| Best Reds |
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2003 Chateau Margaux Margaux
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $499.99 | |
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"Medium red-ruby. Coffee, mocha, exotic woodsmoke and brown spices on the nose. Fat, full and rich, with intriguing curry and cardamom notes. Opulent and voluptuous wine, with a huge middle palate. But surprisingly tight-grained in the mouth considering the evolution of the wine's aromas. Finishes extremely long, with sandy tannins." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2000 Chateau Leoville Barton Saint Julien
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $199.99 | |
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" Full medium ruby. Knockout superripe nose combines black cherry, licorice and exotic spices. Compellingly sweet, lush and complete, with harmonious acids giving the wine lovely vinosity and extending the flavors. Finishes with lush, dusty tannins and superb persistence. A great vintage for Leoville-Barton." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2000 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $199.99 | |
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" Good full red-ruby. Complex nose combines plum, mocha, minerals, tobacco and burnished oak. A bit tight on entry, then expands and explodes toward the back, showing dense, insinuating flavors of black fruits and licorice. Chewy, sharply delineated Pichon-Baron with excellent underlying backbone and broad, palate-coating tannins. An outstanding vintage for this estate." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2004 Chateau Latour Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $399.99 | |
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"Ruby-red. Highly complex aromas of dark berries, graphite, licorice, minerals and cola. Lush, dense and sweet, with a wonderfully creamy, opulent mouth feel for the vintage but no impression of excess weight. This boasts superb fruit and palate coverage. Finishes with very suave, spreading tannins and outstanding persistence. An aristocratic expression of ripe cabernet sauvignon." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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2000 Antinori Bolgheri Guado al Tasso Tenuta Belvedere
Sangiovese; Tuscany; | $84.99 | |
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" Very dark blackish-ruby. Opens with sultry, high-toned aromas of blackberry, sandalwood and clove. Then followed by powerful, sweet flavors of plum confiture, crushed cherry and roasted coffee bean, all nicely delineated. Full and rich, with enough acidity to ensure freshness. A distinct mineral edge is apparent on the lingering finish. (Remy Amerique, New York, NY)" -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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2003 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $699.99 | |
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" Bright ruby-red. Blueberry, licorice, fresh herbs, flowers and a whiff of coconut on the rather medicinal nose. Sweet, dense and pure, with superb inner-mouth energy, especially for a wine so ripe. But this is also wonderfully round and atypically lush, without any rough edges. Expressive flavors of redcurrant, minerals and tobacco. Broadens out impressively toward the back and finishes with an explosion of fruits and dark chocolate." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa; | $99.99 | |
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"Saturated, deep ruby-red. Quintessential cabernet aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice, black olive, mint and earth, sweetened by some roasted oak tones. Dense, supple and seamless; much more concentrated than the basic Napa Valley bottling but also more pliant from the outset, even if it will need a good six to eight years of cellaring." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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2001 Chateau Margaux Margaux
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $249.99 | |
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" Enticing aromas of boysenberry, cedar, espresso and roasted oak. Sweet, lush and broad in the mouth, with sappy berry and espresso flavors. This boasts the pliant texture and near-perfect balance of the vintage's best examples. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins. Like so many 2001s, this is easy to taste today but may well close down in the coming year or so." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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