in barrel (60% new French oak) prior to bottling in order to allow the components plenty of time to integrate.

Banknote "The Vault" Red Blend, Napa, 2006 ($32.99) - Due to a disagreement between the winery and the distributor, Orin Swift's wonderful "The Prisoner" is no longer available in New Jersey. We found this excellent Zinfandel-based substitute, but only 585 cases were produced. Pete Nixon buys top quality grapes from several Napa Valley vineyards and, with consulting winemaker Bill Knuttel, constructs this blend of 62% Zinfandel, 25% Syrah, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big, brawny, and complex wine with aromas of black cherry, cigar box, blackberry, caramel, cassis, vanilla, and a touch of clove. The rich palate follows with cassis, cherry preserves, allspice, tobacco, and latte/espresso. Many reviewers have compared it to "The Prisoner." Some have actually preferred it! A few excerpts from the various reviews: "Slam dunk good," "21st Century Wine Hedonism," "bold, juicy, rich, and gushy." The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awarded it a Double Gold - Best of Class. (Admittedly it is a relatively small class.) As Pete says, "Banknote: accept no counterfeits!" Limited.

Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Reserve, Russian River Valley, 2007 ($49.99 net) - Let this beauty air a bit. Wine Spectator: 93! "Tight and compact, with dark, potent, concentrated fruit that fleshes out, with mineral, dried dark berry fruit, spice and tobacco notes, gaining body and complexity. Drink now through 2013." Limited.