Tirecul La Gavière 1996 Monbazillac "Les Pins"

Recently, I was rooting around in the supersaturated basement of my parents' home, negotiating around stacks of National Geographics (dating back to 1916) and an endless array of brochures, pamphlets, guides, maps and other travel literature from more than forty years of, uhm, collecting. Many of the advertisements had titles such as, "Seeing Scotland on a Shoestring Budget" or "Europe on $15 A Day!!!" More recent editions might well read, "Europe on Just $100 A Day!!!," but the goal has remained the same: finding bargains.

The great French dessert wine, many hold, is Sauternes. The greatest of the great is Château d'Yquem, a wine priced at several hundred dollars per bottle. This is not a bargain. Priced more per bottle than my first car (a '74 Plymouth Valiant), Château d'Yquem is, and is likely to remain, a mere factoid rather than an actual wine experience for me at least. And while there is some enjoyment to be had in reading about wine, ultimately, it is drinking wine that I find fun. Like everybody else, I want a wine that is expansive without being expensive.

The word Monbazillac doesn't roll off my tongue as easily as Sauternes, and I have to pull out the wine atlas to remember exactly where it is from. Monbazillac is produced about fifty miles east of Bordeaux where Sauternes is made.

It is no wonder that, like Sauternes, the Monbazillac from Tirecul la Gavière comes in a clear bottle. Just look at that intensely deep golden color! As it is poured into a glass and swirled, the richness and slight viscosity of this wine is apparent. On the nose, there are impressions of orange-grapefruit conserve, honeycomb, and apricots. On the palate, this wine seems lush and intense rather than simply sweet. And the finish lingers on and on.

Like Sauternes, Monbazillac is considered a classic match with foie gras. It is also makes an unsurpassed partner to salty blue Roquefort. Or to English biscuits with candied ginger. Or just on its own.

Exciting, intelligent, and opulent-tasting, the Monbazillac from Tirecul la Gavière is a luxurious wine that won't cost you very much . . .not nearly as much as it cost to fill up my old Valiant.