There are certain expectations about time and place, and deviations from the expected can cause double-takes. I proverbially did the Great Comic Backflip when faced with the physical expression of the Violently Ordinary Rejoinder. One simply does not expect to find crate up crate of Lynch Bages at one's supermarket, now does one?

Sure, it's the relatively uninspiring 1999 vintage, but still. It feels completely out of place in the Albert Heijn. They have lots of wines, but usually not wines of the caliber of a Lynch Bages. It leads me to suspect that the 1999 vintage is even less inspiring than I had thought before. If I remember correctly, they also claim in their information package that the Lynch Bages is almost ready for drinking. A good vintage would have to be kept for at least three more years before drinking. Perhaps even five for optimal results.

There's also the mysterious Chantaloutte from Pomerol. I say mysterious because I can't find any mention of it in my Hachette, which only lists a Chante Aloutte in St. Emilion. But they do claim to have Maucaillou of 1996, which according to Hachette was a splendid year. At $25 a bottle, it could be a good deal. I think I need more wine.