Steve Tanzer's Best

Best Reds
	2001 Gaja Nebbiolo Sperss Langhe Nebbiolo; Piedmont;	$189.99
	"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)
	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)
	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)
	2003 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$699.99
	" Bright ruby-red. Blueberry, licorice, fresh herbs, flowers and a whiff of coconut on the rather medicinal nose. Sweet, dense and pure, with superb inner-mouth energy, especially for a wine so ripe. But this is also wonderfully round and atypically lush, without any rough edges. Expressive flavors of redcurrant, minerals and tobacco. Broadens out impressively toward the back and finishes with an explosion of fruits and dark chocolate." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
	2003 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac-Leognan Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$399.99
	"Good deep ruby-red. Knockout nose of redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco, hot stones, minerals and menthol. Wonderfully dense and suave, with a texture like liquid silk. Extravagant, lush Haut-Brion, finishing with improbably smooth, fine-grained tannins and great persistence." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
	2003 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint Julien Bordeaux Blend; Bordeaux;	$199.99
	"Medium red-ruby. Explosive nose of currant, cedar and lead pencil; shows near-perfect integration of the new oak. Sweet and lush but bright and light on its feet, possessing plenty of harmonious acidity. This has a wonderfully fine-grained texture and really saturates the palate with flavor. The very suave tannins reach the front teeth. Impressively dense, large-scaled wine." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)
	2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano Nebbiolo; Piedmont;	$109.99
	" Good full red. Captivating aromas of red berries, flowers, minerals, menthol and white truffle; seems quite cool for the year. The wine's penetrating, sappy, sharply delineated red fruit flavors offer uncanny sweetness but retain great freshness and verve. Finishes extremely long, with powerful structure and grip. Very classy Barbaresco, and still an infant." -- Steve Tanzer (93 points)