When we went back and ran the numbers, we discovered that 782 members purchased at least once per week on WineAccess between 2008-2010, when the wheels fell off the Silverado Trail. Thousands of members gobbled up highly rated Napa Valley Cabernets offered for less than $50/bottle.

When we went back and ran the numbers, we discovered that 782 members purchased at least once per week on WineAccess between 2008-2010, when the wheels fell off the Silverado Trail. Thousands of members gobbled up highly rated Napa Valley Cabernets offered for less than $50/bottle.

But when the storm clouds blew off and prices actually spiked on the heels of the short harvests of 2008-2011, we discovered something else. Hundreds who had purchased regularly during the crisis years continued to read but had stopped buying. When we called to ask why, the answer was much the same. "Why spend $75/bottle for 92-point Cabernet when I have cases of them in my cellar for which I paid just $45?"

It was a fair question, one for which we had no answer. Until today.

While Michael Keenan's extravagant 92pt 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the great bargains of the crisis years -- offered at just $48/bottle on release -- Keenan would up the ante in 2009. This is an absolutely voluptuous effort from Keenan, Parker's Wine Advocate describing it as "rich and voluptuous, total(ly) saturating the palate from start to finish." The 93pt addendum would be the highest score in three years for any Napa Valley blue chipper priced under $50/bottle!

Deep purple to the rim, with plush aromas of black fruit and violets, laced with new wood cedar. Massively concentrated on the attack, loaded with black fruit preserves, laced with flashy creme-de-cassis, it's the finish that so sets the 2009 apart. Plush, supple tannins beautifully offset all the hedonistic opulence, arguing gracefully for a 10-year stint in a cool cellar.

$57 on release. A $39.99 time machine trip this morning, on this bold retort to a question previously left unanswered.

We were invited to a conference in Bordeaux just before the release of the much-heralded 2009 vintage. Denis Dubourdieu, the Oenology Professor at the University of Bordeaux, took the microphone, asserting that truly great vintages share a number of characteristics. Early flowering. A warm, dry, spring and summer. Then, a few weeks of dry, mild weather before harvest. Dubourdieu concluded by saying that 2009 had all of these components.

We were invited to a conference in Bordeaux just before the release of the much-heralded 2009 vintage. Denis Dubourdieu, the Oenology Professor at the University of Bordeaux, took the microphone, asserting that truly great vintages share a number of characteristics. Early flowering. A warm, dry, spring and summer. Then, a few weeks of dry, mild weather before harvest. Dubourdieu concluded by saying that 2009 had all of these components.

When Robert Parker subsequently chimed in, prices skyrocketed, turning the global wine market on its ear. The Wine Advocate would award 19 Chateaux perfect 100-point scores. Parker went on to compare 2009 with the heralded 1959 and 1929 harvests. Particularly on the Right Bank of the Dordogne, the most meticulous winegrowers had a field day -- none more so than the brilliant Stephane Donze at Chateau Martinat.

Read on to learn more about Stephane and Lucie Donze's decision to abandon promising careers in Paris, opting instead to roll the dice on 24 acres of old vines, all planted on prized limestone soils. Then, learn how the restless mind behind Stephane's broad-rimmed glasses, recognizing the miracle vintage at hand, adopted a 2009 harvest strategy more akin to Petrus than to St. Emilion Grand Cru or the Cotes du Bourg!

The 2009 Chateau Martinat was one of the two most stunning discoveries of our week-long tour of the Gironde. Brilliant deep purple to the rim, the nose is a luscious mix of crushed black fruits and plum, black cherry laced with violets. The attack is at once rich, dense and New World silken, infused with a juicy, palate-coating mix of blackberry and red fruits. Voluptuous on the mid-palate (speaking to the malolactic fermentation in barrel), softly braced by fine, dusty tannins, arguing gracefully for a ten-year sleep in a cool cellar.

First, it was Robert Parker's rave review, calling it "front-loaded with loads of rich fruit … seductive and sensual, best drunk in the next 6-8 years." Then, it would be the Gold Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition...

First, it was Robert Parker's rave review, calling it "front-loaded with loads of rich fruit … seductive and sensual, best drunk in the next 6-8 years." Then, it would be the Gold Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition. From 2004-2008, few Napa Valley Cabernet Blends have garnered as many rave ratings and reviews on WineAccess as the Crane Brothers' luscious "Brodatious."

In a spot long favored by the likes of Caymus, Lewis and Duckhorn, winemaker Al Perry knocked it out of the park in 2009, putting out this sleekly polished, darkly-concentrated powerhouse that makes even the extravagant 2007 look tame.

Deep purple/black to the rim with classical crushed black fruit aromas, laced with new wood cedar. Explosive on the attack with gobs of blackberry/boysenberry concentration, the 2009 Brodatious is drinking beautifully right out of the gate, but its sneaky tannin backbone argues subtlety for 5-7 years of cellar slumber.

Not much to spread around this morning, so we're keeping this one short and sweet. Over the last five years, the Cranes' estate-grown blend has garnered 535 4-star ratings and 223 perfect 5s. Winemaker Al Perry claims the 2009 is his best yet. We'll never argue with Al. $40 on release. Just $23.99 this morning for what has long been one of Napa's greatest estate grown bargains. Shipping included on 4.

For over forty years, Sergio Germano had been eyeballing a south-facing patch called Lazzarito, set on the bleached limestone slopes of prized Serralunga. While most knew Lazzarito for its 75-year-old-vine Barolo, Germano was equally intrigued by the old-vine Dolcetto -- a parcel called "Pradone."

For over forty years, Sergio Germano had been eyeballing a south-facing patch called Lazzarito, set on the bleached limestone slopes of prized Serralunga. While most knew Lazzarito for its 75-year-old-vine Barolo, Germano was equally intrigued by the old-vine Dolcetto -- a parcel called "Pradone."

From 2008-2010, Germano fashioned one of the most striking Dolcettos ever made in Piemonte, as Pradone's old vines eked out small crops of strikingly concentrated bunches, infused with ethereal pine needle aromatics. But following the harvest of 2011, Sergio could no longer ignore the arithmetic. Pradone's Dolcetto was ripped out, and replaced with far more lucrative Nebbiolo.

The 2011 harvest in Piedmont is being touted as one of the finest in twenty years. The most stunning old-vine Dolcettos in the region would go out with a bang!

Brilliant opaque purple to the rim, with high-tone aromas of black cherry, kirsch, crushed red fruits and anise, the attack is plush and juicy, dense and compact. Big, rich, and palate-coating, the core is packed with crushed red fruit liqueur, splashed with dark cherry preserves, velour-like in texture, built for the long haul.

Drink the last vintage of Sergio Germano's exquisite Dolcetto "Pradone" now for its luscious, youthful hedonism, or do what we're doing. Pop a cork just to get your bearings, then lay the rest down for a decade -- if only to understand what old-vine Dolcetto can be when it's grown on Barolo's most precious limestone hillsides.

$25 on release. 900 bottles have been earmarked for WineAccess on this Direct Import for just $15.99.

In 2011, Vincent Ricard's "Potine" would join Taillevent's Château Turcaud Entre-Deux Mers as the only under-$15 white in WineAccess history to earn an average score of 4.0 out of 5 stars. This 2012 Potine leaves the '11 in the dust.

In 2011, Vincent Ricard's "Potine" would join Taillevent's Château Turcaud Entre-Deux Mers as the only under-$15 white in WineAccess history to earn an average score of 4.0 out of 5 stars. This 2012 Potine leaves the '11 in the dust.

Our trip to Thésée-la-Romaine was painful, all courtesy of Delta Airlines. The guys next to us spent $4000/ticket for their 'Business Class' seats. Thanks to our frequent flier miles, our seats were free.

But all the sacral pain would quickly be erased at Le Coin de Table when Vincent Ricard popped the corks on his 2012 Sauvignons. The young vigneron who burst upon the critical scene in 2002, quickly luring a Michelin-star sommelier pilgrimage to outskirts of Chenonceau, described the 'vintage of his career.' Then he treated us to a lineup that will scare the daylights out of much of Sancerre.

After an April frost, the crop was trimmed by nearly 30% on these Silex hillsides. As is often the case, the small yields amped up concentration, providing for Sauvignon Blancs of both great richness and scintillating acidity. Due to the unusual concentration of this tiny harvest, there's nothing 'entry-level' about the 2012 Potine other than the price tag.

Brilliant green-gold to the rim with a luscious nose of ripe pear, anise, and Golden Delicious apple. Ripe, juicy and lively on the attack with excellent weight and high-toned density, it's the mouthwatering purity of Vincent's Dagueneau-inspired 2012 vintage that really sets this one apart.

The bad news? Only 200 cases have been earmarked for WineAccess, our allocation reduced proportionate to the harvest shortage. The good? Just $159/case -- as good as France's mineral whites EVER get under $15/bottle.