"Wine of the Month"

Wine of the month can mean many things - if you are reading a journalistic article, it usually means they think it's good stuff. In retail, it could mean the (usually) dreaded "we have too much, let's get rid of it". Tonight's two wines were a bit of both, I think. At a dinner, the club/restaurant I was at was showcasing 2 reds and I tried them both. The Baron D'Ardeuil, Buzet, Villes Vignes, 1998 was a whopper of a wine - rich, oaky, smoky, smooth...almost a "wow" wine. I wish I could get more of it, but a quick search of the SAQ list (our local wine monopoly) only yielded later vintages from this producer. So, I think we lucked out - the club had too much of it in it's cellar, it probably wasn't selling (Buzet is not a very sexy French appellation), so they dumped it as the "wine of the month". No idea how much it cost, but the newer vintages go for about $15.
The second wine was the Torre Al Sole, Sangiovese, Toscana. Nice modern label, but there was no vintage on it. This wine was an honest, straightforward effort - fresh strawberries on the nose, uncomplicated lively cherries on the palate, no noticeable tannins. Not a complex effort, but enjoyable. Pales in comparison to the Buzet. If you can get it for less than $10, it would be a good monday night wine. Otherwise, forget it.
Cheers!!