Wines and Beyond

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Color: Dark ruby/purple Aroma: A captivating and refined nose with well-integrated aromas of blackberries, violets and roasted coffee beans. Taste: Elegance and crystal purity characterize this extremely complex and densely woven wine with an aging potential of decades. Complex, fresh aromas of concentrated blackberry, grilled meat and chocolate. Full-bodied and chewy, with caressing tannins and a long, long finish. A brick house and beautifully decorated. Powerful. Best after 2012. Wine Spectator 97 Points The 2004 Costa Russi is irresistibly sexy and opulent. As is typically the case, the wine is more overtly fruit-driven, with a round, supple personality. Sweet, long and richly-textured, it is just plain awesome in its display of generous, vibrant fruit, tar, smoke, minerals and herbs. It is the finest Costa Russi yet. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Aged 12 months in barriques; plus an additional year in large oak casks. Of all Gaja single-vineyard wines, Costa Russi often shows the most captivating and refined nose. Elegance and crystal purity characterize this extremely complex and densely woven wine with an aging potential of decades.

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. The word Sor? means a hilltop with a southern exposure. Tild?n was the nickname of Angelo Gaja's grandmother, Clothilde Rey. She was a visionary who was instrumental in acquiring some of the choicest parcels for the Gaja Estate, as well as being the inspiration behind Angelo's continuous quest to innovate. Deep purple. Complex aromas of toast, minerals, sour cherries, cedar and spices. Displays the roundest tasting profile of all Gaja single-vineyard wines. The rich body, subtle texture and fine, ripe tannins are typical for this wine of great finesse, the quintessential expression of the land and the Nebbiolo grape. This wine has extraordinary aging potential--more than forty years in outstanding vintages.

Red Wine by Ch?teau Cheval Blanc from St-Emilion, France - Bordeaux. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Subtle herb, menthol, cranberry, black currant, and licorice aromas emerge from this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. It is medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, but not a lot of weight or intensity. The complexity and nobility of Cheval Blanc's gravelly terroir is apparent in this delicate, subtle St.-Emilion. Give it a few years to develop additional aromatics, and drink it over the following 12-15. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 90 Points Intense aromas of tar, blackberry and wet earth, with just a hint of tobacco and flowers. Full-bodied, chewy and long. Extracted, yet turns caressing and velvety in texture. Broad-shouldered and muscular for this estate. This is better than the 2000. Best after 2012. Wine Spectator 94 Points

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. The 2003 Sori San Lorenzo is simply awesome. Boasting the darkest color of these wines as well as captivating aromatics, it is a brooding effort packed with notes of earthiness, tar, smoke, grilled herbs, cassis, licorice and super-ripe plummy fruit. It shows the qualities of 2003 in its full-throttle, expansive style yet it also possesses remarkable balance as well as fine tannins for the vintage. Although there is a little heat on the finish, I found this an utterly compelling wine. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020. -Wine Advocate Almost always the most powerful and austere of Gaja's 5 single-vineyard wines, requiring a longer time to fully develop. Highly concentrated currant and black cherry fruit with a hint of coffee in addition to aromas of fine herbs, minerals and exotic spices. A very focused, concentrated wine with a long, lingering finish and refined tannins, it has excellent aging potential.

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Color: Dark ruby/purple. Aroma: A captivating and refined nose with well-integrated aromas of blackberries, violets and roasted coffee beans. Taste: Elegance and crystal purity characterize this extremely complex and densely woven wine with an aging potential of decades Plenty of fresh blackberry and cherry aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a chewy finish. Well-structured for the vintage. Very fresh and lively. Best after 2008. Wine Spectator 94 Points

Red Wine by Ch. Cos d'Estournel from St. Estephe, France - Bordeaux. The prodigious, fantastic 2003 Cos d’Estournel is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon (unusually high for this chateau), 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 17,500 cases were produced from low yields. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense, and flowers. With extraordinary richness, full body, and remarkable freshness, elegance, and persistence, this is one of the finest wines ever made by this estate. The good news is that it will be drinkable at a young age yet evolve for three decades or more. Kudos to winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier. -Robert ParkerIn the old Gascon language, the word ‘Cos’ means ‘The Hill of Pebbles’. Appropriately named, Château Cos d’Estournel is situated on the banks of the Gironde River between Pauillac and St. Estèphe, where the property is clearly defined by the hill of Cos, reaching to a height of almost 65 feet. It is today owned by Michel Reybier, and continues to be managed by a member of the Prats family under the direction of Jean-Guillaume Prats. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Though very Cabernet in character, Darmagi owes its distinctive, austere personality to the unique terroir of Barbaresco. Almost black in color; excellent fruit with strong cassis flavors. The impressive power on the palate carries through to the long finish; persistent soft tannins. Great aging potential. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

Red Wine by Nicolas Potel from Burgundy, France - regions. Good medium red. Captivating tangy aromas of red cherry, rose petal and minerals. Concentrated, dense and lively, conveying an impression of subtlety and class. Quite broad and uncompromisingly dry. A seriously structured wine with intense, persistent sappy fruit and firm tannins. This should give pleasure on the early side but also age gracefully. -International Wine Cellar 92-94

Red Wine by Ch?teau L?oville Las Cases from St-Julien, France - Bordeaux. Incredible nose of crushed berry, licorice, violets and lightly toasted oak. Pure creme de cassis. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Solid. Best after 2011. Wine Spectator 97 Points

Ship a bottle for just a buck. Details at Wine.com.Red Wine by Ch\\xE2teau Pavie from St-Emilion, Bordeaux. This 92-acre vineyard, which enjoys an impeccable southern orientation, is composed of limestone on the upper slopes, clay and limestone in the middle, and sand and clay at the base. Proprietor Gerard Perse, who has done a brilliant job since acquiring the estate in 1998, continues to push the envelope of quality to higher and higher heights. Planted with 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes receives kid glove treatment with hand-harvesting into small plastic lugs, two triage tables, and aging for 28 months in 100% new oak that is purchased in advance, then air-dried and coopered according to Perse's specifications. In short, the man is a perfectionist, and the quality of all the estates he owns has soared dramatically. The 2003 Pavie (7,080 cases; 13.5% alcohol) is closest in style to the 2000, but slightly more evolved and exotic. Its dense plum/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, creme de cassis, melted licorice, espresso roast, and blackberries. The wine, which hits the palate with a dramatic minerality, comes across like a hypothetical blend of limestone liqueur intermixed with black and red fruits. With massive depth, richness, and body, this tannic 2003 should be forgotten for 4-5 years, then enjoyed over the next four decades. The integration of acidity, tannin, and wood is flawless, and the wine is incredibly pure, rich, and intense. Kudos to Gerard Perse, who is trying, in a more modern fashion, to recreate the glories of such ancient Bordeaux vintages as 1921, 1929, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1959, and 1961. From my perspective, he comes as close to that goal as anyone in Bordeaux. 98 Points Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Color: Garnet Aroma: The nose is almost sensual in its complexity, with aromas of forest fruits, plums, licorice, mineral and coffee scents. Taste: Long, complex finish with fine, silk-like tannins and good acidity; dense structure, full of super-ripe fruit. Gaja's 2003 Barbaresco may well challenge its bigger siblings as the most successful of these new releases. Made in a style that combines expressive aromatics, the ripeness of the vintage and classic structure, it is an awesome effort. Though it offers plenty of super-ripe fruit and notable concentration, it never comes across as being heavy and displays exceptional overall balance. -The Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Verite from Sonoma County, California. French for joy, La Joie emphasizes Cabernet Sauvignon and represents a Pauillac-style wine. The wine is deep purple in color, spicy and intense in the nose, with density and structure from its Cabernet Sauvignon dominance. A saturated dense purple color emerges from the 2003 La Joie. A blend of 75.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19.8% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, it offers up smoky, sweet scents of lead pencil shavings, cedar, spice box, volcanic earth, black currants, and smoke. With excellent fruit, full-bodied power, a layered texture, and an exceptionally long finish, it is not as accessible and plump as La Muse, and will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age. It should drink well for 20-25 years. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 95 Points

Red Wine by Nicolas Potel from Burgundy, France - regions. Saturated ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate and pungent spices. Offers a penetrating, sappy kirsch flavor on the palate, in a rather dense, powerful style. This is powerful without coming across as heavy. Finishes very long and spicy, with terrific freshness. -International Wine Cellar 92-94 Deep ruby. A strongly reduced nose gives up little but the well-muscled flavors are big, robust and very powerful and possess the class young Clos de Vougeot youthful austerity. This is very primary and awkward yet the quality of the raw material is clear and this should reward 10 to 15 years of cellar time. 91-94 points Burghound

Red Wine by Ornellaia from Tuscany, Italy. Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot The use of several varietals gives the winemaking team the luxury of being able to tailor the exact proportion of the blend to the specific strengths of a given vintage. 2004 can be considered as one of the major expressions of Ornellaia and represents an excellent example of a classic vintage in Bolgheri. The ideal conditions during the growing season lead to a perfect combination of ripeness, flavor complexity and finesse. The velvety opulence of the Merlot is balanced out by the racy and elegant tannic structure of the Cabernets, which are further amplified by the small addition of Petit Verdot. The gorgeous 2004 Ornellaia is...a lively dark ruby, it is a vibrant effort bursting with expressive aromatics and layered, well-delineated fruit, showing much purity on the palate and closing with a long, finessed finish. Readers hoping to catch this wine's full array of nuances will have to wait at least another few years as the wine remains quite primary today. This exquisite effort is not to be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 95 Points

Red Wine by Ch?teau Hosanna from Pomerol, France - Bordeaux. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this is the Cheval Blanc of Pomerol. A wine of admirable complexity, elegance, and purity, it possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as wonderful notes of blueberries, mint, acacia flowers, espresso, and white chocolate. Opulent, rich, and pure, with a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, and wood, it is a beautiful offering that is not far off the pace of the exceptional 2000. Sadly, there are only about 1,000 cases of this offering produced from the finest parcels of old vines carved from the vineyard previously known as Certan-Giraud. Kudos to proprietor Christian Moueix. -Wine Advocate Subtle aromas of chocolate, berry and mineral follow through to a medium- to full-bodied palate, with very well?integrated tannins and a long berry and fresh herb finish. Very long and refined. Builds on your palate. A relatively new wine from Christian Moueix of Petrus, and on the rise. Best after 2007. 1,250 cases made. -Wine Spectator

Red Wine by Ch?teau Hosanna from Pomerol, France - Bordeaux. Aromas of blackberry, forest fruits and licorice with just a hint of spice. Full-bodied, with loads of ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Raisins, toasted oak and just a hint of dark chocolate. -Wine Spectator

Red Wine by Nicolas Potel from Burgundy, France - regions. Saturated, full red. Slightly sauvage but highly nuanced aromas of black cherry, licorice, minerals and game. Then juicy, fresh and firmly built, with intense black cherry and menthol flavors complicated by fresh herbs. Finishes with building tannins and very good length and lift. -International Wine Cellar 90-92

Red Wine by Nicolas Potel from Burgundy, France - regions. Nicolas Potel is one of a new breed of vinificateurs who are redefining the meaning of negociant in Burgundy. With his father, the highly respected Gerard Potel, who was manager of a well-known domaine in Volnay, he began a negoce house in July 1996. Upon his father's sudden death in October 1997, Nicolas left the domaine and took over the negoce business full time. In January 1998, Nicolas began to purchase fruit and post-fermentation lots of wine from prestigious domaines. His own relationships with growers and the legacy of his father helped open doors to some of the greatest domaines, even those who normally sell little or nothing except under their own label. As early as 2000, Clive Coates MW was writing that Nicolas was already a super-star. Medium red-ruby. Tangy raspberry, mocha, coffee and minerals on the nose; needs a racking. Sweet, pure flavors of raspberry and minerality. This has more volume than the Clos-Saint-Denis but also seems quite reserved. -International Wine Cellar 91-93

Red Wine by Ch?teau Pavie from St-Emilion, France - Bordeaux. ...the 2002 is one of the top wines of the vintage. Its deep plum/ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of fruitcake, cranberries, cherry liqueur, crushed rocks, and subtle oak. Savory, full-bodied, remarkably concentrated, layered, and forward for a Pavie, it should be accessible in 3-4 years, and will evolve effortlessly for two decades. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from Napa Valley, California. Still in its youth, this wine reveals extraordinary depth and finesse beginning with rich cassis and blackberry aromas that are warmly blanketed in notes of toffee and vanilla. Savory aromas of rosemary, truffles, and cocoa powder reward those who linger over the bouquet. Take a sip, and discover a core of dark berry, cassis, and cherry fruit flavors amid notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, and espresso. Silky, supple tannins carry this wine into a long, fruity and gratifying finish. Enjoy the 2004 CASK 23 with a prime rib roast with Cabernet jus or with venison chops with blackberry compote.

Red Wine by Louis Jadot from Burgundy, France - regions. Charred meat, black currant, and wet stone characterize the bouquet of Jadot's 2005 Clos Vougeot. Savory, salty, brightly-fruited and invigoratingly juicy on the palate, this displays more energy and acidity than I would have expected from the appellation. For all of the clarity and juiciness of this wine's fruit, grilled meat and stony earthiness combined with the emergence of formidable tannins and subtle but persistent cyanic and iodine notes to turn its formidably long finish somewhat austere. But this is going to result in an exciting rendition of its terroir if left in the dark for at least 6-8 years. -Wine Advocate 93-95 Good bright ruby-red. Black cherry, licorice, minerals and flowers on the expressive nose. At once powerful and juicy, with lovely floral perfume and lift in the mouth, along with a note of smoky oak. Not a particularly fleshy wine but focused and fine. Youthfully tight grand cru, with the firm structure for long evolution in bottle. -International Wine Cellar 91-94

Red Wine by Dominus from Napa Valley, California. The 2004 blend is comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year. The 2004 vintage is deep red in color, with an intense nose of vanilla, black currants and cedar. The elegant integration of the tannins and fruit is noticed immediately. Flavors of warm mulled spices on the mid-palate complement the balanced and complex structure. The long, aromatic finish exhibits notes of leather and cardamom. The wine is charming and fragrant, and will age gracefully. It is recommended that this wine be decanted prior to serving, to allow it to develop its full potential. This is especially important when serving young Dominus wines. This very generous and well-ripened offering starts out with an involving display of cherries, cassis, herbs, sweet oak and loam in its deep and decidedly complex aromas, and it follows with equally wide-ranging flavors that show a real sense of layering and plenty of depth. Ripe, but always in balance and firmed by a good dose of youthful tannins, this latest Dominus bottling is among the winery's very best efforts ever, and it is certain to get better yet over the next decade. -Connoisseurs' Guide

Red Wine by Alto Moncayo from Spain. Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There's no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus. I'd love to see this lined up with some mega-bucks Napa cult wines costing twice the price of this admittedly luxe-priced bottle. If you play in this sandbox, you'll flip. -International Wine Cellar The 2005 Aquilon has a splendid perfume of slate, violets, and cherry compote. There is beautiful integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, a smooth texture, layers of flavor, and exceptional length. There is enough structure to support 6-8 years of cellaring and it will provide pleasure through 2030. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Ceretto from Piedmont, Italy. The estate's top Barbaresco is the Bricco Asili. Made from vines that are over 25 years old and aged in 100% new oak, the 2001 displays a deep color and is darker, richer and more concentrated than the Bernardot, with notes of licorice, tobacco and spices dominating the nose. On the palate it is masculine, austere and balsamic, with flavors of dark fruits and plums, finishing with chewy tannins. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 92 Points

Red Wine by Caymus from Napa Valley, California. Special Selection is the name we chose with the first vintage, 1975, to indicate grapes that stood above the others from the moment of harvest through oak barrel aging and, finally, the selection of the blend that we felt deserved this designation. Over the decades, we have continued to recognize the superior character of specific vineyard blocks vintage by vintage. We have also secured long-term farming control-including planting, allowing us to select our preferred rootstock and clones-of Napa Valley vineyards with different slopes, elevation and climates. The primary aromas are of black currants, blackberries, brown spices and dark-roasted coffee beans. In the mouth, the wine is lush and expansive, rich in berry fruit with a firm grip that makes the wine's texture an important part of its character. The finish is long and classic-ripe fruit dominates.

Red Wine by Giacosa from Piedmont, Italy. The 2001 Barolo Falletto displays a more deeply colored, rich translucent ruby color. It opens with a sweet, balsamic nose of spices, oak, and minerals, and is packed with layers of deep, dark fruit that gradually open to reveal themselves on a big, strapping frame, with outstanding length and a beautiful note of freshness to cap off the finish. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2023. -Wine Advocate