Restocking for the Holidays

As we move into the season filled with holiday parties and get-togethers, we're reminded it's time to restock our liquor cabinets with just the right crowd-pleasing labels. While we're out shopping, we know that there are a few people on our list who would enjoy a gift of fine wine or spirits.

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The most discriminating among us will appreciate a bottle of 2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($105). This extraordinary wine offers intense aromas of black fruits, mocha, toast, and briar. It is full bodied with deeply concentrated black currant, vanilla, and anise flavors. This vintage will require seven to nine years' aging to reach maturity, yet tastes fine now. It comes packaged in a wooden gift box, which can be personalized with an engraved brass plaque. Visit www.bvwines.com for more information.

Sourced from the mountain vineyards that rise above the valley fog like an archipelago island string rises above the sea, Archipel 2002 ($40) is a Bourdeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes grown in vineyards in Sonoma and Nape counties. It has a vibrant blackberry and black cherry flavor accompanied by a whisper of vanilla and a hint of smoke. Its boldness illustrates the intensity of the highly concentrated small berry clusters grown the mountain. For more information, visit www.archipelwines.com.

From the Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate in northern Sonoma County--75 miles north of Ban Francisco--grapes are grown at elevations ranging from 400 to 2,400 feet, where the temperature is cooler and the soil is leaner, rockier, and more mineral-laden than in the valley. The result is a smaller grape with more intense color and concentrated flavors. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, handcrafted from vineyards reaching an elevation of 1,800-2,400 feet, is balanced and layered with blackberry and red cherry fruit flavors and notes of spice, coffee, cedar, and my mocha. The varietal composition is 77% Cabernet Bauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 6% Syrah. The 2005 Chardonnay, made from grapes harvested from three of the Estate's vineyards, features pineapple, citrus, and white peaches, followed by fresh apples, lemon-lime, and a mineral complexity. For more information, visit www.stonestraetwines.com.

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A perfect gift set for a connoisseur who loves to grill would be the Cabemet Gourmet ($134) from Hall in St. Helena, Calif. It includes a bottle of 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Bauvignon, a bold and tannic cab with notes of spice and caramel, a 2004 Kathryn Hall Cabemet Sauvignon, Tulocay's Stone Ground Mustard, Spicy American Barbecue Rub, and Mexican American Meat Rub. It comes packaged in Hall's signature red gift box: For someone with a serious sweet tooth and a distinguished palate, the Kathryn Hal! Box of Chocolates ($115) should be intriguing, The festively boxed gift set includes Hall's Cabernet Sauvignon Chocolate Sauce, Merlot Fudge Sauce, Sauvignon Blanc Peanut Brittle, and a bottle of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. For more information, visit www.hallwines.com.

A membership to The California Wine Club would be a thoughtful choice. Connoisseurs and novices alike enjoy being introduced to vintages from California's artisan winemakers. In fact, most of the wines featured are produced in such small quantity that they virtually are impossible to find anywhere else. We sampled a 2005 Merlot and a 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from Ballentine Vineyards, a family owned business with a 100-year history in the Napa Valley. The Sauvignon Blanc had the classic characters of pear, melon, apple, and spice; just 1,200 cases were produced. Visit www.cawineclub.com for more information.

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In 1969, just ten casks from The Glenlivet Distillery in the Scottish Highlands were filled with newly distilled spirit and set aside to mature in the gentle mountain air. Now, 38 years later, The Cellar Collection 1969 boasts a deep gold color, intricate layers of flavors, and a subtle balance of spices, fruit, and hazelnut. Bottled at natural cask strength and without the use of chill-filtration, it possesses all the quality of the definitive Speyside single malt whiskey. Each bottle in this limited release is numbered and comes packaged in a solid ash frame adorned with leather and brass, and is valued at $750 a bottle. To inquire about purchasing a bottle, call 1-877-800-1969.

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Just the thought of the very versatile rum can take us back to our favorite island vacation. And why not? The Caribbean produces some of the finest rums in the world. Cockspur Fine Rum, distilled from the best quality island cane molasses and pure spring water filtered by coral stone emanating from the limestone aquifer in Barbados, is an expert blend of superior Bajan rum. Cockspur Fine Rum ($20, 750 ml) is perfect for mixing with sodas or fruit juices. One of our favorite recipes is the Cockspur Bajan Sunset: 1 part rum, 2 parts each cranberry and orange juice, served over ice. Cockspur 12 Bajan Crafted Rum ($35, 750 ml) is made from the oldest rums kept on reserve at the distillery. Best served neat or on the rocks. Cockspur Rum Punch ($10, 750 ml) is ready to go straight from the bottle. Just add ice. For more information and recipes, go to www.cockspurrum.com.