by Carol Duboc

The 10-time GRAMMY® Award winning a cappella jazz group known as “Take 6” has managed to get even better with time. Mixing elements of jazz, gospel, R&B and vintage doo-wop is what Take 6 does best, and I don’t think they have ever done it better. The new release, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” is quite honestly one of the most wonderful Christmas albums of the year and one of the most interesting ever. The rich vocal arrangements are full and complex yet somehow simple enough to make you want to sing along with the familiar Christmas melodies. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” and “The Sugar Plum Dance” are standouts, but the entire album is fabulous from beginning to end with such Christmas classics as; “White Christmas”, “Jingle Bells”, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and more. It is honestly hard to believe that all but one of the songs is recorded with just voices. It feels like a 5 piece band and a full orchestra. How do they do that?

Pair this magical Christmas classic with a glass of bubbly Argyle Extended Tirage Brut 2000 Vintage from Willamette Valley, Oregon priced at $54.99. With a 95 point rating, this wine is described by the Wine Spectator as “Refined and elegant, delivering beautifully intense layers of pear, caramel, spice and whole-grain toast that mingle seamlessly as the finish rolls on and on. The length is truly impressive, and the deftness of the balance makes this special.” Much like the new release by Take 6, the 2000 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut is festive, rich and impressive!