Wow. Can you believe it’s October already? The holidays seem to be approaching at the speed of light. As much as I am loathe to think of Champagne as being a seasonal product, our largest sales do occur during this time of the year, and October marks the real beginning of the season. In any case, this gives me the opportunity to promote one of my favorite producers, Ariston. Located on the steep slopes of Brouillet, Ariston champagne has a distinct terrior— with less chalk and more fossils in the vineyard’s soils. The NV Carte Blanche ($22.99) is one of our most popular champagnes and a definite bargain at the price. A blend of 40% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 30% pinot meunier, it is a powerful yet clean style of wine with bread dough and caramel aspects. The long, clean, slightly mineral driven finish comes as quite a surprise. Wine number deux is the Aspasie Blanc de Blanc ($29.99) a rather rich and creamy style wine unlike “classic” blanc de blanc, which is generally higher in acid. The Aspasie comes off in a more genteel fashion with crème fraiche, a hint of butterscotch and a bit of toast. Wine trois is the Aspasie Brut Prestige ($34.99), which is composed entirely of 1998 fruit with an average vine age of 60 years. It is a blend of 50% chardonnay, 25% pinot noir and 25% pinot meunier. The meunier is evident in the black cherry aspect of this wine with a dry, almost tart character on the back of the tongue. There’s also a delightful light spice on the finish. Next, we have the 2000 vintage Brut ($32.99), which is a wonderful follow-up to the now renowned 1996 vintage. A blend of 1/3 each of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier; the average vine age for this cuvée is 25 years. Like the Brut Prestige, there is an amazing black cherry character, but the vintage Brut is more doughy and toasty. An elegant style wine, this will age extremely well in the cellar for the next five years or longer. Sigh. My last wine is the truly spectacular NV Brut Rosé ($28.99). I sigh about this wine because it is always one of my very favorite rosé champagnes and also one that flies out of here at what seems like a bottle per minute. A hefty dose of pinot meunier (12%) gives it a beautiful, dark salmon color. Red cherry fruit and fresh strawberries make the mix, so it comes off both as rich and tart at the same time. Marzipan on the palate adds even more to the complexity, finishing dry and lingering with a lovely hint of minerality. DO NOT WAIT to buy this one. It doesn’t last very long in ANY of the stores!