If you’re looking for the freshness of a 2008 rose from Provence, well, stick to Provence. Tags: wine picks Drinking wines with age on them can be rewarding. We’ve had the chance to pop some mature wines recently; here are four with two under $30! Luneau Papin, L D’or, Muscadet, 1999 About $20. Julien, 1996. MORE >>

Allow me to geek out: This particular blanc de noirs comes from pinot noir in his father’s vineyard, hand-harvested at low (for Champagne) yields of three tons per acre, all from the 2008 vintage, fermented with indigenous yeasts and then rests on the lees for 16 months, and is bottled with no dosage! wine picksWhat can you do? MORE >>

I had heard about the fires in Sonoma 2008. David Hirsch poured me a sample of his 2008 “The Bohans-Dillon&# pinot noir at the recent trade tasting of his New York distributor. Well, he said, this was the terroir of 2008. Tags: wine picks But I had never tasted them. MORE >>

The 2008 balances citrusy acidity with a wet rocky quality beautifully; the 2009, of which I had tasting sized pour a couple of weeks later, seemed to have even more crackling acidity. Tags: wine picks As the weather warms up, a couple of zippy whites may be in order. Chill and serve with seafood on the deck. MORE >>

My favorite wine of the lineup was Domaine Le Garrigon , a 2008 Cotes du Rhone. Tags: wine picks Wine in a box? Try wine in a crate. After my GMA segment last week , I thought I would elaborate a little more on one of the box wines that I tasted for the first time this fall: Wineberry box. Search for the wines at retail.). MORE >>