2005 Casa Lapostolle, Clos Apalta Colchagua Valley, Chile. Who woulda thunk? Ummm, apparently contest entrant Richard, who had it on his list. Congrats! I was wrong about pretty much everything.

That leaves Richard and Tim in a dead heat, each with two correct answers. Though Richard has the number one wine on his list, he didn’t place his guesses in order. Tim did, and his two hits — the Telegraphe and the Quinta do Crasto — were positioned fairly closely to the actual results.

So I say we split the prize. Cheers to Richard from A Passionate Foodie and Tim from Winecast for taking part in this fun tradition to be. Next year I may go back to posting answers in the comments as I think it was better for encouraging dialogue. Read more…

We stocked this long before it received the #8 spot on the Spectator Top Ten Wines of the Year rankings. Beaucastel is among our favorite Rhone producers, and its sister winery, Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, is a domestic favorite. Buy some Beaucastel

Not quite cheap but still a value on a number of levels. Prices will surely rise as this becomes more scarce, especially given it’s #2 position in the Spectator’s Wine of the Year contest. Buy some Rauzan-Segla

We did a little reactive shopping and picked up some of this great Sauternes, perfect for holiday presents (or holiday sipping). #3 Wine of the Year according to the Spectator. Sweetie for $37