Stellar Cellar

published 9 September 2008

Rupert & Rothschild Classique 2005 If you’re in the mood to celebrate, spoil yourself with a bottle of this ruby-red, silky and beautifully balanced wine ($22 a bottle; www.rupert-rothschildvignerons.com). It has flavors of cherry and spice and departs with a long, mellow finish. The wine is a Bordeaux-like blend: 51% merlot and 49% cabernet sauvignon.

Luigi Bosca Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2005 For an equally elegant red, try this cabernet sauvignon ($18; www.luigibosca.com.ar). The Arizu family emigrated from Spain in the 19th century and has been making wines in Argentina for more than a century. The experience shows in this graceful cabernet from Mendoza.

Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon Rapel Valley 2006 One of the great cabernet sauvignon bargains of the world, this bottling is delicate, smooth and subtle ($13; www.casalapostolle.com). The French family behind Grand Marnier liqueur produces Casa Lapostolle in Chile. This slightly tannic wine has notes of strawberry and other berry flavors.

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Atteca Old Vines 2007 You sense that there’s no shortage of sunshine in Spain when you imbibe this wine ($16; www.latienda.com), which is produced from low-yielding, century-old grenache vines (garnacha in Spanish). The dark-purple potion delivers flavors of cassis and ripe fruit. The merchant, Jorge Ordoñez, is a great source of red and white wines from Spain.

Catena Chardonnay 2006 This chardonnay ($18; www.catenawines.com) is from high-altitude vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. Delicately oaked and golden in color, it has lemon, apricot and tropical-fruit flavors. This vintage shows that Argentina can deliver varietals at prices well below those of comparable California wines.

BACK TO: What a $1,000 Can Do in 2008

Andrew Tanzer is an editorial consultant and investment writer. After working as a journalist for 25 years at magazines that included Forbes and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, he served as a senior research analyst and investment writer at a leading New York-based financial advisor. Andrew currently writes for several large hedge and mutual funds, private wealth advisors, and a major bank. He earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, an MS in Journalism from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and holds both CFA and CFP® designations.