| Best Reds |
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2000 Fonseca Vintage Port
Port Blend; Portugal; | $99.99 | |
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" Saturated medium-deep ruby. Exotic aromas of black fruit liqueur, road tar, smoked meat and hot
stones; this reminded me of a great ripe-year Hermitage. Hugely rich and dense, with compelling
sweetness and pliancy but also sound framing acidity. Extremely youthful and very long on the aftertaste. Finishes with suave but strong tannins and
excellent grip and thrust." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
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2002 Corison Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa; | $74.99 | |
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"($60; bottled in December of 2004) Dark ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of cassis, violet and bitter chocolate. Juicy flavors of dark berries and baking spices, with a firm edge of acidity giving the wine shape and grip and a floral element contributing to the wine's inner-mouth aromatic character. Very fresh and firmly built wine, with the balance and backbone to develop in bottle for a decade or more." -- Steve Tanzer (91 points)
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2001 Bruno Clavelier Vosne Romanee La Montagne
Pinot Noir; Burgundy; | $69.99 | |
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" Palish red. Redcurrant, smoke and a whiff of rose petal on the nose. Suave, silky and supple on the palate, but still a bit youthfully tight owing to its bright acidity. Very nicely balanced, fine-grained wine. I'd cellar this for five or six years." -- Steve Tanzer (88 points)
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2003 Clos Les Lunelles Cotes de Castillon
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $53.99 | |
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"Full medium ruby. Superripe aromas of black cherry and licorice. Dense, superripe and low in acidity; in a somewhat chunky style. A slightly medicinal cast to the fruit. This very full-bodied wine has adequate freshness in the middle palate, then hints at port-like nut skin on the finish, which features strong, tongue-dusting tannins." -- Steve Tanzer (87 points)
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| Best Whites |
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NV Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs
Chardonnay; Champagne; | $44.99 | |
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" Pale color. Pungent yet refined nose combines spring flowers, caraway seed, minerals, citrus skin and apple. Brisk and pure but creamy, with incisive apple and citrus flavors and great finesse. Very light on its feet and perfumed in the mouth. Finishes floral, gripping and very long." -- Steve Tanzer (91 points)
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2003 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc; Bordeaux; | $59.99 | |
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"Medium yellow. More exotic, musky aromas of stone fruits and resiny oak. Fat, ripe, sweet and rich; can't match the young 2004 for flavor definition, but this is impressively full-bodied and opulent, almost viscous, in the style of the vintage. A low-acid, high-alcohol version of white Graves , with a chewy, minerally finish. I'd drink think in the medium term, as the alcohol may overwhelm the fruit seven or eight years from now." -- Steve Tanzer (90 points)
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NV Diebolt-Vallois Cuvee Tradition Brut
Champagne Blend; Champagne; | $57.99 | |
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" Peach skin color. Hints of red fruits along with apple and nutmeg aromas; suggestions of older juice. Then ripe but quite dry, and rather angular in the middle. Today the acids are not quite integrated, but the wine could also use more freshness." -- Steve Tanzer (86 points)
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