Wine

"Pale gold. High-pitched citrus fruit and floral scents are complicated by a zesty, chalky nuance. Dry, mineral-driven lemon and green apple flavor...

"The 2010 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard is another wine with superb aromatic presence. Silky and gracious on the palate, the 2010 stands out for it...

"Young and full-bodied with a dense plum/garnet color, the 2003 Gazin offers up sweet aromas of cedarwood, red and black fruits, and mocha. A stron...

"Smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very powerful and racy. It lasts for minutes on...

"At present it offers very pure blackberry, mulberry, and a touch of smoke...not giving much away at the moment but surely destined to down the lin...

"Kirsch, cherry liqueur, black raspberry, earth and garrigue aromas, rich, lush textures and a long, fresh, pure, ripe fruit filled finish reminds ...

"Fabulous aromas of crushed raspberry, blackberry, mineral and licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate. This is chewy yet silky, with a lon...

"With this wine, Dolce cements its status as California’s most consistently great dessert wine. This year’s blend is 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon...

"Dinner comes to an end with Romano Dal Forno’s 1997 Recioto. Pure nectar in the glass, the 1997 is a rare treat to taste, as the master of Illasi ...

"The 2005 Château Climens is an absolutely stunning showing, which at this juncture is not showing any noticeable flaws, as it dazzles with its str...

"Thick, rich, sweet, intense and filled with over ripe apricots, oranges, pineapple, nectarine, vanilla bean and a massive layer of honey. Not as b...

"Just a fabulous wine from the moment the wine hit the glass. The explosive nose, with its coconut, butterscotch, creme brulee, candied orange, flo...

"So rich and powerful with so much dried apricots and citrus aromas and flavors. Caramel and toffee. Full and very sweet. Amazing." James Suckling ...

"The 2005 Rieussec is a blend of 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle picked between 23 September and 27 October. It has a fabulous b...

"Ripe, broad and powerful, this creamy-textured white packs lime blossom, pear, sweet corn and butterscotch into an ample frame. A mineral note eme...

"The barest trace of wood highlights the ripe and surprisingly exotic aromas that are airy and elegant as well as beautifully complex and this comp...

"If one needed any more evidence that Vincent Mongeard is at the top of his game today, then consider just how beautifully he has done in the 2009 ...

"A major sleeper of the vintage, the 2008 La Fleur Petrus (90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc) is a remarkably sexy, opulent wine that transcends th...

"The 2005 Montrose continues to show brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of blackcurrant, red fruits, loamy soil, black truffles and cig...

"Dark medium ruby. Very pure aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet, licorice, graphite and crushed stone. Densely packed and very fine-grained, disp...

"The 2009 Vecina is dark, sumptuous and also remarkably forthcoming for a young wine from this Oakville site. Smoke, leather, tobacco, licorice and...

"Saturated medium ruby. Captivating perfumed lift to the aromas of blackberry pastille, licorice, herbs and minerals. At once densely packed and wo...

"The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Pluribus is from a relatively high-elevation vineyard on the steep slopes of Spring Mountain and planted in the white ...

"Another wine flirting with perfection is the 2010 Vecina, the nearby neighbor of Harlan Estate on the western hills overlooking the Oakville Corri...

"This is the best single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon-based red from Bond in this vintage, showing incredible purity of fruit and seamless tannins a...

"The addition of 5% Cabernet Franc to the Merlot dominated wine created a soft textured, refined, medium bodied Pomerol, with fennel, plum, black c...

"A blend of just over 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot (last year I mistakenly wrote that the balance was Cabernet Franc), the opaque ...

"The 2009 vintage can be described as a wine with good structure and soft tannins. The wine is balanced and has a great acidity despite the high te...

"The flagship 2004 Run Rig is 96.5% Shiraz and 3.5% Viognier with the Shiraz component aged for 30 months in a mixture of new and used French oak. ...

"Mugnier’s 2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale was drop-dead gorgeous. Clos de la Marechale is another of my go-to wines, as it is readil...

"Beautiful blueberries and blackberries with some blackcurrants and flowers on the nose. Some black olives and crushed stones, too. Full-bodied wit...

"Almost opaque in color, the wine is massive, powerful, dense and intense. The layers of incredibly ripe, black and fruits coat every facet of your...

"This is an especially structured, shut-down wine, even within the context of Dal Forno. The wine’s gorgeous inner perfume and sheer depth suggest ...

"The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain takes things to another level, as hard as it may seem to believe. This was another difficult vintage f...

"Deep ruby color. Blackberry, pepper, mint and tar on the vibrant nose. Lush but dry, with strong acids giving terrific cut and definition to the d...

"A concentrated and essence-like nose of elderberries, blackcurrant compote, peppermint and forest floor, but also hot stones, pressed violets and ...

"Intense aromas of toasty oak, boysenberry, cassis, tobacco and mocha, this rich, full bodied, mouth filling wine offers layers of sweet, blackberr...

"Shows incredible elegance, with very perfumy dried vanilla, bergamot and juniper notes, followed by caressing, lightly mulled raspberry and plum e...

"Wild aromas of crushed fruit, forest flower and wild mushrooms. Full-bodied, with incredibly velvety tannins that go on and on. Lovely and excitin...

"Bright medium red. At once more somber and higher-pitched on the nose than the Echézeaux, offering aromas of black cherry, dark berries, violet an...

"The first vintage that seems approachable now, this pumps out a very friendly core of steeped red currant, blackberry cherry and plum fruit, with ...

"Jean Louis Chave commented that 2005 was not a “friendly vintage” on release and compared it to 1998, 1995 and 1983 in style. His 2005 Hermitage i...

"Fully developed, this is a text-book example of a great Pauillac combining power, concentration, a touch of sternness to the tannins, and layers o...

"Rich, broad and immediately appealing, this full-bodied wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in all-new French oak barrels. The wine offers gener...

"One of winemaker Sam Kaplan’s finest showings from a lineup of 15 wines across his consulting clients, which include Vida Valiente, Memento Mori, ...

"Wonderful spices with pine needles and dark fruit. Full-bodied and silky with fine-grained tannins and beautiful length. Attractive vanilla undert...

"The first substantial and reassuringly great Belair-Monange in many decades, the 2008 represents the epitome of elegance and minerality. Its deep ...

"The Rudd 2016 Oakville Estate Red is one of the very best wines I have ever tasted from Rudd. Layered, silky and exceptionally polished, the 2016 ...