Steve Tanzer's Best

Best Reds
	2000 Fonseca Vintage Port Port Blend; Portugal;	$99.98
	" 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)
	2000 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port Port Blend; Portugal;	$99.98
	" Bright deep ruby. Brooding, complex aromas of cassis, minerals, graphite, licorice and damp earth; distinct hints of surmaturite. Dense, chewy and powerful, with a saline impression of extract. At once strong and seamless, with penetrating, youthfully primary black fruit flavors that really expand and reverberate in the mouth and on the very long, gripping finish." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
	2000 Graham Vintage Port Port Blend; Portugal;	$89.99
	" Saturated black-ruby. Superripe, bottomless nose of black fruits, mocha, bitter chocolate and flowers. Hugely sweet, dense and rich. A port of outstanding opulence and creamy texture; deceptively easy to taste. Substantial, sweet, spreading tannins are buried under a wave of fruit. Extremely long, fruit-driven finish. (Premium Port Wines, San Francisco, CA)" -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
	2001 Dominus Estate Red Wine Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend; Napa;	$124.98
	" Good ruby-red. Superripe aromas of plum, cherry, licorice, mocha, smoke and minerals. At once sweet and gripping, with very intense, nuanced flavors of cherry, plum, currant, tobacco, minerals and currant leaf. Despite the very high pH of 4.01, this shows no shortage of energy in the mouth. A muscular, firmly tannic, serious wine for aging. (A second sample that had been decanted for four hours prior to my visit was sweeter and more seamless, but still showed solid tannic spine." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
	2003 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa;	$109.98
	"Good full ruby. Explosive aromas of blackberry, blueberry, minerals and tobacco. Deep, brooding cabernet with terrific sweetness of fruit and depth. Complicating mineral and tobacco notes. Finishes with huge tannins that avoid hardness. Offers very strong potential, but this is an infant today." -- Steve Tanzer (91 points)
	2000 Warre's Vintage Port Port Blend; Portugal;	$61.98
	" Full medium ruby. Complex, perfumed nose combines crystallized blackberry and cassis, licorice, violet, spice cake, bitter chocolate and mint. Thick, dense and powerful, with slightly grapey, medicinal flavors of black fruits, violet, licorice, dark chocolate and spices. This shows terrific intensity, purity of flavor and length on the palate, with solid but fine tannins." -- Steve Tanzer (91 points)
	1998 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa;	$125.00
	"Ruby-red. Redcurrant, lead pencil, nuts and fresh herbs on the nose. Supple, ripe and sweet, with lovely texture and suave tannins for the vintage. Still, the licorice and herbal flavors are not as expressive as usual for this cuvee" -- Steve Tanzer (89 points)
Best Whites
	NV Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne Blend; Champagne;	$49.99
	" Deep aromas of citrus skin, smoke, minerals and spices, with a saline complexity. Ripe on entry, then dense and concentrated but pliant and very smooth. Leads with its strong, clear fruit tones of orange sorbet and lemon. Very ripe, accessible, well-balanced Champagne with excellent lingering fruit. In my tastings in recent years, this has consistently been among the best non-vintage brut bottlings from the major Champagne houses." -- Steve Tanzer (90 points)