A 90-point wine in a 3-liter box?

For years wine drinkers have been adjusting to the ongoing revolution in wine packaging. 

First there were synthetic corks, which we’re told create a better seal and results in much lower incidence of “cork taint,” a range of undesirable smells or tastes that can only be detected after opening a bottle of wine and generally blamed – rightly or wrongly – on a faulty natural cork. More recently the screw cap, which many of us grew up associating with cheap jug wine, has become popular even on high-end wines costing $50 and up.

For some purists – particularly older ones who feel a deep audible, tactile and olfactory connection between the pop of a cork and the memory of great wine they’ve enjoyed – it’s been a difficult adjustment. Now we, ... er, ... they may have to make further accommodation to a seeming oxymoron: fine wine in a box.

The new packaging has apparently been experimented with in France and elsewhere for years. And now a boxed version of a well-regarded Cotes du Rhone is not only available but also on sale at Paul’s of Chevy Chase. The 2007 Grand Veneur, Côtes du Rhône Reserve, Rouge, which scored 90 points from The Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker, is available in a 3-liter box – equal to four standard 750-ml bottles – for $31.96, or the equivalent of $7.99 per bottle (which I guess explains the strange pricing ending in $.96).

A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, Parker called the 2007 Côtes du Rhône Reserve Rouge “outstanding” and “a killer bargain” in last month’s WA issue. He initially scored the wine at 87 points in the October 2008 issue, but gave it a significantly higher score after re-tasting last month.

“A deep dark ruby color is followed by copious quantities of kirsch liqueur, forest floor, licorice, and pepper notes,” he writes. “The expansiveness on the palate, broad, velvety mouthfeel, and full-bodied style are remarkable at this price point. Drink this beauty over the next several years.”

But the 3-liter box isn’t the only Parker favorite from the south of France on sale this week at Paul’s. For white wine drinkers there’s a pair of blends from the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

The 2008 Coussergues, Chardonnay Viognier is another 90-point wine, according to WA’s Parker, on sale for $8.99 per bottle and $99.99 per case. The 50-50 blend of chardonnay and viognier is his “favorite from this winery” noting “exotic tropical fruit, honeysuckle, and floral undertones offer a lovely aromatic display.” He calls it "medium-bodied, dry, fresh [and] lively."

Another white, a proprietary blend of unspecified grapes, the 2008 Cave de Pomérols, Picpoul de Pinet, scored nearly as well – 89 points from Parker – but costs only $6.99 a bottle, or $79.95 for a case. “The beautiful 2008 Picpoul de Pinet, a quintessential aperitif dry white that also works well with pasta, chicken, and seafood dishes,” Parker writes. “Its light straw color with a hint of green is followed by a fresh, lively wine that smells of melons, grapefruit, and green apples. Light-bodied and crisp with surprising flavor intensity, it should be enjoyed over the next year.”

Another recently reviewed Parker favorite, the 2007 Château de Ségriès Lirac Rouge Cuvée Réservée, has been on sale at Magruder’s for months at a ridiculous $12.99 per bottle, but the stock seems to be spotty. It’s on sale again at Paul’s for $13.99 and according to Parker is well worth the price, and there’s no rush to get it home and open. “A brilliant red wine which requires another 6-12 months of bottle age,” he writes in last month’s WA. “A combination of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Carignan, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue as well as a big, bold aromatic display of fresh mushrooms, tree bark, blueberries and black cherries. Deep textured, full-bodied, powerful, and muscular with some tannin to shed, this offering should be forgotten for a year or so, and consumed over the following decade.”

Some things are just worth the wait.

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