This exceptional Pinot Gris is fruit forward, dry and delicious! Scents of apricot, peach and citrus on the nose give way to a terrific balance of mineral and fruit flavors with just the right amount of acidity. This will pair well with oven roasted chicken and turkey or a fresh green salad.

"An outstanding effort, the inky/blue/purple-tinged 2003 Shiraz Reserve was aged in 40% new American hogsheads and 60% older wood. It offers up a sweet perfume of blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and chewy, with low acidity, ripe fruit, a layered texture, and a heady finish, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 7-8 years." 90 points- Robert Parker

"A spectacular effort (what’s new?), this brilliant offering from proprietor Hubert de Bouard is another classic. A blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc, it boasts an inky/purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of creosote, blueberry pie, espresso roast, blackberries, and graphite. Extremely full-bodied and stunningly rich with a multi-layered texture, sweet tannin, and a 45-second finish, this exceptional 2006 is one of the great wines of St.-Emilion. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028." 95 Points- Robert Parker

"A property that seems to be awakening, this St.-Julien leans toward more of a Margaux style. The attractive earthy, floral, red currant, and raspberry notes are impressively intense and complex in the aromatics. This dark ruby/purple-tinged wine displays elegance, finesse, and a beautiful mouthfeel in a restrained, moderately intense, but still classic style with sweet tannins. Tobacco, cedar, earth, and red and black fruits are prominent in both the aromas and the flavors. This wine can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years." 90 points- Robert Parker

"Proprietor Patrick Maroteaux continues to ratchet up the quality level at this impeccably run St.-Julien estate. The 2006 is similar to the 1996 Branaire, but with sweeter fruit. A deep ruby/purple hue precedes a perfumed nose of sweet boysenberries, black cherries, minerals, spring flowers, and a hint of pain grille in the background. Fresh, savory, medium to full-bodied flavors coat the palate with beautiful purity, no hard edges, ripe tannin, and intense fruit. This elegant, layered, impressive offering will be at its peak between 2012-2025." 92-94 points-Robert Parker

"As I indicated last year, quality has improved dramatically at this estate, and the 2006 is a quintessentially elegant Bordeaux displaying a dark ruby/purple color, a lovely bouquet of forest floor, sweet cherries, cranberries, and black currants, medium body, a textured, sweet, tannic mouthfeel, and a long finish. Everything is beautifully pure as well as perfectly balanced in this outstanding effort. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025. Excellent value." 90 points- Robert Parker

From the same stable as Mouton Rothschild and d’Armailhac, Clerc Milon, despite the relatively high percentage of Merlot (44%) combined with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc, is dense, rich, tannic, and backward. Surprisingly muscular for this offering, which often exhibits a more precocious side, it offers up abundant amounts of creme brulee, chocolate, cedar, and black currants. This full-bodied Pauillac displays gorgeous purity and depth as well as moderately high tannins in the finish. Because of its freshness, structure, and density, it is reminiscent of a 1996 Medoc. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028." 91+ points- Robert Parker

"A blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2006 exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet perfume of creme de cassis, cherry liqueur, licorice, spice box, and crushed rocks. With full body, sweet tannin, admirable purity, and brilliant harmony among its component parts, this full-bodied effort can be enjoyed over the next decade. In total contrast to proprietor Perse’s other two Cotes de Castillons (Clos l’Eglise and Ste.-Colombe), which are relatively innocuous, the Clos des Lunelles is usually the wine of the appellation in each vintage. Incredibly low yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare result in a wine that transcends its humble origins." 91 points- Robert Parker

"The second wine, the 2006 La Dame de Montrose, is a shrewd choice for wine consumers. A blend of 58% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc, plus a small quantity of Petit Verdot, it is a layered, lush, fleshy effort possessing ripe red and black fruits interwoven with hints of earth and spice box. Plush, round, and sexy, it should be enjoyed during its first 10-12 years of life." 90 Points- Robert Parker

"This classic, backward, tannic St.-Julien is made in the style of the 1996 and 1986. The 2006 Ducru Beaucaillou possesses a dense purple color along with a sweet perfume of graphite, black raspberries, cassis, licorice, and subtle toasty oak. Despite their prominent place in the wine’s structure, the sweetness of the tannins and the full-bodied, muscular style suggest exceptional patience will be required. This is a big, substantial, meaty, masculine wine built for considerable longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035." 94 Points- Robert Parker

"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." 91 Points Robert Parker

"Shows plum and raspberry aromas, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with super well-integrated tannins and pretty fruit on the middle palate. All there in balance and finesse. Best after 2013." 90 points- Wine Spectator

# 40-92 Points Dark ruby purple in color, with aromas of currant and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a delicious finish. Tight now, but pretty and balanced. Best after 2012."

"A superb success for the vintage, the 2006 exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a poised, classic bouquet of sweet black cherries, graphite, camphor, truffles, and a subtle hint of oak. Medium-bodied with a stunningly layered texture, impressive purity, and beautiful balance, this cuvee is haute couture in a glass. Although surprisingly approachable, it won’t hit its adolescent stage for 8-10 years, and will last for 25-30 years thereafter. Bravo! It is extraordinary to see what the American proprietor, a banker from Buffalo, NY, Robert Wilmers and Veronique Sanders, the granddaughter of the former proprietor, have accomplished at Haut-Bailly. Together they are pushing this outstanding terroir to first-growth quality levels. It is an amazing success story, and readers looking for a quintessentially elegant Bordeaux need look no further than Haut-Bailly." 95 points- Robert Parker

"This tiny garagiste St.-Emilion, 7.5 acres, is a blend of 51% Cabernet Franc, 46% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Proprietor Jean-Philippe Janoueix has fashioned a full-bodied, deep, concentrated wine revealing sweet notes of licorice, chocolate, espresso, cassis, and cherry. Long, dense, full-bodied, rich, and pure with enough oak and acidity to add complexity and focus, it should drink well for 12-15 years. Interestingly, this cuvee received a Burgundian-like treatment of malolactic in barrel after frequent pigeages in small oak fermentation tanks, an unusual upbringing in Bordeaux. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered." 91 points- Robert Parker

"A very strong effort from Lagrange in 2006, this estate’s tendency for including a nearly overwhelming oak component in its wines has been tamed in this cuvee, resulting in a better-balanced, potentially complex offering. A deep opaque purple color is followed by aromas of espresso roast, subtle pain grille, black currants, and cigar box. Full-bodied and surprisingly powerful for a 2006, with outstanding purity, texture, and depth, patience will be required for this beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2027." 91 points- Robert Parker

"Not surprisingly, Leoville Las Cases has produced another classic, potentially long-lived wine in 2006. Among the St.-Juliens, it, Ducru Beaucaillou, and Leoville Barton possess the potential for the greatest longevity. Interestingly, when I visited this chateau in January, proprietor Jean-Hubert Delon offered me two samples, one where the cork had been pulled immediately prior to tasting, and another that had been decanted four hours earlier. Both were superb, but the wine that had had extended aeration was clearly the finer offering. The opaque purple-hued 2006- only 40% of the crop made it into the final blend- exhibits a personality that mimics the superb 1996. Classic aromas of sweet black raspberries, kirsch, cassis, and subtle toasty oak are followed by a full-bodied, concentrated wine displaying moderately high tannin. This cuvee can often resemble a Pauillac wrapped in the St.-Julien appellation, and the 2006 is no exception. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it will require significant cellaring before consumption. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2035+." 95 points Robert Parker

"A garagiste offering that is impeccably well-made by consultant guru Stephane Derenoncourt, there are fewer than 1,000 cases of the 2006 Lucia, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. One-third of the vines in this tiny vineyard were planted in 1901. The deep purple-hued 2006 exhibits sweet, smoky, black currant, camphor, and graphite aromas. The explosive aromatics are matched by the dense, concentrated, opulent flavors that stain the palate. With no hardness or angularity, this beauty can be enjoyed during its first 10-15 years of life." 90-93 points- Robert Parker

"While it is easy to lose sight of this wine, given the prodigious 2005 that was produced, this is another outstanding effort from an estate that has been doing everything right for some time. Notes of graphite, black currant liqueur, incense, and camphor make for a complex and intensely penetrating set of aromatics. Dark ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied, with superb concentration and moderate tannin, this is a beauty of finesse and substance that should be at its best between 2012 and 2024." 91+ points- Robert Parker

"A blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of espresso roast, damp earth, new oak, black cherries, and black currants. Medium to full-bodied with exceptional purity, surprising intensity, good texture, and sweet tannin in the finish, this unfiltered cuvee should drink well for 12-15 years. The residence and home estate of Chantal and Gerard Perse has once again turned in a serious effort. From sandy soils that have been largely dismissed as a good source for high quality wine production, Monbousquet, through extraordinary viticultural work, and doing everything right in the cellar, continues to turn out one of Bordeaux's finer wines." 92 points- Robert Parker

"A sensational effort, the 2006 Mouton Rothschild exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a classic Mouton perfume of creme de cassis, flowers, blueberries, and only a hint of oak. Dalhuin told me that in whisky barrel-tasting vintages such as 1989 and 1990, Mouton was aged in heavily-toasted barrels, and they have backed off to a much lighter toast for the barrels’ interior. I think this has worked fabulously well with the cassis quality fruit they get from their Cabernet Sauvignon. The full-bodied, powerful 2006 possesses extraordinary purity and clarity. A large-scaled, massive Mouton Rothschild that ranks as one of the top four or five wines of the vintage, it may turn out to be the longest-lived wine of the vintage by a landslide. The label will undoubtedly be controversial as a relative of Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud, has painted a rather comical Zebra staring aimlessly at what appears to be a palm tree in the middle of a stark courtyard. I suppose a psychiatrist could figure out the relationship between that artwork and wine, but I couldn’t see one. This utterly profound Mouton will need to sleep for 15+ years before it will reveal any secondary nuances, but it is a packed and stacked first-growth Pauillac of enormous potential. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060+." 98+ points- Robert Parker

"The 2006 Pavie, a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, is cropped low as the viticultural work is impeccable, the winemaking is thoroughly Burgundian in style, and bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration. With over 90 acres in vine, this is one of the larger of the premier grand cru classes in St.-Emilion. A prodigious effort, the 2006 does not have the sucrosite of the 2005, 2003, or 2000, but it would not be embarrassed if tasted side by side with either of those two titans. A dense purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of crushed black currants, licorice, wet stones, and subtle background oak are found in this tannic, dense, masculine-styled 2006. Backward and extraordinarily pure, it is built like a Manhattan skyscraper with exceptional focus, depth, texture, and length. It’s all here, but 5-10 years of patience will be warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Since 1998, no other Bordeaux estate except Ausone has had such a superlative record of quality. Pavie’s wines are usually among the top half-dozen in every vintage, including such challenging years as 2004, 2003, 2002, and 1999. Proprietor Gerard Perse’s flagship vineyard is situated on a gorgeous, south-facing slope possessing three distinct soil types, limestone, clay, and a sand/clay mixture." 96 points- Robert Parker

The 2006 Pavie, a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, is cropped low as the viticultural work is impeccable, the winemaking is thoroughly Burgundian in style, and bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration. With over 90 acres in vine, this is one of the larger of the premier grand cru classes in St.-Emilion. A prodigious effort, the 2006 does not have the sucrosite of the 2005, 2003, or 2000, but it would not be embarrassed if tasted side by side with either of those two titans. A dense purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of crushed black currants, licorice, wet stones, and subtle background oak are found in this tannic, dense, masculine-styled 2006. Backward and extraordinarily pure, it is built like a Manhattan skyscraper with exceptional focus, depth, texture, and length. It’s all here, but 5-10 years of patience will be warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Since 1998, no other Bordeaux estate except Ausone has had such a superlative record of quality. Pavie’s wines are usually among the top half-dozen in every vintage, including such challenging years as 2004, 2003, 2002, and 1999. Proprietor Gerard Perse’s flagship vineyard is situated on a gorgeous, south-facing slope possessing three distinct soil types, limestone, clay, and a sand/clay mixture.

This may be the finest Brunello I have tasted. Unfortunately, Roberto Aglieta passed away last fall after making the 2008 vintage. He and his winemaking will be sorely missed. This spectacular 2004 is finessed and regal with layers of perfumed fruit framed by silky tannins. It is elegant yet massive with complex flavors of red and black fruit, spice, leather and earth. You can taste something else with each extremely pleasurable sip. Hold on to this beauty for at least ten more years and it will be the finest wine in your cellar.

"Casanova di Neri's 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova caresses the palate with plenty of silky-textured dark red cherries, plums, smoke, earthiness and sweet toasted oak. This polished modern-styled wine offers superb balance in a rich, weighty style that will find many admirers. The tannins are remarkably well-integrated, which is quite a feat in this vintage. To be sure, there isn't much of what could be called varietal character here but by any definition this is a beautiful wine on an absolute level. The Tenuta Nuova spent 30 months in 600-liter barrels, of which 35% were new. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019." 92 points The Wine Advocate

Back in Stock! Beautifully balanced flavors and excellent body epitomize this delicious Chardonnay. It displays notes of lemon zest, flowers and honey with a hint of crushed stones. Let the wines elegance shine by matching it with simple preparations of baked halibut, roasted chicken, grilled shrimp or pork, or pasta with a light cream sauce.

"Appealing for its smoky cherry aromas and zesty, easygoing wild berry, licorice and cracked pepper flavors. Drink now through 2012." 88 points Wine Spectator

This estate is located in the Eastern Pyrenees in the generally overlooked, and undervalued Roussillon appelation. Made predominately from 125 year Carignan vines blended with Syrah, Grenache Noir and Mourvedre. The La Muntada is considered to be of the "Grand Cru" Level within the Chateau's estate.

This full-bodied red from the Languedoc offers black fruit aromas, black olive and dark plum flavors, with mocha and dark chocolate notes and a smooth finish. It is an incredible value!

"Beaucastel’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape has turned out even better out of bottle than I predicted. An inky/ruby/purple color is followed by a glorious nose of blue and black fruits, truffles, pen ink, licorice, and meat juices as well as glorious levels of acidity and sweet tannin, buttressing the fruit’s fabulous freshness and vibrancy. This full-bodied effort still displays considerable tannin, no doubt because of the relatively high Mourvedre content. It should resolve its tannins in 2-4 years, and last for 25 or more." 96 points- Robert Parker

Roberto Aglieta's Poma is 85% Brunello from his vineyards blended with 15% Merlot, also from his Brunello estate. It is drinking beautifully now showing sweet, seductive scents of melted white chocolate, black cherry jam, earth, and new saddle leather. Opulent, plush, and pure, with abundant fruit, fine texture, and good overall balance, it will drink well for another 5 years.