2005 Château L’Evangile Pomerol

“The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun.” - Midgard Morningstar.

“When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween.” - Unknown.

“Where there is no imagination there is no horror.” - Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930.

“First Thoughts are the everyday thoughts. Everyone has those. Second Thoughts are the thoughts you think about the way you think. People who enjoy thinking have those. Third Thoughts are thoughts that watch the world and think all by themselves. They’re rare, and often troublesome. Listening to them is part of witchcraft.” - Terry Pratchett, 1948-2015.

“There is nothing that gives more assurance than a mask.” - Colette, 1873-1954.

“Do I believe in Witchcraft? I’m the result of it.” - Phyllis Diller, 1917-2012.

“On Halloween, the parents sent their kids out looking like me.” - Rodney Dangerfield, 1921-2004.

“There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world.” - Jean Baudrillard, 1927-2007.

“I put a spell on you because you’re mine.” - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, 1929-2000.

“Most people think witches are a coven of lesbians dancing naked in the forest celebrating the semen stolen from imprisoned hypnotized males, which they then use to inseminate one another using turkey basters in order to create a legion of demon babies. Well, that’s only part of it. We are also active in community outreach programs.” - Amy Sedaris.

“I think people fetishize glasses in general. You could put glasses on a rotting pumpkin and people would think it was sexy.” - Tina Fey.

“You ever want to see real witchcraft, you watch people protecting their comfort, their beliefs.” - Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn.

“With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.” - Henri Matisse, 1869-1954.

“To me there is nothing more fraught with mystery & terror than a remote Massachusetts farmhouse against a lonely hill. Where else could an outbreak like the Salem witchcraft have occurred?” - H. P. Lovecraft, 1890-1937.

“The most active period of the witchcraft trials coincides with a period of lower than average temperature known to climatologists as the “little ice age”... In a time period when the reasons for changes in weather were largely a mystery, people would have searched for a scapegoat in the face of deadly changes in weather patterns. ‘Witches’ became targets for blame because there was an existing cultural framework that both allowed their persecution and suggested that they could control the weather.” - Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better.

“The mutual fund industry has been built, in a sense, on witchcraft.” - John C. “Jack” Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Fund.

Which brings us to the 2005 L’Evangile Pomerol. In the glass, the 2005 L’Evangile is a dark lord. If you look at this wine too carefully, you may see things you’d rather not see. Better to look at it sideways, to glance, look away, and glance again. A color this rich can make you wonder if you’re the one who’s being watched.

The bouquet is a shameless attempt to flatter you. It promises a wealth of depth and joy. On the palette, the L’Evangile delivers, with panache. There are layers of suggestion, and each layer is riddled with temptation. If you drink this wine on Halloween, expect to remember it for the rest of your life.

The finish leaves without saying good-bye. Or does it say good-bye without leaving?

“Shadows mutter, mist replies; darkness purrs as midnight sighs. Sticky fingers, tired feet; one last house, trick or treat!” - Rusty Fischer.

“You have witchcraft in your lips.” - William Shakespeare, 1564-1616.

“Witch, witch, where do you fly?
Under the clouds and over the sky. Witch, witch, what do you eat?
Little black apples from Hurricane Street.
Witch, witch, what do you drink?
Vinegar and good red ink.
Witch, witch, where do you sleep?
Up in the clouds where pillows are cheap.”
- Landen Crouch.

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” - Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.

“My Other Car Is A Broom.” Bumper sticker, first seen in Santa Fe during the 1990s.

“Many cultures believe that on a certain day– Halloween, the Irish Samhain Eve, Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos–the veil between this world and the next is especially thin.” Michael Dirda, columnist for the Washington Post.

“Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again...” - P. C. Cast, co-author (with her daughter, Kristin Cast) of the House of Night series of novels.

One Bottle is dedicated to the appreciation of good wines and good times, one bottle at a time. You can write to Joshua Baer at jb@onebottle.com.