| Best Reds |
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2003 Chateau Latour Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $699.99 | |
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"Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines currant, raspberry, kirsch, graphite, minerals, cigar box, tar and musky prune. Huge, sweet and lush, with a truly three-dimensional texture. Like a mouthful of liquid minerals, but the fruit has near-confectionery sweetness. Finishes with exploding, inexorable length. The wine's extravagant mid-palate richness calls to mind a chocolate cake." -- Steve Tanzer (96 points)
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1998 Gaja Nebbiolo Sperss Langhe
Nebbiolo; Piedmont; | $194.99 | |
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" Saturated, deep ruby-red. Perfumed, multidimensional aromas of plum, currant, tar, smoke and camphor. Sweet on entry, then superconcentrated and rich in the middle palate, with great chewy depth and compelling inner-mouth aromas. Like the San Lorenzo, this resounds in the mouth and on the very long finish. The sappy sweetness carries through on the aftertaste, ending with a suggestion of marzipan." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
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2000 Fonseca Vintage Port
Port Blend; Portugal; | $79.99 | |
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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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1982 Chateau Pichon Lalande Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $499.99 | |
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" Deep red-ruby color. Liqueur-like aromas of currant, cedar, lead pencil, truffle and smoked meat. Magically sweet and silky in the mouth, with superb depth of flavor and a complete absence of rough edges. A huge wine with utterly compelling sweetness and great terroir character. Powerful if somewhat unrestrained. Finishes ripely tannic, long and sweet." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
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2001 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa; | $99.99 | |
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" Deep ruby. Reticent but highly nuanced nose hints at black raspberry, cassis, smoke, espresso and minerals. Very complex, rich and sharply focused, with captivating flavors of cassis, bitter chocolate, menthol, tobacco and earth. Rather backward wine, yet suave and seamless; this is balanced from the start but has the structure to develop in bottle for 15 to 20 years." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2002 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux; | $299.99 | |
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"($130-$180) Good saturated ruby-red. Tight nose hints at currant and smoky oak. Highly concentrated, densely packed and built to age. As young as it is, it also shows a lovely velvety texture rare for this vintage. Finishes with terrific breadth, subtle minerality and noble tannins. I've been a fan of this wine since the outset." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
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2002 Ramey Wine Cellars Red Wine Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
Bordeaux Blend; Napa; | $99.99 | |
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"($90) Deep red-ruby. Superripe aromas of roasted currant and tobacco. Lush and seamless on the palate but considerably less fat and more refined than the Diamond Mountain offering. The black fruit and mineral flavors are sharply focused if distinctly less evolved than those of the Diamond Mountain Finishes with substantial palate-saturating tannins and excellent structure." -- 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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