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 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 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. 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. Sperss displays the austere character typical of Serralunga terroir: deep structure and lots of ripe tannins. The nose shows a dark, pure and very focused fruit with classic hints of tar, licorice and a touch of truffles.

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

Red Wine by d'Arenberg from McLaren Vale, Australia. One of this estate's flagship wines, the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper, richer, fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak, it possesses an opaque purple color, great intensity, and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, asphalt, earth, and oak. Powerful, super-concentrated, and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines, this is a classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years. - Wine Advocate

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 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. The 2004 Barbaresco reveals fresh, perfumed aromatics that lead to layers of crushed flowers, spices and sweet raspberries. This is a wine of rare class, elegance and pure breed. It offers outstanding length and silky, elegant tannins to round out the inviting finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024. -Wine Advocate

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 Caymus from Napa Valley, California. One of the most allocated and collectible Cabernets in the world, Caymus Vineyards Special Selection is crafted from the outstanding barrels of the vintage. Special Selection is produced only in vintages that proprietor Chuck Wagner feels are suitable for this designation. We are proud to offer limited amounts of the new release of Caymus Special Selection - dark and intense with deep, rich flavors of black currant, cherry, mocha and spice. A collectible masterpiece! A barrel sample of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection offers terrific fruit intensity and purity, a more laid-back style, a meaty, chewy texture, and impressive opulence as well as length. It should evolve for 10-15 years. Robert Parker Wine Advocate Barrel sample: 92-94 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