We wandered around the store earlier this week to see what we have that might be of interest to students of American history and oenology. We spotted the following to call to your attention. We present these in no particular order, other than the first one, which we show there in a shameless attempt to catch your eye.

            Here are our best 9 wines selling for (with one exception) under $35. We even found a 95 pt wine selling for under $30. How about that! We do not have case quantities of these wines, just several orphan bottles here and there. We need to find happy homes for these wines so we have room to re-stock for spring and need your help!

            2007 St. Jean de Barroux "L'Argile" (Cotes du Ventoux, $29.99), WA 95 pts:

"From his organic/biodynamically farmed vineyard, this blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Carignan and Cinsault, is outrageously delicious. Aged 18 months in oak tank and neutral oak, the wine has a dense purple color and a wonderfully sweet nose of acacia flowers, lavender, roasted meats, black raspberries and creme de cassis. Superb fruit on the attack follows through on the mid-palate and finish. Beautifully textured, pure, and opulent, this is a stunning wine from a great vintage that has just been released. Drink it over the next 7-8 years."

            2007 Guigal Gigondas (Rhone, $34.99), WA 92-94: "The best Gigondas from Guigal that I have ever tasted will certainly be the 2007, which is still aging in tank and large wood vats. His general blend here is about 55-60% Grenache, around one-third Mourvedre and the rest Syrah. This remarkable Gigondas is scheduled to be bottled within the next several months. Dense plum/purple, with notes of garrigue, crushed rock, blueberry, and black raspberries, the wine is full-bodied, with stunning purity, a multi-layered texture, and a long finish. It should drink nicely for 10-15+ years."

            2009 Clos St. Jean Chateauneuf du Pape (Rhone, $54.99), WA 94: "The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes reveals supple tannins, a velvety texture, good opulence and low acidity. The wine is full-bodied, less intense in the mid-palate than the 2010, and already complex and evolved. It can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15+ years."

            2008 Tribouley "Bacs" (Rousillon, $29.99), WA 93: "Tribouley's 2008 Les Bacs Vieilles Vignes is seductively scented with gentian, wisteria, arbor vitae, cinnamon, licorice, and dark cherry concentrate. In the mouth this is rich and velvety yet bright, juicy, and vibrant, with suggestions of stone, iodine, cherry pit adding further complexity to its floral, herbal, and berry melange in a terrifically lingering finish. The positive influences of vinification with stems and a sojourn in previously-used demi-muids to let the wine breathe are evident. This ought to be worth pursuing for the better part of a decade."

            2009 Tribouley "Orchis" (Rousillon, $29.99). WA 93-94: "Tasted assembled from tank and due to have been bottled before the end of April, Tribouley's 2009 Orchis displays a gorgeous, distillate-like herbal and floral profusion atop a rich, deep pool of ripe but fresh black raspberry and dark cherry, with resinous evocations of rosemary, fennel, black tea, and marjoram; berry seeds and cherry pits; as well as a tactile sense of seemingly schistic, crushed stone impingement and pungent smokiness, all leading to a finish of terrific tenacity not to mention a brightness, verve, and sense of levity uncommon for its vintage. As usual, a blend of Grenache - including odd vines of Blanc and Gris - with a bit of Carignan, this ought to be worth following for at least a decade."

            2008 Vietti "Perbacco" (Barolo, $24.99). No rating yet for the recently-released 2008 vintage, but all recent vintages were rated at or above 90.   It is an exceptional wine at this level. Proprietor Luca Currado doesn't like the idea of a Barolo normale because he thinks it debases that wine, so he came up with Perbacco, which is made from the estate's second selection of fruit from its multiple holdings across the region. The wine is made from grapes in cru vineyards in Barolo, given 23 months of oak aging prior to being bottled and released with just a few months of bottle age. It has all the hallmarks of a Barolo, but in miniature. The 23 months is key because it is 1 mo. less than would be required to attain Barolo cru rating; Vietti does this to protect its DOCG Barolo lineup. From the Wine Advocate: "Many Barolo producers would kill for a wine like this. In a word: Awesome!!" We have sold 25+ cases of the past several vintages of the Perbacco. 'Nuff said.

            2009 Tikal "Patriota" (Argentina, $19.99). WA 92: "60% Bonarda, 40% Malbec; Earth/mineral/underbrush; dense and layered, ripe, mouth-filling, impeccable balance, lengthy." Our biggest and biggest-selling Argentinan Malbec, this is a fantastic blend with Bonarda, which really brightens up the wine.

            2008 Valle dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico (Sicily, $23.99).   Wine Advocate (92 points): "The 2008 Cerasuolo di Vittoria is 70% Nero d'Avola (aged in oak) and 30% Frappato (aged in steel), a marriage that works beautifully. The Frappato adds freshness and verve to the dark fruit of the Nero d'Avola. Menthol, licorice and spices develop on the mid-palate and finish, adding further complexity. This is another marvelous wine from Valle dell'Acate. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014."   Sicily's only DOCG wine!

            And finally, a wine we've been touting and selling like hotcakes, one I discovered while writing an article on this grape. Another we've sold a lot of and, though it is devoid of press or WA ratings (yet) this is a killer, sleeper wine: 2009 Cantina Fratelli Pardi Montefalco Rosso (Umbria, $20.99). Sangiovese is produced in Umbria of such quality that rivals, and in many cases exceeds, that in Tuscany, but around the tiny town of Montefalco, there is produced wine from the legendary Sangrantino grape that is utterly monumental. Grown nowhere else in the world, this grape is produced in such minute quantities few wine lovers have even heard of it. It produces one of the most tannic wines in the world, dark and brooding like an enormous Barolo. It is undoubtedly one of Italy's best-kept wine secrets.   The Cantina Fratelli Pardi has been making wine for almost 100 years and produces a fabulous 100% Sagrantino, but they also bottle a Rosso blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino, with a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon, that is absolutely thrilling and delicious. This wine delivers explosive aromatics and a big load of ripe and spicy fruit in a softly textured, easy-going, wine that delivers an unbelievable measure of pure enjoyment for its very modest price.