Beaux Freres
2006 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley

Soft, open-textured and appealing for its plum, currant and earthy mineral aromas and flavors, which linger against a burr of tannins. Gains richness and complexity with every sip. Best from 2009 through 2013. 1,708 cases made

Chateau St. Jean
2004 Cinq Cepages
Sonoma County

The 2004 Cinq Cepages displays an elegant, Bordeaux-like style offering aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, black currants, cherries, and spice box. Medium to full-bodied with soft, silky tannins, and a moderately long finish, it should drink well for 7-8 years.

La Jota Vineyards
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain Napa Valley

Classic Napa mountain Cab, intensely concentrated in fruit, richly tannic, and dry, and of course, such a wine needs and deserves the new oak they lavished on it. Flavors and structure perfectly balance, with massive cherry pie, cassis and mocha flavors meshing with sweetly ripe tannins and rich barrel notes of vanilla and char. This is a dramatic, complex young Cab that will hold for six years.

Vitanza
2005 Toscana Quadrimendo
Tuscany

Gorgeous aromas of mineral, spearmint, licorice and blackberry. Full and very long, with loads of fruit and supersilky tannins. Very good value. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best after 2010. Only 790 cases made.

Wings Winery
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

This is the kind of fleshy, oaky Cabernet that Napa produces so effortlessly. The fruit got really ripe in blackberries and cocoa, the tannins are sweet and intricate, if a bit sandpapery, and the balance is impeccable. It’s an upscale wine that is very good now, and should develop well for many years.

Rochioli
2006 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley

A fragrant, delicate style, with pretty plum, black cherry and wild berry scents that are both rich and elegant. This is sharply focused and displays excellent balance, with a long, persistent finish that reveals extra measures of depth. Drink now through 2012.

Ramey
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as sweet, tarry, black currant, chocolate, cedar, and wood smoke-like flavors, and decent acidity. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
2006 Le Volte
Bolgheri

The 2006 Le Volte is especially generous in this vintage. This plump, juicy wine bursts from the glass with an array of super-ripe dark plums, cherries, smoke and licorice. It is an engaging, rewarding wine to enjoy over the next few years. Le Volte is made from Sangiovese which is purchased from outside producers plus Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the property.

Raymond
2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

Other wineries come and go. Raymond remains, offering solid Napa Valley Cab at a fair price. The 2005 Reserve calls to mind the very fine 2000, but actually costs less. It's a dry, elegantly structured wine, rich in sweet fine tannins, and offering up complex, delicious flavors of freshly picked ripe blackberries, spicy cassis, baked cherry pie and smoky oak. Drink now through 2015. Awarded Editors' Choice.

Nadia
2004 Bordeaux Blend
Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard

(95% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot and 2% cabernet franc) Bright ruby. Spicy red and dark berry aromas are complemented by seductive cinnamon, clove and candied rose. Juicy red- and blackcurrant flavors display impressive depth and sweetness, but with surprising restraint. Deep, juicy red fruits dominate the finish, which picks up a numbing white pepper quality. I really like this.

Antinori
2005 Tignanello
Tuscany

Antinori has turned out a very beautiful Tignanello in 2005. The wine possesses perfumed, well-articulated aromatics that meld into a soft, generous core of ripe red fruits. Smoke, mineral, tobacco and spice overtones develop in the glass with air. To be sure, this is a relatively slender Tignanello, and while it doesn’t have the qualities of the superb 2004, it does have the balance to age gracefully for the next decade or so. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
2003 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
Bolgheri

The opulent 2003 Ornellaia (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) presents a dramatic contrast to the 2004 in its super-ripe, open nose and jammy dark fruit. Ample and warm on the palate, it is clearly the product of a very hot vintage, yet it shows notable freshness along with much persistence, great overall balance and a lingering note of sweetness on the finish.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
2004 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
Bolgheri

Dark ruby-purple in color, with complex aromas of dark chocolate, cola, vanilla, cedar and currant. Full-bodied yet ultrarefined, with dense, seamless, caressing tannins. Everything is in the right proportion. Superb. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best after 2009.

Perrin & Fils
2006 Vinsobres Les Cornuds
Southern Rhone Valley

Ripe, rich and racy Rhone red, with an ample core of black currant, fig paste, hoisin sauce and graphite, backed by dark coffee, mesquite and mineral notes on the long, structured finish. Drink now through 2011.

Soda Canyon Cellars
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Foss Valley Napa Valley

Made by Dave Phinney (The Prisoner) Very rich and concentrated. Full of wild berry flavors and black cherry. Velvety, mouth-coating tannins lead the way on the long finish. Highly enjoyable Cabernet.

Bergstrom
2006 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
Yamhill-Carlton District 

Ripe, round and generous with its cherry and raspberry fruit, which sails smoothly over a bed of fine-grained tannins. The flavors persist impressively, picking up hints of spice and mineral notes on the finish. Drink now through 2016.

Capanna
2003 Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany

Capanna's 2003 Brunello di Montalcino is a rich, concentrated effort loaded with plenty of dark red fruit, smoke, tar, licorice and underbrush. It shows superb depth and purity in a style that reconciles the ripeness of the vintage while maintaining notable elegance and complexity. A further year or two of bottle age should help round out the tannins, although the wine is drinking beautifully today.

Verget
2006 Chablis "Les Forets" 1er cru
Burgundy

Good pale color. Highly nuanced nose offers minerals, spearmint, quinine, tarragon, rosemary and pepper. Rich, fat and supple, conveying a sweeter impression than the Vaillons but with the wine's gruner veltliner-like peppery quality keeping it fresh. This silky premier cru has the volume to reward aging.

Godolphin
2005 Shiraz-Cabernet
Barossa Valley

A blend of 80% Shiraz (from 85-year-old vines) and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (from 60-year-old vines), was aged in 100% new oak, primarily 300-liter French hogsheads. It represents a beautiful marriage of power and elegance, displaying an inky/blue/purple color as well as notions of black raspberries, blueberries, graphite, and sweet pain grille. Ripe, pure, and medium to full-bodied with sweet but noticeable tannin, it can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona
2003 Brunello di Montalcino
Tusany

The estate’s medium-bodied 2003 Brunello di Montalcino is made in an accessible, forward style. Dark cherries, tobacco, earthiness and tar nuances all flow from the glass in this poised, feminine expression of Sangiovese from the southern part of Montalcino. The wine shows outstanding persistence and a pretty note of freshness that rounds out the finish.

Honig Winery
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

Two Hands
2005 Shiraz Ares
Barossa Valley

A majestic wine that's tremendously aromatic and dense in texture, but amazingly refined. Delineates its ripe plum, blueberry and currant flavors with precision, shading the fruit with nuances of coffee and dark chocolate, hinting at smoke and licorice as the finish laps at the palate like the shore of a deep lake. Shiraz. Best from 2010 through 2020. Only 850 cases made.

Carlisle Winery
2005 Zinfandel Pietro's Ranch
Russian River Valley

Ruby-red. Intensely spiced red and dark berry scents show wonderful precision and elegance. Suave, silky and packed with sweet berry flavors and plush, fully-integrated tannins. Finishes bright and juicy, with excellent length and a tangy berry skin note.

Babcock
2006 Pinot Noir Grand Cuvee
Santa Rita Hills

Starts out supple, with fresh complex aromas of earth and black cherry fruit, picking up a hint of sandalwood and spice. Chewy but ripe tannins provide structure. Drink now through 2012. Only 950 cases made.

Goose Ridge Vineyards
2002 Vireo
Columbia Valley

Supple and spicy, with a savory mineral character that gives it a different spin, the core flavors of black cherry and dusky spice riding well through the generous finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Best from 2008 through 2016. Only 820 cases made.

Torbreck
2005 The Factor Shiraz
Barrosa Valley

DeLille Cellars
2004 Harrison Hill Vineyard
Yakima Valley

The 2004 Harrison Hill comes from a single Yakima Valley vineyard, the second oldest in the state. The wine is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot,9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits a fragrant perfume of minerals, leather, pepper, cedar, cassis, black cherry, and black currants which jumps from the glass. Richly textured, the wine is supple and sweet on the palate with layers of complex flavors, well-concealed tannins, and a long, smooth finish. Give this seamless effort 3-4 years of further bottle age and drink it through 2024. The winery offered the 1994 Harrison Hill to demonstrate the aging potential of this wine. Exhibiting complexity, elegance, and power, it has the stuffing to continue its evolution for another 5-7 years.

Chalk Hill
2005 Chardonnay Estate Bottled
Sonoma County

On the one hand dense, deep and very well-extracted, yet on other both bright and balanced, this generously fruited offering is rife with wonderfully well-fit elements of juicy apples, citrus, sweet toast and cream in its rich aromas and follows with full-scaled flavors of real complexity and depth. A touch viscous but alive and in very fine balance from front to back, it continues to unfold at the finish with long flavors of fruit, minerals, spice and rich oak. There is far more wine here than first meets the nose and palate, and its remarkable impressions of layering tied to its perfectly focused Chardonnay fruit move this exceptional effort convincingly to the head of the class.

Ojai Vineyard
2005 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido
Santa Barbara

Licorice, wet stone, spice, and herb notes are found in the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido along with excellent fruit, medium to full body, a broad mouthfeel, and an enticing texture. It should drink effortlessly for a decade.

Cliff Lede
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Stags Leap District Napa Valley

Smooth-textured, with layers of creamy oak, herb, dried currant and loamy earth flavors that give this depth and a complex range of flavors. Ends with a long, focused and persistent finish. Drink now through 2013.

Mas de Bressades
2005 Cabernet/Syrah
Languedoc Roussillon

The 2005 VdP Gard Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah possesses plenty of black fruit, licorice, mint, and earth characteristics offered in a medium to full-bodied, richly fruity style. It should age nicely for 5-6 years.

Kilikanoon
2004 Shiraz Testament
Barossa Valley

From the Barossa sub-regions of Greenock and Vinevale, the fabulous 2004 Shiraz Testament exhibits this varietal's more scorched earth/vocanic side with blackberry liqueur, creosote, pepper, espresso roast, and singed leather characteristics. Opulent, with sensational fruit, a thick, unctuous attack and mid-palate, and a long finish of over a minute, this stunning Shiraz should be at its best in 3-4 years, and age for two decades.

Feather
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a mix of vineyards scattered across the state. Lovely aromatics, impressive purity, a confident attack and fine-tuned flavors of blueberry and boysenberry and black cherry are well-matched to oak and acid.

Clos Saint-Jean
2004 Chateauneuf du Pape
Southern Rhone Valley

The 2004 CDP is an enormously sexy wine that is full-bodied, rich, generous, and quite ample by the standards of the vintage. Wonderful black cherry jam notes intermix with some smoke, herbs, and meatiness that jumps from the glass of this luscious wine that should drink beautifully for 8-10 years.

Ruffino Gold Label
2003 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale
Tuscany

The estate’s flagship 2003 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro is, as expected, a much more serious wine. It offers notable intensity in its sweet dark cherries, smoke and underbrush with a masculine, somewhat wild personality.

Quivira
2005 Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley

10% Petite Sirah. Bright berries, briar and wisps of pepper and rich earth show in the nicely concentrated, slightly juicy aromas of this well-focused young Zinfandel, and fruit takes the lead in the wine's lightly woodsy, very solidly varietal flavors as well. If fairly ripe, the wine is balanced and not at all hot on the palate, and its firming twist of last-minute acids ensures a few years of positive growth.

Fontodi
2004 Chianti Classico
Tuscany

Exquisite nose of violets with a hint of talcum powder. Packed with mouthwatering fruit and perfectly balanced with fresh acidity and firm tannins. Hallmark Chianti Classico.

Domaine Raymond Usseglio
2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard
Southern Rhone

Compared to the regular bottling there is a lot to Weygandt's Cuvee Girard, more licorice, more game, more sweet kirsch liqueur and notes of incense. The texture is richer, the wine fuller, and the length more impressive. It is probably best drunk in its first 7-8 years of life.

Soos Creek Soleil
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley

A 50/50 blend of two top vineyards--Ciel du Cheval and Campoux, this is Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Cab Franc blended in. The nose is open and bursting with detail: whiffs of herb, spice, mineral, violets and cinnamon. Strawberry and cherry fruit is annotated with green tea, herb and soy. It's a chewy little devil, more herbal thatn funky, but fascinating and complex.

Mount Veeder Winery
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

22% Merlot. A good bit of deep and defined blackcurrant fruit is joined in the nose by sweetening notes of creme caramel and vanilla as well as varietally authentic elements of briar and loam, and the wine's well-ripened flavors run true to promise. While quite rich and tasty to start, this tannic youngster gets a bit raw and astringent near the end, and, its frontal appeals notwith-standing, it really needs to be cellared away for anywhere from five to ten years.

Perrin & Fils
2004 Vinsobres Les Hauts de Julien
Cotes du Rhone Villages

The 2004 Perrin et Fils Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vinsobres Vieilles Vignes Les Hauts de Julien, which in this vintage comes from equal parts Syrah and Grenache with the Syrah aged in small barrels and the Grenache in tank, is another stunning wine with plenty of raspberry, cherry, creme de cassis, and floral notes and that striking minerality that seems to be a part of this appellation. A pretty full-bodied wine for a 2004, with good underlying acidity and ripe tannin, it should drink beautifully for a decade.

Goldeneye
2004 Pinot  Noir
Anderson Valley

Exhibits dusty berry, cola and wild raspberry flavors in a complex, well-focused style. Ripe and tannic, this shows nice fruit on the finish, where the tannins provide traction. Drink now through 2011.

Pahlmeyer
1999 Merlot
Napa Valley

A mouthful of wine that packs in lots of rich, deep, plush and concentrated flavors, with tiers of currant, blackberry, raspberry and wild berry fruit. Well-integrated tannins smooth out the finish. Drink now through 2010.

I Greppi
2004 Greppicaia
Bolgheri Superiore

Dark purple in color, with amazing aromas of blackberry, currant, mineral and flowers. Full-bodied, with super silky tannins that are seamless and refined. The palate goes on and on. Coats every millimeter of the palate. So fine and complex. This is from a new estate. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2012.

Marques de Caceres
2001 Rioja Reserva
Rioja Spain

A remarkable performance from Caceres, this reserva shows just how great 2001 turned out to be. The wine shimmers with juiciness then explodes into detailed flavors as it trails off past cherry, cranberry, orange zest and herbs. Old-vine fruit contributes to the power and elegance of this blend, and provides the stamina to last ten years or more.

Saint Cosme
2004 Gigondas
Southern Rhone Valley

Medium red. Pepper-accented red berry aromas are suave and penetrating. Nicely focused cherry and redcurrant flavors show good depth and are nicely framed by dusty tannins. Finishes clean, brisk and persistent.

Spring Valley
2004 Uriah
Walla Walla

The 2004 Uriah is 60% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Dark ruby-colored, it delivers a splendid perfume of pain grille, red currants, and black cherry. Structured and rich, with gobs of ripe fruit, this lengthy wine does a splendid impersonation of a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.

Williams Selyem
2006 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley

Deep red. Captivating, perfumed bouquet of spicy raspberry, blackberry and fresh rose. Sappy and broad, with deep but energetic red fruit flavors, supple texture and no obvious tannins. Gains power on the finish, which delivers a wallop of sweet raspberry and candied blackcurrant.

Bodegas Numanthia
2005 Tempranillo
Toro Spain

Deep ruby. A deep, youthfully brooding bouquet offers dark cherry, blackcurrant, incense and suave oak spices. Spicy cherry and dark berry flavors show an exotic anise quality and slow-building sweetness. This gently tannic, chewy, extremely persistent wine finishes with echoes of oak spice and floral pastille, not to mention excellent vivacity.

Soos Creek
2004 Artist Series
Columbia Valley

The wine opens with dense, fragrant, supple scents of slate, cassis and mulberry. Slightly reductive, it’s a wine that needs decanting. This is consistent with past vintages, nicely detailed with mineral and fine grained tannins resolving into flavors of lightly roasted coffee.

Cesari
2001 iL Bosco Amarone
Veneto Italy

Cesari hits all the right marks with this single-vineyard wine and presents a gorgeous, proudly modern wine with soft plush notes of chocolate, vanilla coffee, smoked ham and natural rubber. It is chewy and firm in the mouth but ends on a fresh note, leaving the palate glossed and clean.

Storybook Mountain Vineyards
2005 Zinfandel
Mayacamas Range Napa Valley

Remember Zinfandel? When there was such a thing as a Claret style. When the wine smelled of cool coastal forests and wild blackberries. When the skin of the grapes gave Zin all the spiciness any one could want. It may be a fictional past, a golden age before these days of Zin monster cults and sweet raisined reds.

Vine Cliff
2005 Chardonnay
Carneros

Vine Cliff has become one of the most successful producers of Chardonnay in Napa Valley. The reason why, besides sourcing great grapes, is balance. Everything works in this wine, which is a melange of rich tropical fruit, crisp acidity, a creamy texture, and sweet wood tannins.

Jayson by Pahlmeyer
2004 Red 
Napa  Valley

Firm, ripe and complex, with vivid red currant and black cherry fruit that's well-defined, structured and supported by firm, integrated tannins. Ends with a nice flash of toasty oak and mineral notes. Drink now through 2012.

Ghost Block
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakvile
Napa  Valley

A big, rich, expressive style that’s intense and concentrated, with ripe, firm, vibrant black cherry, blackberry, currant, anise and spicy, toasty oak, which adds a nice flavor dimension. Best from 2009 through 2014

Robert Biale
2003 Petite  Sirah
Thomann Station Napa Valley

The 03' Petite Sirah Thomann Station exhibits a saturated black/ruby purple color along with a lovely perfume of blueberries and blackberries, high but sweet tannins, massive concentration, impressive purity, and a long finish. It should hit its peak in 2-3 yrs, and last for two decades.

Deutz
NV Brut Classic
Champagne

Fragrant bakery scents frame notes of apple, straw, butter and minerals. Mature, yeasty flavors of lemon, apple, hazelnut and brown sugar are freshened by tingly acidity. Ginger and brioche in the finish.

Chapoutier
2004 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine
Southern Rhone Valley

Silky, perfumy style, with alluring raspberry confiture stitched suavely with mocha, licorice, graphite and hot stone notes. Long, pure finish. Drink now through 2021.

Lungarotti
2004 Rubesco
Umbria

Tuscany has its Chianti, and its next-door neighbor, Umbria, has its Rubesco, a trademarked name of the excellent Lungarotti Winery.  Although Rubesco is made from similar grape varieties as Chianti -- 70 percent Sangiovese and 30 percent Canaiolo -- Lungarotti's '04 Rubesco has a bit more ample body than most Chianti wines, along with aromas of violets and red berries.  A delightful wine to drink now, but it should age well and evolve for another five years. 

De Lisio
2005 Quarterback Red
McLaren Vale Australia

An intriguing blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in mostly old French wood, the deep ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Quarterback reveals notions of new saddle leather, black currants, licorice, and spice box. Full-bodied as well as elegant, restrained, and Eurocentric in character, it should be consumed over the following 6-10 years.

Silver Oak
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley


Dill, lavender and mocha scents are followed by a trace of coconut and layers of spicy currant, herb, sage and plum flavors. Very rich and concentrated. Impeccably balanced, with a long, persistent aftertaste that keeps echoing fruit and oak. Some will find the oak excessive, others just the Silver Oak signature. Drink now through 2012.

Two Hands
2006 Angels Share Shiraz
McLaren Vale South Australia

The 2006 Shiraz “Angel’s Share has an expressive perfume of cedar, wood smoke, leather, pencil lead, pepper, and blueberry muffin. Velvety-textured and ripe, it has outstanding depth and length and a harmonious personality. Drink it over the next 6-8 years.

Spring Valley
2004 Frederick
Walla Walla

Firm in texture, with ripe currant and dried blueberry at the core, shaded with refined tannins and hints of roast meat and peppers. The finish sails along nicely. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best after 2008. Only 987 cases made.

Pessagno
2005 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
Santa Lucia Highlands

This rich, elegant wine offers deeply concentrated layers of apricot and vanilla with soft oak flavors and a hint of spice. The long, lingering finish will invite you back for continued enjoyment. Pair this wine with grilled salmon, pork, or creamy pasta dishes. Winemaker's notes.

Barnard Griffin
2004 Merlot
Columbia Valley

This Merlot offers plenty of spice to back up its supple core of red plum fruit. It's deep and long, with gentle tannins scented with cinnamon, clove and a vinous, almost redwood-like aroma. A finely wrought wine for roast chicken.

Mitolo
2004 Shiraz Jester
McLaren Vale Australia

Flowery, blueberry, and raspberry-like note cascade from the glass of this dark ruby/purple-tinges Shiraz. Elegant and medium-bodied, with hints of minerals, flowers, and blue as well as red fruits, it tasted like a Shiraz made with a Pinot Noir-like sensitivity. Stylish and elegant, it should be enjoyed over the next 3-4 years.

Mr. Riggs
2005 The Gaffer
McLaren Vale

A very good value, the opulent, dense ruby/purple-tinged 2005 The Gaffer exhibits exuberant fruit, a subtle t