| Best Reds |
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2000 Fonseca Vintage Port
Port Blend; Portugal; | $69.99 | |
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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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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; | $219.99 | |
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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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1998 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $499.99 | |
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"Saturated bright ruby. Noble aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, lead pencil, licorice and nutty oak. Very intensely flavored and penetrating, with great class and grip. Impressively concentrated and juicy, but still rather imploded in the middle palate. This showed terrific subtle sweetness as it opened in the glass. Offers quintessential Lafite elegance as well as the strong backbone to support long aging." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2003 Verite Le Desir Red Wine Sonoma County
Bordeaux Blend; Sonoma; | $129.99 | |
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"Deep ruby to the rim. Aromas of blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate and licorice. Huge, broad and silky, with a wonderfully suave texture. Flavors of dark berries, chocolate and mocha. As fat as this is, it's also quite lively. Finishes with uncanny breadth, horizontal tannins and outstanding palate-staining persistence." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa; | $97.99 | |
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"Good full ruby. Very pure flavors of cassis, blackberry and licorice. Dense, rich and pure, with quintessential cabernet flavors of cassis and licorice. Like a finer-grained, fleshier version of the classic but tightly wound 2001. As rich as it is, this also boasts terrific inner-palate energy. Carries a distinctly moderate 13.8% alcohol. Finishes with big but ripe tannins and superb length." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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2004 Chateau Latour Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $299.99 | |
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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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2001 Gaja Barbaresco
Nebbiolo; Piedmont; | $179.99 | |
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"Good deep red. Complex, ineffable nose combines red fruits, marzipan, tobacco and minerals. Pure, firm and sharply delineated; boasts superb richness of flavor without any undue weight. The wine's solid acid spine contributes to its impression of structure. Finishes gripping and very long." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
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