At more than the price of an extra-large pizza, this is beyond the regular snack bracket of most wine drinkers, but it's a standout value at this price. A grand cru from Saint-Émilion, it's 90-per-cent merlot, with splashes of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, pressed from 40-year-old vines. Smooth and elegant, it suggests flavours of plum, black olive, cracked pepper and mineral, with dusty tannins that should keep it in the game for a dozen years. The comparably good 2009 sells for $49.99 in B.C.