2005 Chateau Marquis de Calon Saint-Estephe

A second label of Chateau Calon-Segur, Chateau Marquis de Calon is a relative bargain in the overpriced Bordeaux market. If you want to see what the highly touted 2005 vintage is all about, try this delicious Saint-Estephe. Lush and velvety, it’s ready to drink now.

So when you feel like drinking a Cabernet blend, break out a bottle of the 2005 Chateau Marquis de Calon at about half the price of the big dog Calon-Segur. Maybe make that two bottles. Share them with friends over a crown rib roast, prime rib or a hanger or skirt steak. Beef and Bordeaux were made for each other. And at this price, you can afford to indulge more often than not.

--S. Irene Virbila

Quick swirl

Region: Bordeaux

Price: $26 to $35

Style: Velvety and lush

Food it goes with: Roasts, prime rib, steak

Where you find it: Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park, (818) 341-1234; Red Carpet Wine Merchants in Glendale, (818) 247-5544 or (800) 339-0609, www.redcarpetwine.com; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 769-4639, www.winex.com; the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com.