Fine Wine > Big Bottles > Still > 95-99 Pts > $200+

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Proprietor Eric Prissette has fashioned a sensational 2005 with the assistance of consultant Stephane Derenoncourt. It boasts a deep purple color as well as a perfume of charcoal, smoked herbs, crushed rocks, blackberries, ripe cherries, and espresso beans. This full-bodied, formidably endowed..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"... This is a gorgeous wine, a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation. Deep purple, with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich and..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is lush, sweet and inviting. Today the 2007 doesn’t quite have the sheer visceral thrill and excitement of the 2006, but it more than makes up for that with its early approachability. Dark red berries, spices and crushed flowers are layered into the finish. There is..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"... the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, ratchets up the level of succulence, juiciness, and opulence. It is a fabulous, compelling effort of multiple dimensions. Classic aromas and flavors of licorice, kirsch liqueur, balsam wood, and lavender are found in this enormously full-bodied..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"The 2008 Claret (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) has that ethereal nose of spring flowers, boysenberry, blueberry, black currant, and spice. Following that seductive aromatic display, Foley’s brilliance is again exhibited in the mouthfeel of this seamless wine, which has full-bodied flavors, no hard..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"The 2006 Pichon Lalande ... represents a return to the velvety-textured, rich, sexy style most readers would associate with Pichon Lalande. This blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot (no Petit Verdot was included in the final blend) exhibits a dense purple color as well as abundant aromas..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova saturates the palate with masses of super-ripe dark fruit, tar, licorice and new leather. The Tenuta Nuova is an especially full-bodied, seamless Sangiovese deeply influenced by the Mediterranean climate of this warm site in the south of Montalcino...

Cellar/Tasting Notes
RP: "Inky/black-colored with a classic Pauillac perfume of licorice, black currant liqueur, graphite, cedar, and spice box, it is full-bodied, with magnificent concentration, formidable tannins, and an Arnold Schwartzenegger-like structure (when he was 25 years younger). This backward, formidably..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"St.-Emilion's smallest vineyard produces so little wine (600 or so cases) that it is virtually impossible to find. This beautiful site (somewhat ghoulishly situated adjacent to St-Emilion's cemetery) produces what I have often called the 'Lafleur of St.-Emilion.' Classic notes of crushed rocks,..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"This estate’s finest effort - ever, the 2005 Malescot St.-Exupery should be sought out by readers looking for intensity combined with superb richness, fascinating elegance, and a surreal concoction of blue and red fruits, a silky texture, and a delicate yet powerful wine that builds..