Highly Rated Wines
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1995 Chateau Haut-Brion (3 liter) 96pts RP $1,999.99
Multidimensional and rich, with layers of ripe fruit, and beautifully integrated tannin and acidity, this medium to full-bodied wine is a graceful, seamless, exceptional Haut-Brion that should drink surprisingly well young. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2030.
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1999 Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 95pts WS $46.99
Racy and focused, showing lemon, orange and vanilla aromas and flavors underscored by a hint of earth and mineral. Light-bodied, with an intensity on the finish that almost makes it seem dry.
Terrific finish. -
1999 David Arthur Elevation 1147 95pts WS $169.99
Enormous complexity, depth and purity of fruit flavors, with layers of cassis, currant, black cherry, blackberry and blueberry flavors that are sharply focused and deeply concentrated. All kinds of extra facets and the kind of length and intensity that bodes well for aging.
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2000 Chateau Lynch-Bages Pauillac (6 liter) 95pts RP $2499.99
The 2000 Lynch-Bages exhibits a dense purple color, loads of glycerin and extract, big, muscular, sweet creme de cassis notes, with hints of new saddle leather, earth, and tobacco leaf. The 2000 is forceful yet plush, with a thick, juicy, succulent mid-palate, ripe tannin, and a long, layered finish.
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2001 Chris Ringland Shiraz 100pts RP $699.99
An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by extraordinary scents of flowers, blackberries, blueberries, and cassis as well as hints of espresso roast, truffles, roasted meats, and incense.
This sexy, beautifully balanced, loaded Shiraz should keep for three decades or more. -
2002 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 95pts WS $399.99
Bubbling over with crushed berries, currants and spices, with tobacco notes. Beautiful. Full-bodied, with gorgeously velvety tannins and a long finish of pretty fruit. This is a racy yet elegant Lafite. Classy. Best after 2010.
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2003 Abreu Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 95pts RP $449.99
The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch is just an amazing wine in the vintage. Notes of smoked meats intermixed with licorice, camphor, graphite, blackberry, and flowers, with a hint of cedar and spice box, and gorgeously rich and full-bodied.
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2004 Bodegas Muga Torre Muga Rioja 96pts WA $96.99
Inky purple-hued, it exhibits a superb nose of wood smoke, pencil lead, spice box, scorched earth, and blackberry. This leads to a layered, opulent wine with 5-7 years of aging potential. It has great balance and should drink at its best from 2015 to 2025.
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2004 Hundred Acre Ancient Way Shiraz 94pts WE $276.99 and $734.99 (magnum)
Spice- and herb-driven complexity is the order of the day, with scents of violets lending an exotic note to the aromas. It's mouthfilling and palate-coating but wonderfully balanced, picking up hints of black olive and espresso on the lingering finish.
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2004 Jean Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 95pts WS $224.99
This red offers a gorgeous beam of currant and fig paste, surrounded by ample supple tannins and notes of coffee, worn leather, violet, licorice snaps and iron. The long, rich finish has nice detail now, but better to cellar this for maximum effect. Best from 2008 through 2022.
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2005 Artadi Pagos Viejos Rioja 95pts WA $119.99
The 2005 Pagos Viejos is just slightly more muted than the 2004 but lovely nonetheless. Already complex both aromatically and on the palate, it has superb materials while appearing to be more structured than the 2004. Kudos to Bodegas Artadi for this tour de force!
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2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 96pts WS $119.99
Really dense and locked up now, this is packed with dark fig, currant and blackberry fruit shrouded by layers of tar, hot stone, bittersweet licorice and espresso. The long, dense finish has a great tug of iron buried within it.
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2005 Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 94-96pts WA $149.99
Fascinating dark berry, carnal and mineral notes mingle in the nose. Low-tone sirloin meatiness, black cherry, cassis, faintly bitter black chocolate, and toasted hickory inform a glycerin-rich, polished, yet firmly structured palate. Notes of licorice, horehound, and mineral salts add complexity to a finish of palate-staining intensity and grip.
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2005 David Ramey Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay 94pts RP $61.99
Offering copious amounts of orange marmalade, smoky hazelnuts, and tropical fruits, the full-bodied, rich 2005 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is on a faster evolutionary track than the Hyde Vineyard. Drink the Hudson cuvee over the next 2-3 years.
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2005 David Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay 95pts RP $61.99
A stunning effort, the 2005 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard boasts great intensity along with huge tropical fruit notes interwoven with notions of spring flowers, orange marmalade, white peaches, and steely minerals. Its abundant fruit conceals any evidence of wood.
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2005 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 96pts WS $89.99
This lush beauty really tames the vintage's rugged structure, with gorgeous boysenberry and raspberry confiture layered with mocha, Turkish coffee, licorice and fig paste notes. The long finish has great grip, though it's remarkably well-embedded, allowing the exotic spice notes to linger beautifully.
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2005 Schrader Kalon CCS Cabernet Sauvignon 95pts RP $199.99
Its inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by sensational aromas of creme de cassis, scorched earth, acacia flowers, licorice, cedar, and grilled meats. Pure, full-bodied, and powerful, it should hit its prime in 4-5 years, and last for 25.
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2005 Schrader T6 Cabernet Sauvignon 95pts RP $199.99
The dense purple-colored, more powerful 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon T6 offers notions of sweet cassis interwoven with charcoal, spring flowers, and toasty oak. Ripe, opulent, fleshy, and full-bodied, it is surprisingly approachable for a 2005, and should drink beautifully for two decades.
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2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis Fe 203 2A Grenache 96-98pts RP $299.99
The aromas reveal a distinctive chocolatey note along with the tell-tale blackberry, cassis, kirsch, licorice, camphor, and floral characteristics. Deep, complex, and full-bodied with a roasted meat-like flavor, despite its size and richness, the overall impression is one of elegance and definition.
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2005 Two Hands Ares Shiraz 95pts WA $174.99
The 2005 Shiraz Ares delivers tar, scorched earth, saddle leather, blueberry, and a hint of chocolate. Opulent, layered, and intensely flavored, it has excellent integration of oak, tannin, and acidity and enough hidden structure to evolve for up to a decade. Drink this tasty Shiraz through 2025.
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2005 Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz 95pts WS $74.99
Rich and complex, this is layered with green olive, mint, mineral and licorice around a plump core of black cherry and dark plum flavors, which linger on the intense and beautifully focused finish.