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(Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St.-Georges Les St. Georges 1er Cru Red) This is primary to the point of being overtly grapey with an interesting mix of intense earth and game nuances that merge into solidly structured middle weight flavors that possess outstanding length and real depth. As good as the Petits Monts is, there is another dimension here. (Drink starting 2015)Burghound | 90-93 BHFrom substantial holdings planted with old vines, the Thibault Liger-Belair 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les St.-Georges displays both roasted, charred and raw red meatiness to a degree unusual for a Nuits-St.-Georges. Ripe black cherry and blackberry are also very much present, but this wine is not about sweetness of fruit. Substantial, firm but finely-tannic and formidably concentrated, it finishes with dark, faintly bitter berries, roasted meats, beef blood, a soy-like savor, and an intense yet hard to describe minerality. The wine tastes like something one should if anemic. Heady yet not hot in its nearly 15% alcohol, palpable extract rich and thick yet not leaden, it will need at least 5-7 years, I suspect, if it is to be tamed and refined at all. (The 2004, incidentally, was also powerful if very slightly lower in alcohol and displayed intriguing potential.)In this his fourth vintage, and (like his cousin at Comte Liger-Belair in Vosne-Romanee) young, ambitious in the pursuit of quality, well-traveled, and in the process of taking back family property from rental and negociant contracts, Thibault Liger-Belair is ensconced in deep, ancient, and bitterly-cold cellars in the center of Nuits-St.-Georges. He has begun pursuing a biodynamic regimen in his vineyards and has inaugurated a rigorously-controlled negociant arm (its wines labeled “Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs” and designated “S” in my listings). He says he approached 2005 with great caution lest the wines lose polish and finesse to over-extraction of tannins. Certainly the results have included some very powerful and formidably structured wines. Low sulfur and a significant inclusion of whole clusters (“depending on the circumstances and site,” he says, “- I have no system”) are among other prominent features of Liger-Belair’s approach in 2005.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP(14.8% alcohol; vinified with 30% whole clusters) Bright red-ruby. Superripe aroma of black raspberry liqueur. Fat, sweet and powerful; a big, chocolatey-rich wine that retains freshness yet comes across as a bit heavy. Will make a major mouthful but today I don’t find the near-grand cru class of the best examples from this vineyard.Vinous Media | 89-92 VM

The 2005 Valandraud is off the charts. Easily one of the wines of the vintage, the 2005 Valandraud possesses tremendous richness from start to finish. Moreover, it has aged exquisitely. Inky red fruit, iron, smoke, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and blood orange infuse the 2005 with striking layers of nuance to play off all that unctuous fruit. This full-throttle Saint-Émilion is a prodigious effort from Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGThis may be the most prodigious wine Jean-Luc Thunevin and his partner Murielle Andraud have made to date. Inky purple to the rim at age ten, this wine’s explosive aromatics include espresso, chocolate, plum, blackberry and cassis. The oak is well-hidden behind an extravagant, full-bodied, multi-layered palate. Stunningly pure, super-intense and just beginning to move into middle adolescence, the “Bad Boy” of Bordeaux has produced a legend in 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.Robert Parker | 97 RPDark ruby in color, with intense aromas of blackberry, mineral and dried lavender. Full-bodied, very dense and layered, with powerful tannins. This is big and very rich. A bodybuilder. Needs time. Best after 2016. 1,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOne of the likely candidates for promotion to Grand Cru Classé status, this is Jean-Luc Thunevin’s original estate. This year there is considerable restraint in what is normally an immensely opulent wine: it is elegant, rather than having a no-holds-barred attitude, that will make this wine a classic.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

The 2006 Melbury has a dense plum/purple color and a big, sweet, scorched earth, crème de cassis and blueberry nose, with hints of charcoal, spice box, and graphite. Rich, well-made, and showing exceptionally well from bottle, it is a wine that will certainly evolve for 25 or more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2006 Melbury is dark, chewy and a bit rough around the edges. Even so, it has aged well and retains enough freshness to drink well for another decade or more. Mocha, plum, black cherry and spice infuse the super-expressive finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is very perfumed with currants and flowers. I love the nose. Very balanced and deep full bodied wine with a long silky finish. I really like the texture and finesse to this. Very fascinating. Better in a year or two. 14+24+23+33. Find the wineJames Suckling | 94 JSStarts with a beautiful ruby color that’s so pretty and gleaming. Appeals right away for its rich, attractive sour cherry candy, vanilla and anise aromas and flavors that are well-integrated with smoky oak. The tannins are firm, but ultra-refined, and the finish is entirely dry. A well-made, elegant wine of place that needs time. 2012–2018.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEI had a very hard time getting a firm read on any of the 2006 bottlings from Bond Estates and was under the distinct impression that I was not favorably impressed by the style of wines here, until I tasted the 2005s, which really had snapped nicely into focus, had gobbled up the lion’s share of their new wood and showed truly excellent quality in their more modern styles. So with the 2006 Melbury (and this is true for all of the other 2006s from Bond), please take into account that the wine was still more than a tad grumpy and adolescent when I tasted it and is very likely to come in at the high range of my range if it evolves as positively as its 2005 counterparts. The nose today on the ’06 Melbury is quite intriguing in its mix of black raspberries, plums, tobacco, chocolate, allspice and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows a fair bit of complexity on the attack, but with rather aggressive, uncovered oak tannins currently dominating the slightly green (from wood?) finish. There is excellent length and grip here behind the wood tannins, and one assumes that there is plenty of stuffing to eventually carry the wood, but for now, the wood tannins make this wine pretty disagreeable to drink and cellaring is emphatically required. (Drink between 2016 - 2035)John Gilman | 89-92 JGFrom the Sloson Vineyard on the east side of Lake Hennessy, these vines are cooled by the lake and grow in dense clay. They produced a big, juicy red in 2006, a soft, luscious wine that feels dense and full. This comes across as warmer and riper than Bond’s other single-vineyard releases, a more immediate pleasure for drinking over the next several years.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S

(Rossignol-Trapet Chambertin Grand Cru Red) This is backward, primary and almost shut down with its ultra cool and serious nose of mostly dark berry fruit aromas that also offer up notes of spice, pepper earth, animale, smoke and underbrush, all of which resurface on the structured, minerally and firm to the point of being strict on the palate staining and hugely long finish. Wow, this makes an impression as it’s a big and very bad boy that will require plenty of time to harmonize and round out as the tannins are prominent. (Drink starting 2018)Burghound | 91-94 BH(Domaine Rossignol-Trapet Chambertin) The Rossignol-Trapet 2006 Chambertin was also still retaining a bit of its gas post-malo, and so was not as on form to taste as the Latricières. Nevertheless, this is clearly going to be a fine example of the vintage, as the wine offers up a complex bouquet of dark plums, black cherries, lovely minerality, coffee, woodsmoke, a bit of grilled meat, and new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and quite powerfully built, with excellent purity, a rock solid core, firm tannins and a very long, primary and soil-driven finish. This was probably the toughest wines to taste in the cellars in November, but it clearly possesses the raw materials to be quite special. (Drink between 2018-2060)John Gilman | 93-94 JGGood full red. Complex nose melds wild raspberry, tobacco and earth. Suave and fine-grained but youthfully subdued, with ripe balancing acidity giving the broad red fruit and soil flavors a sappy quality and very good snap. Best today on the rising finish, where the tannins are firm but fine and arrive late. A powerful wine but not hard.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

The 2006 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts from Sylvain Cathiard really blossomed in the glass, unfurling to reveal notes of plums, dark chocolate, rich soil, burning embers and some savory and hard-to-define bass notes, its new oak nicely digested at age 12. On the palate, the wine starts out a little foursquare but opens up to become quite expansive, more taut and controlled than the 2005 En Orveaux tasted the following day, with fine-grained but not yet melted tannins, a deep core of fruit and a long finish. An excellent Malconsorts with a full decade ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGood full red. Darker fruits on the nose, complicated by minerals, violet and sweet oak. Rich and silky but at the same time minerally and firm; boasts impressive volume and texture but comes across as almost weightless. Finishes tight and youthfully closed, with superb mineral energy and toothcoating tannins. Lovely already but this should really be held for five or six years.Vinous Media | 93+ VM(Domaine Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru Red) A gorgeously layered and deep nose of spicy, and once again notably cool black pinot fruit seems to offer up a different nuance with each examination and serves as a classy intro to the supple, rich, round and strikingly pure mouth coating flavors brimming with dry extract on the hugely long finish that exhibits serious power. This is a big yet refined wine that remains the current reference standard for Malconsorts though, happily, there will be more serious competition going forward with Domaines Dujac and de Montille coming to the party. Impressive but note that patience will be required. (Drink starting 2016)Burghound | 93 BH

A blend of 75% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this up-and-coming estate has fashioned an outstanding 2006. While not as prodigious as the 2005, it is an exceptional effort boasting a dense purple hue as well as sweet aromas of blueberries, dark raspberries, licorice, camphor, and pain grille. Full-bodied, powerful, and layered with impressive purity, texture, and length, this unfined and unfiltered wine should be at its finest between 2013-2022.Robert Parker | 91 RPFull ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet, licorice and menthol. Intense, pure and sharply delineated, with a juicy, lively quality to the black fruit, violet and menthol flavors. Surprisingly dense and ripe for such a penetrating wine. Finishes with chewy, ripe tannins and lovely aromatic persistence. I’d give this three or four years in the cellar.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2006 Léoville Las Cases is muscular and uncompromising, unwinding to reveal aromas of dark berries, cassis, burning embers, espresso roast, exotic spices, loamy soil and toasty oak. Full-bodied, rich and extracted, it’s a deep, brooding wine with considerable depth and concentration, framed by an abundance of sweet, powdery tannin. It possesses considerable potential, but it continues to require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPOffers a pure nose of crushed raspberry and violet, with aniseed. Full-bodied, with beautiful, well-integrated tannins and a long, polished texture to the finish. Very beautiful. Harmonious and structured. Best after 2015.Wine Spectator | 95 WSSince 1959 the estate has kept 50% of production back for a second release when the wine is ready to drink, and this vintage has not yet seen its mature release (they are currently on the 2004). You can see why - it’s an exceptional wine that still needs time in the cellar. The biggest difference that you see between grand vin and second wine is the size, shape and layers of the tannins. Here they are closed, barely getting going and yet unquestionably full of purpose, doing their job of defining and controlling the dark fruits. Coiled energy supports gorgeous crushed cassis and slate. This still has decades ahead of it. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of blackberries, black olives, raspberries, iodine and asphalt follow through to a medium to full body with a tight, layered palate and a juicy finish. Hints of iodine at the end. Some licorice, too. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSWhile the aromas are tight and firm, once it is in the mouth, this wine just explodes. The tannins are dark, almost impenetrable, dry and dense. These tannins are a layer over the fruit that just piles up with ripe blackberry juice, an edge of blueberry. The soft sweetness of this range of flavors continues on the finish, pitted against the tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEBright, full ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis, black cherry, minerals, bitter chocolate, shoe polish and violet; more Pauillac than Saint-Julien on the nose. Then rich, lush and powerful, with impressive fullness and volume. As full and sweet as this is, there’s no impression of excess weight and the back end shows a distinctly austere quality, even if the serious tannins are nicely buffered by the wine’s rich middle. Really stains the palate with flavor on the aftertaste. Wonderfully ripe cabernet sauvignon here; in fact, most of the cab franc in 2006 was declassified into the Clos du Marquis.Vinous Media | 94 VMNo written review provided. | 92 W&S

The flagship release is the 2006 Champagne Rare, a 70/30 split of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that’s a cellar selection from 8 different Grand Cru vineyards. Tight, backward, and straight-up structured, it offers brilliant notes of stone fruits, toasted brioche, white flowers, and obvious minerality. Needing plenty of air to show at its best, this beauty has a wonderful mid-palate, a racy mousse, and the balance and class to cruise for over two decades in cool cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDAromas and flavors of toasted brioche and grilled nut enrich the yellow plum, nectarine and grated ginger notes of this rich and creamy Champagne. Finely woven and beautifully integrated, with a firm backbone of mouthwatering acidity providing precise balance for the lush range of flavor. Drink now through 2029. 14,000 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSPiper-Heidsieck’s luxury cuvée with its beautifully decorated bottle is a well-matured blend of mainly Chardonnay with some Pinot Noir. Great drive and energy comes from the ripe fruit with its hints of almonds and toast. Drink this wine now.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2006 Brut Cuvée Rare is a rich, gourmand rendition of this prestige bottling, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet that mingles aromas of yellow orchard fruit, pears and fresh pineapple with nuances of buttered toast, iodine and smoke. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and textural, while remaining fresh and surprisingly tight-knit at the core, concluding with a long and saline finish. There’s sufficient structural tension here to promise more than a decade’s graceful evolution, and although this is nicely balanced, it’s a generous, sun kissed rendition of the Cuvée Rare that reflects the warm vintage. The blend is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPiper-Hiedsieck’s 2006 Cuvée Rare is racy and polished to the core. Baked apple tart, apricot, lemon confit, vanillin and brioche infuse the 2006 with striking aromatic intensity and creaminess that builds with time in the glass. Sumptuous and forward, the 2006 offers tons of near and medium-term appeal.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGCellar master Régis Camus sums up each vintage at this tasting with a single word or phrase. In 2006, ‘sunny’ is the word, reflecting both the warm and sometime humid summer conditions, and also the style of the wine: bold and generous. It has a golden hue and seductive aromas of nutmeg, quince and tropical fruit such as mango and kiwi. He describes it as a vintage ‘gorged with the sun’, going on to outline the ‘ping-pong’ match of the palate which glides effortlessly between generosity of texture and freshness. Opulence abounds. Drinking Window 2019 - 2026.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2006 is performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Sloan and McClellan decided to bottle it later than usual, recognizing the rugged, tough tannins of the vintage could be sweetened up with longer barrel aging. Their strategy worked. The wine’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of white chocolate, burning embers, creme de cassis, coffee, and scorched earth (think Haut-Brion or La Mission Haut-Brion). It possesses terrific structure, melted, well-integrated tannins, full body, and is already bursting with complexity. A great success, it is one of the vintage’s most thrilling wines. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 98+ RPAn extraordinary effort, very tightly wound with a wealth of detailed flavors, exhibiting tiers of black cherry, plum, currant, berry jam, cedar, cigar box, black licorice and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and well-structured, ending with tapered flavors that retain their focus. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2011 through 2025. 700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely violets, gardenias, and orchids on the nose with hints of dark fruits. Full bodied with fine tannins and firmly structured. This starts off slow, but then it really takes off and gives and gives. Very delicate and pretty. Pull the cork after 2016. Find the wineJames Suckling | 93 JS(70% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 5% cabernet franc) Full ruby-red. Superripe aromas of dark berries, hot stones, tobacco, bitter chocolate and licorice. Very ripe, broad and plush in the mouth, even a bit chunky, with black fruit, mocha, roast coffee, tar and licorice flavors coming across as a bit spiky today. Finishes with big, slightly tough tannins that call for at least five or six years of aging. "This vintage was more austere than either 2005 or 2007 early on," noted winemaker Martha McClellan, "and the tannins took longer to integrate." The wine was bottled barely a month before my visit.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes.Vinous Media | 98 VMTasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018 (lot L6316UM13600).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger’s signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine. Drink now.James Suckling | 96 JS(Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut (Reims)) The 2006 vintage of Taittinger’s iconic Comtes de Champagne bottling is a beautifully refined example of the vintage, offering up a pure and vibrant bouquet of apple, pear, brioche, complex, chalky soil tones, hazelnut, a touch of orange zest, white flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and supremely elegant in profile, with outstanding mid-palate intensity, utterly refined mousse, bright acids and laser-like focus on the very long, nascently complex finish. Whereas many examples from the 2006 vintage are drinking very well at age ten, it is still very early days for this outstanding Comtes de Champagne and this wine will not peak for at least another decade, though it is already very, very easy to drink! I would be inclined to let it hibernate in the cellar for at least another five years, just to allow its secondary layers of complexity to start to emerge. (Drink between 2021-2060)John Gilman | 96 JGA cold winter and scattered frost were followed by a hot, dry July. August rains cleared in time for the two weeks of dry, warm weather before a harvest in near-perfect conditions from 11 September. The Comtes is softly rich and lush, with an elegant, approachable ripe apple fruit, a hint of buttered toast and a firm mineral underpinning. Although the texture is somewhat soft, this wine has plenty of extract and potential for ageing.Decanter | 95 DECTaittinger’s prestige cuvée epitomizes the Chardonnay predilection of this producer. This now-mature bottling is elegant and very stylish. Toast and a soft texture combine with great complexity to reveal a wine that is poised and ready to drink. But with the acidity in the background, it could still age, so drink now and until 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA vivacious Champagne, with fine integration of the racy acidity and chalky bead, rich mineral character and creamy palate of glazed apricot, ground anise, biscuit and passion fruit flavors. Offers a firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIn much the same fashion as the ’06 Rosé this is aromatically quite restrained with notably cool and elegant aromas that speak of citrus, floral, yeast and green apple nuances. The wonderfully refined mouth feel is enhanced by the beautifully fine effervescence that shapes the medium weight flavors that culminate in crisp, intense and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is not only a terrific effort but it’s an amazingly good 2006 as there are no exotic hints plus it offers exceptionally good verve. While this could certainly be enjoyed now I would be inclined to hold it for at least another 3 years and 5 will probably be the sweet spot.Burghound | 94 BH

Fragrant, with notes of chalk and spring blossom on the nose, this fresh and focused version offers a finely detailed, lacy palate of white raspberry, peach skin, toast and candied ginger flavors. Long and creamy on the spice- and smoke-laced finish. Disgorged November 2016. Drink now through 2030. 99 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSHoney and roses with fresh almonds and an array of dried berries, amid deep, rich, toasted-nut, autolysis character. The palate has a bold array of rich, concentrated berry flavors in a fresh core, surrounded by a warming wrap of grilled hazelnuts. Roasted coffee to close. Terrific complexity. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSContaining some 6% red wine from Bollinger’s La Côte aux Enfants vineyard, the 2007 La Grande Année Rosé offers up a complex bouquet of dried orange peel, walnuts, confit lemon and crisp orchard fruit. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, chalky and structured, with bright acids and a more overtly phenolic chassis than its white counterpart, concluding with a long, delicately nutty finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe age shows in the onion-skin color of this wine. On the palate it reveals itself in the sort of toastiness for which this producer is famed. The fruit is ripe, still hinting at red berries while moving much more to spice, almonds and mature acidity. Drink this remarkable wine now.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Rosé Millésime) The 205 Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Rosé is an excellent wine and is drinking very well indeed, with a vibrancy on the nose and backend energy that is most impressive. The bouquet offers up a fine combination of tangerine, wild strawberries, wheat toast, chalky minerality and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and zesty, with a very suave attack, a lovely core, elegant mousse and a long, refined and bouncy finish of impressive complexity and delineation. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2018-2035)John Gilman | 93 JGThis gains its light pink color from six percent of still pinot noir wine from Bollinger’s Côte aux Enfants vineyard. It’s tight, austere and tannic, still youthfully inaccessible at more than ten years of age. The scents of red apple skin, hibiscus and sage complement the red fruit, adding spicy intensity that lasts on the breath. Built to cellar. Vintus, Pleasantville, NYWine & Spirits | 93 W&SMade entirely in barrels, the 2007 rosé includes 6% red wine from the Côtes aux Enfants. With notes of redcurrant, mint and spring flowers, the bouquet is lively, energetic and subtle. The palate is moderately dense, well-defined and fresh. It’s beautifully balanced and calls for a carpaccio of raw salmon.Decanter | 92 DEC(Bollinger Brut - La Grande Année Rosé Rosé) A restrained, cool and relatively high-toned nose features notes of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, yeast and a hint of quinine. There is an equal sense of restraint to the almost delicate middle weight flavors that possess good energy thanks to the firm but fine mousse that also suffuses the delicious, clean, dry and crisp finale. This is certainly a very pretty effort but it doesn’t have a lot to say in terms of complexity, at least not at present, and as such I would be inclined to allow this to slumber for another 3 to 5 years. (Drink starting 2022).Burghound | 90 BH

The 2007 Quella performed slightly better than I predicted last year. A magical combination of blueberry liqueur intermixed with crushed rock, spring flowers (violets?), earth, pen ink and burning ember leads to a full-bodied, majestically rich wine with a multilayered texture, silky tannins and a phenomenally long finish of over 50 seconds. This sensational 2007 should drink well for 25-30+ years.Robert Parker | 97 RPThis is decadent. Layers and layers of porcini mushrooms, wet forest floor, and dark fruits. Full bodied, powerful, with everything going for it. This needs at least fiave years to show its best. Pull the cork after 2015. 15+25+24+33. Find the wineJames Suckling | 97 JSVoluptuous and racy in the glass, with terrific freshness, the 2007 Quella has it all. Raspberry jam, blood orange and sweet floral notes add brightness throughout. Silky, ripe and alluring, the 2007 is one of the many standouts in this vintage. The 2007 drinks well now but it will hold for another 10-15 years.Vinous Media | 96 VMA tremendous effort, firm, intense, dense and concentrated, offering a wonderful mix of mineral, fresh earth, dried currant and herb, with touches of tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, yet at points supple given its youth, but the finish sails on and on. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2013 through 2024. 476 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis is Bond’s second vintage of Quella, from a vineyard in the eastern hills of Napa Valley. The wine’s red cherry fruit has elasticity and intriguing meatiness, though for now it’s completely cloaked in oak. The wood adds a French roast coffee spice rather than sweetness, the tannins mouthcoating and rich. This finishes with elegance and should reward several years of cellar time.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

As is common with this wine, the 2007 Bionic Frog is showing even better now than on release and offers up a ripe, dense, and meaty profile that has more in common with the ‘08 than the structured and firm ’09. It has aromas of peppered beef, green peppercorns, lavender, bacon fat, and the expected minerality giving way to a full-bodied, layered, and perfectly put together palate that has a decadent, thick texture, superb balance, and a blockbuster finish. Hard to fault and this is a profound Syrah that will benefit from an additional 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink beautifully for 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDOften considered the iconic Cayuse wine, this bears the cartoonish label with the leering frog, though it is a single-vineyard offering like the others. Initially showing some fat and sweetness, it is supple and textural, with the density that comes from a mix of flavors: pain grillé, smoke, umami, fungus, coffee grounds and dark fruits. A richly organic compendium of scents and flavors, with black tea tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis is holding on beautifully with subtle meat, spice and tea aromas as well as ripe fruits. Full-bodied, layered and very flavorful with fantastic depth and length. Superb wine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSLike the 2007 Cailloux Vineyard, the 2007 Syrah Bionic Frog is perfumed and complex, with gorgeous garrigue, dried flowers, olive tapenade and liquid rock aromas balanced nicely by a core of sweet red and black raspberry fruit. I’d like to see more mid-palate depth here, but this is pure silk on the palate and it shows the sexy, supple nature of the vintage beautifully. Possessing lots of polished tannin, beautifully pure fruit and no shortage of length, it’s a beautiful wine to enjoy anytime over the coming decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis has tremendous presence, graceful but forceful, playing out its flavors of plum, currant, black pepper and licorice against a background that hints at warm granite, cinnamon bark and bay leaf. Complex and harmonious. Drink now through 2020. 476 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(14.9% alcohol; harvested on September 18): Full, deep red. Wild aromas of raspberry, black olive tapenade, leather, meat and brown sugar, plus a mushroom nuance. Rich, plush, hugely mouthfilling wine with extravagant flavors of black raspberry, pepper, salami, leather and porcini; this bottle is crying out for a hunk of (raw) meat. Boasts outstanding sweetness and a great spreading, horizontal finish featuring substantial dusty tannins. From a very warm year that was affected by some rain in the middle of the harvest, but Baron told me he picked these vines first (as is typically the case), before the precipitation.Vinous Media | 94 VM

(Chambertin- Domaine Dujac) The 2007 Chambertin is also a beautiful bottle in the making, as it offers up a beautiful aromatic mélange of cherries, red plums, coffee, cocoa, a great base of soil, spice tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and magically complex, with great length and grip, flawless focus, a sappy core and superb length on the modestly-tannic and very tangy finish. Quintessential Chambertin. I would love to drink this wine side by side with Éric Rousseau’s example a dozen years from now. (Drink between 2017-2050)John Gilman | 96 JG(Domaine Dujac Chambertin Grand Cru Red) A much more restrained and certainly cooler nose of all red berry fruit aromas that possess obvious mineral and underbrush highlights dissolves into precise, intense and driving medium full flavors that possess simply terrific length and vibrancy. This is not a super concentrated effort but it is extremely well balanced, persistent and classy. A qualitative choice. (Drink starting 2019)Burghound | 91-94 BHBright medium red. Aromas of black cherry, red berries, iron and flowers hint at a liqueur-like ripeness. Dense, sweet and deep, but in a rather polite style for Chambertin, with its fruits and flowers to the fore. But this classy, beautifully balanced wine shows a weightless quality that is compelling.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Vrucara represents a new, exciting page in the story of Sicily’s most important indigenous grape, Nero d’Avola. The purity of the fruit comes through loud and clear, and the wine doesn’t deliver that bittersweet finish you sometimes get. Instead, it shows cherry, spice and an elegant mineral tone.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2007 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is one of the more unusual Nero d’Avolas readers will come across. A blast of super-ripe red fruit hits the palate with authority as the Vrucara struts its stuff. This is a decidedly opulent, flashy Nero d’Avola that sits on the razor’s edge of ripeness. Soft and supple on the palate, the wine flows effortlessly towards the caressing, intense finish. Floral notes add a touch of lift on the finish. The Vrucara, a single-vineyard old-vine selection from high-altitude hillside vineyards, shows the extreme of ripeness Nero d’Avola is capable of. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017.I tasted a wide range of wines from Feudo Montoni this year. The standouts are the two Nero d’Avolas.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2007 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is one of the more unusual Nero d’Avolas readers will come across. A blast of super-ripe red fruit hits the palate with authority as the Vrucara struts its stuff. This is a decidedly opulent, flashy Nero d’Avola that sits on the razor’s edge of ripeness. Soft and supple on the palate, the wine flows effortlessly towards the caressing, intense finish. Floral notes add a touch of lift on the finish. The Vrucara, a single-vineyard old-vine selection from high-altitude hillside vineyards, shows the extreme of ripeness Nero d’Avola is capable of.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG

As outstanding as the 2008 is, it is eclipsed by the brilliant 2007 The Maiden, perhaps the finest second wine yet made here. Sweet tobacco leaf, fruitcake, creme de cassis, black currant and licorice aromas emerge from this round, opulent, voluptuously textured wine. It is very much in keeping with the 2007 vintage. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPTight and complex, with a firm, focused mix of mineral, dried currant, herb, sage and cedar. Full-bodied, intense and persistent, ending with a complex, layered aftertaste. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2012 through 2022. 1,040 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGood deep ruby-red. Currant, cedar and graphite on the nose and palate. Pliant and showy already, with compelling sweetness of fruit and a fresh minerally quality giving juiciness and lift to the middle palate. Long and ripely tannic. This is freakishly good for a second wine.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of green coffee beans, vanilla and ripe berries follow through to full body, with loads of new wood and ripe fruit. Full bodied and full throttle. Bottle age to mellow the wood is a necessity here. Second wine of Harlan.James Suckling | 91 JS

Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits’ 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 La Mission Haut Brion should be considered as one of the wines of the vintage, perhaps even outclassing the gaff across the road! It has an ebullient bouquet with vivid dark berry, cold, warm gravel and undergrowth scents that are very complex and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, crisp acidity and a very precise structure, with superb tension on the finish. If you are seeking a 2007 Bordeaux, then this would undoubtedly be one of my picks. Tasted February 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThe 2007 La Mission Haut-Brion is one of the great successes of a vintage given the cold shoulder by consumers on initial release. It has an ebullient bouquet of vivid dark berry, warm gravel and undergrowth scents that are complex and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, crisp acidity, a precise structure and superb tension on the finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2007 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion has slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than its Haut-Brion counterpart and is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc. More rounded, sexy notes of plums, licorice, spice-box and truffle emerge from this totally irresistible, charming, medium-bodied Pessac that has sweet tannin and a great finish. It too is going to continue drinking nicely for 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA smooth, velvet textured wine, piled high with sweet, ripe flavors. There is fine, opulent concentration here, impressive density, and a solid, tannic core. While it is not as powerful as some vintages from this estate, it certainly suggests the ability to age 5–6 years and more.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEOffers berry and coffee bean aromas, with hints of mahogany. Full-bodied, with a lovely silky texture and a vanilla, berry and chocolate aftertaste. Hard not to drink now. There’s lots at the finish. Even a little chewy. Best after 2013. 4,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2007 Montevetrano is the product of an unusual vintage characterized by hot temperatures that were virtually uninterrupted throughout the year. Bright red fruit, flowers and spices are some of the nuances that emerge from this silky, beautifully balanced Montevetrano. The combination of explosive ripe fruit, richness and finesse are utterly breathtaking. The warmth of the vintage comes through in the wine’s generosity, yet there are no suggestions whatsoever of over- ripeness. This is a magnificent Montevetrano.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThe 2007 Montevetrano suggests a more prominent presence of Cabernet Sauvignon, aromatically speaking, compared to the other wines in this mini retrospective. The percentage of grapes used is the same but this impression is reinforced by the warmth of the summer growing season and the exuberance of the fruit. Blackberry aromas are followed by spice, leather and tar. There are subtle notes of balsam herb and green peppercorn as well. The wine is structured and firm but not astringent. The tannins are softly integrated and fine in texture.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPDark and sappy, with tightly wound layers of black currant, blackberry and plum skin. Hints of underbrush, ash and smoke are framed by firm tannins, which need time to resolve. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Aglianico. Best from 2013 through 2021.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This was a brilliant showing by the 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve from Rayas, the finest bottle I’ve had to date. Offering a classic ruby color as well as gorgeous notes of kirsch liqueur, sappy green herbs, flowers, and rose petals, this beauty hits the palate with a full-bodied, rich, yet also fresh and vibrant texture that carries nicely integrated acidity and fine tannin. It’s certainly one of the gems in this great vintage and is going to have a long life. I’d be thrilled to drink bottles any time over the coming 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDI think the Rayas 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape will turn out to eclipse the 2005. It is unequivocally the finest wine made here since Emmanuel Reynaud’s uncle, the late Jacques Reynaud, produced his brilliant 1995. This wine was just released this year, with the 2008 coming on the market in the next few months. The 2007 is a relatively dark ruby/purple-tinged wine, more intensely colored than most Rayas Chateauneufs tend to be, since they are made from 100% Grenache and color has never been one of their hallmarks. The extraordinarily youthful and still burgeoning aromatics of black raspberries, black cherries, truffles and licorice lead to a full-bodied, powerful Rayas with sweet tannin, adequate acidity, and an ethereal richness and unctuosity that delicately offers a sensual texture. It is full-bodied, concentrated and approachable, but won’t hit its peak for at least another 4-5 years and will last for 25 or more. This is a spectacular Rayas, the likes of which hasn’t existed at this qualitative level since 1995.Robert Parker | 98 RPBright ruby. Red berry, cherry and Asian spice aromas are lifted by sexy notes of rose petal and blood orange. Impressively pure and perfumed, with remarkable precision and cut to its concentrated but lively flavors of cherry and black raspberry. The weightless, mineral-driven character of this wine is something else. In a distinctly delicate, feminine style, with superb finishing cut and energy. This will probably cost a fortune when it lands in the U.S. , unfortunately.Vinous Media | 97 VMA very elegant, perfumy style, with shiso leaf and mulled spice notes up front, followed by silky black cherry, linzer torte and kirsch flavors that glide through the incense-tinged finish. There’s good latent depth and fresh acidity without the headiness typical of the vintage. Best from 2012 through 2022. 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS is profoundly scented of baked plums, cherry tart and warm wild blueberries with touches of cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and fertile loam plus an earthy waft of moss-covered tree bark. The palate is a hedonist’s fruit bowl of red, black and blue berry preserves layers in a full-bodied, decadently plush package, with an uplifting line of freshness to balance and an epically long finish. Pure sex in a glass!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPPacks a wallop, with a broad, deep range of flavors, from exotic, spicy, vanilla- and mocha-accented oak to a dense, vibrant core of wild berry and blackberry that flows smoothly, gaining traction and tannic grip on the finish.—Blind 1997/2007 California Cabernet retrospective (January 2017). Drink now through 2026. 250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The light rust and amber color is enticing. Aromas of dried rose petals, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of dried meat, smoke and sage. Full body and compact, creamy texture. So fine and delicious. Great, subtle and complex flavors. More like a lightly aged, premier cru Volnay, but with the magic of Champagne. Drink now.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a total knock-out. Racy and exuberant in the glass, the 2007 wraps around the palate with stunning textural depth and resonance. The 15% still Pinot adds structure and persistence to a creamy, inviting Rosé Champagne that will leave readers weak at the knees. Hints of rose petal, dried cherry, cinnamon and dried flowers meld into the sublime finish. This is about as good as it gets. Wow!Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe Comtes de Champagne Rosé is composed of 30% Chardonnay (Grands Crus from Côtes de Blancs), 70% Pinot Noir (Grands Crus from Montagne de Reims, including 15% Pinot Noir from Bouzy, vinified as red wine). It has strawberry, mint, rose petal and cherry notes on the exuberant nose. The palate is racy and creamy, very compact and fresh, with a delicate salty note on the finish.Decanter | 97 DECThis bottle of Taittinger’s just-released 2007 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé was disgorged in December 2018, and it’s showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of blood orange, minty raspberries, red plums, dried flowers and warm brioche. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, chalky and tensile, sharing a racy, chiseled profile with its Blanc de Blancs cousin. Deep, concentrated and tightly wound, the wine concludes with a long, sapid finish. This is an intense, racy Comtes Rosé with a long future ahead of it. As has been the norm chez Taittinger for several years now, the blend is based upon 70% Pinot Noir and includes 15% still red wine from Bouzy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis harmonious rosé Champagne offers quiet grace, with a pleasing juiciness to the sleek acidity, framing finely knit flavors of raspberry, peach, brioche and candied pink grapefruit zest. Showing a raw silk–like texture, this caresses the palate through to the fresh, ginger-laced finish. Drink now through 2027. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 550 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

(Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros Richebourg Grand Cru Red) Very generous wood fights somewhat at present with the cool, spicy and highly complex nose of red currant, plum and violet aromas that is very much in keeping with the equally spicy rich, full-bodied and tautly muscled flavors that display ample minerality on the balanced, long and linear finish. This is a very serious effort with fine but dense tannins that will require 15 to 20 years for them to fully resolve so this isn’t a precocious Riche. (Drink starting 2023)Burghound | 91-94 BHSurpassing the 2007, Anne Gros’s 2008 Richebourg Grand Cru is showing very well, unfurling in the glass with scents of cassis, cherries, dried flowers, grilled meats and spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and nicely concentrated, with melting tannins, racy acids that are elegantly cloaked in succulent fruit and a long, penetrating finish. It makes for dramatic, head-turning drinking today, so there seems little reason to wait.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP(Richebourg- Domaine A-F. Gros) The 2008 Richebourg from A-F. Gros is fairly oaky, but with its wood much better integrated into the main body of the wine on both the nose and palate and posing no threat to the ultimate balance of the wine. The classy nose jumps from the glass in a blend of plums, black cherries, cocoa powder, orange zest, woodsmoke and spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely transparent, with a fine core of fruit, ripe tannins and fine length and grip on the youthful finish. There is plenty of wood in this wine, but it is seamlessly integrated already and does not detract at all from the overall pleasure that the wine delivers. A very good example. (Drink between 2018-2040)John Gilman | 92+ JG

Tasted from the same lot as in June this year, the 2008 Cuvée des Moines Brut Millésime is very fine on the deep, ripe and elegant nose where the 31% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier play the first guitar at the moment. This is a very elegant, refined and intense 2008 with a charming dosage. The finish is pure and persistently salty, well-structured and remarkably intense. Impressive and even a touch finer than the sample I had some months ago. Tasted October 2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPDominated by rich Chardonnay, this is a ripe wine. Acidity and a mineral texture are foils to the rich apple and green-plum flavors, giving a balance between deliciously crisp and a fuller style. It is just about ready to drink but will be better from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis soft and creamy Champagne is open-knit and balanced, with citrusy acidity and subtle flavors of peach skin, candied pink grapefruit zest and blanched almond. Minerally finish. Disgorged December 2016. Drink now through 2027. 150 cases made, 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2008 La Grande Année is another brilliant 2008 that delivers the goods. Straight-up awesome notes of stone fruits, white flowers, honeysuckle, and an incredible, liquid rock-like minerality all emerge from the glass, and it develops more nuance, spice, toasted bread, and an almost Alsatian Riesling-like petrol character over the course of the evening. It’s a full-bodied, rich, powerful Champagne, yet like the top 2008s, it has brilliant precision, purity, and focus. It’s unquestionably one of the finest versions of this cuvée ever produced, although it needs another 4-5 years of bottle age to hit prime time. It should keep for 3-4 decades. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDBollinger’s 2008 La Grande Année is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, ripe lemons, honeycomb, warm biscuits, dried white flowers and a delicate top note of walnuts and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a beautifully refined mousse, superb concentration at the tightly wound core, incisive acids and a supremely elegant intermingling of Bollinger’s oxidative stylistic signatures with fresh, vibrant fruit. The finish is long, precise and chalky. This is a Grande Année built for the cellar—the real excitement will come with a bit more bottle age—but this is already a thrilling Champagne in the making. Finished with eight grams per liter dosage, it was disgorged by hand in July 2018. This is also the first vintage of Grande Année to be bottled in Bollinger’s new narrower-necked 1846 bottle, which should make for a slower evolving wine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPBollinger’s 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display. Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the 2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky notes appear later, adding translucence and energy. The 2008 is 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay taken across 18 crus, and it is the Pinot that very much informs the wine in both flavor and texture. More importantly, the 2008 is one of the best Grande Années I can remember tasting. Bollinger fans won’t want to miss it. Disgorged November 2018. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGGilles Descôtes blends this from 18 crus, pinot noir making up 71 percent of the blend (mostly from Aÿ and Verzenay), the balance from chardonnay (focused on Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant). The base wine ferments in oak barrels, adding to this Champagne’s concentrated power. Its dark intensity has the coolness of Bollinger’s deep aging cellars, even as the wine sustains delicate notes of wildflowers, morels and the perfumed grace of pinot noir. Massive and still youthful, the flavors rounded into a sphere, this is a wine to cellar. Vintus, Pleasantville, NYWine & Spirits | 97 W&SEnticing hints of toasted cumin, ground anise and graphite waft from the glass of this harmonious, mouthwatering version, accenting the finely meshed flavors of crushed black currant, poached apricot, grilled nut and lemon curd. The texture shows a lovely viscosity, extending the flavor range, which expands on the lasting finish. Disgorged June 2018. Drink now through 2033. 833 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSPinot Noir, mainly from Aÿ and Verzenay, dominates the blend here (71%). Only the free-run juice is used for the fermentation in cask. After ageing under cork for more than nine years, it was disgorged with a dosage of 8g/L. The impression is youthful and fresh, with bright apple and spice notes and a hint of buttered toast. The texture is creamy and dense but very lively and very long. This is superb wine that will age for decades to come. (Drink between 2021-2041)Decanter | 96 DECA wonderfully elegant, pure and airy nose is beautifully layered with its pretty array of green apple, pear, white flower, rose petal, yeast and plenty of citrus elements. The elegance continues on the racy and intense flavors that are supported by a very fine mousse that imparts a lilting mouth feel to the notably dry, crisp and strikingly complex finale. This is an absolute knockout and a wine that should age for a very long time but because the complexity is so impressive, it could actually be enjoyed now. Even so, I will stash my bottles away for at least another 4 to 5 years.Burghound | 95 BHThis is the producer’s equivalent of a Vintage Champagne. Fermented and aged in wood and then kept for nine years before release, this wine comes from an exceptional vintage that manages to combine ripe fruit and acidity, meaning the wine can age extraordinarily well. Although the wine is just ready, it will be much better from 2022 and for many years after.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The 2008 Pluribus is a gorgeous wine laced with black fruit, menthol, minerals, spices and licorice. It shows fabulous density and richness through to the finish. This is a very typical Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2008 Pluribus is the most delicate of the Bond 2008s. Hints of pine, scorched earth, toast and licorice give the wine many of its aromatic signatures. Today, the 2008 is deceptively understated. My impression is that the best is yet to come.Vinous Media | 95 VMOffers a mix of mocha, loamy earth, espresso, dried currant, blueberry, wild berry and cedary sage-charcoal notes. Full-bodied and drying, complex and concentrated. Best from 2012 through 2022. 487 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSEucalyptus and mint and spices with dark fruits. Hints of wood too. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit. Thick and dense. Very soft and juicy. Very approachable. This has a little more Merlot than normal, making it very approachable.James Suckling | 92 JSGrown at a steep, seven-acre vineyard at 1,100 feet on Spring Mountain, Pluribus shows the power and extract of the 2008 vintage. It’s all about structure until the wine takes on enough air, beginning to show floral notes and deep blueberry-scented fruit. There’s a dark, classical Napa mountain red here, needing a decade in the cellar to reveal itself more completely.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S