Steve Tanzer's Best

Best Reds
	1982 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint Julien Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$399.99
	" Full medium ruby. Aromas of currant, black cherry, licorice, minerals and flowers. Thick, sweet and deep; still young but in a gentler, lower-acid style than either the '86 or '96. Still, this boasts sneaky intensity and wonderful persistence. Tannins are substantial but thoroughly ripe. Drink 2004 through 2025." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
	2002 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon Campo de Borja Grenache; Other Spain;	$139.99
	" Saturated medium ruby. Roasted blackberry, grilled nuts, minerals and smoky oak on the explosive nose. Thick, dense and creamy, with supersweet, liqueur-like flavors of dark berries and maraschino cherry lifted by a mineral component. Lush and mouthfilling but also sappy and vibrant. Finishes with extremely fine, powdery tannins and superb, slow-building persistence." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
	2000 Chateau Leoville Barton Saint Julien Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$199.99
	" 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)
	2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa;	$99.99
	"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)
	2001 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Finca El Bosque Rioja Tempranillo; Rioja;	$89.99
	" Deep, saturated ruby. Initially mute nose opened to show blackberry, currant, plum, game and expensive French oak (the wine went through its malolactic fermentation in new barrels). Fat, sweet and superconcentrated, with sappy crushed berry flavors and a complicating saline quality. Superripe and impressively dense, in need of a couple years of additional bottle aging." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
	2004 Chateau Latour Pauillac Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$399.99
	"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)
	2001 Gaja Cabernet Sauvignon Darmagi Langhe Cabernet Sauvignon; Piedmont;	$169.99
	"Bright ruby-red. Warm, rich and inviting aromas of cassis, licorice, minerals, earth, graphite and smoky oak. Sweet, rich, broad and enveloping, with layered, building flavors of black fruits, violet, licorice, dark chocolate, tobacco and minerals. An exceptionally suave, varietally true cabernet from the Piedmont , with a seamless texture and compelling inner-mouth sweetness." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
Best Whites
	NV Chambers Rosewood Winery Rare Muscat Rutherglen (half bottle) Muscat; Victoria;	$199.99
	" Green-edged medium brown. Exotic orange peel, maple syrup and marzipan aromas; as with the last pair, this is fruitier than the Rare Muscadelle. Wonderfully thick but perfectly framed by electric acidity. Boasts incredible fleshiness of texture and concentration. Like a solid on the back half, building inexorably and saturating the entire palate." -- Steve Tanzer (96 points)