Steve Tanzer's Best

Best Reds
	2000 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint Julien Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$399.99
	"Full, bright ruby. Superripe aromas of roasted currant, violet and black licorice. Powerful and highly aromatic in the mouth, with brooding black fruit, violet and chocolate flavors. A step up in acidity from the Clos du Marquis, giving the wine great vinosity and cut. Extremely long and aromatic on the finish, with big, chewy, thoroughly ripe tannins." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
	2000 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$599.99
	" Saturated ruby-red. Full-blown aromas of dark berries, smoked meat, tobacco and iron. Lush, thick and ripe; really builds steadily in the mouth and explodes on the back end. Quintessential La Mission notes of tobacco, minerals, tar and hot stones. Today the 2001 seems even more sharply etched but this is denser, riper and deeper, with perfectly integrated acidity." -- Steve Tanzer (95 points)
	2001 Gaja Nebbiolo Sperss Langhe Nebbiolo; Piedmont;	$229.99
	"Deep, saturated red. Very rich aromas of plum, redcurrant, menthol, graphite and nutty oak, along with a cool minerality. Wonderfully rich, layered and deep; lush and suave but with energy and spine. Really packed with berry, spice, earth and mineral flavors. Finishes dense, broad and very long, with a touch of austerity." -- Steve Tanzer (95 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)
	2000 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron Pauillac Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$199.99
	" Good full red-ruby. Complex nose combines plum, mocha, minerals, tobacco and burnished oak. A bit tight on entry, then expands and explodes toward the back, showing dense, insinuating flavors of black fruits and licorice. Chewy, sharply delineated Pichon-Baron with excellent underlying backbone and broad, palate-coating tannins. An outstanding vintage for this estate." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)
	1998 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$499.99
	"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)
	2003 Chateau Margaux Margaux Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$499.99
	"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)
Best Whites
	2004 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac-Leognan Blanc Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$199.99
	"(51% sauvignon blanc and 49% semillon) Pale color with a faint green tinge. Deep, brooding aromas of pit fruits, ginger, and beeswax. Huge, silky and voluptuous yet at the same time lively and delineated, with a penetrating exotic spice character. This boasts extraordinary depth of fruit, density of texture and persistence on the aftertaste. While this shows more obvious sauvignon blanc character than Laville Haut-Brion, the gras from the semillon is also quite spectacular." -- Steve Tanzer (94 points)