 | There's a sense of elegance to the well-defined, concentrated flavors of dark cherry, blackberry and plum, followed by notes of sage, dark chocolate and tobacco leaf on the long, powerful finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases imported. #76 in Wine Spectator TOP 100
Wine Spectator Rating: 90
[Issue: Oct 31/09]
$14.00 |
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 | A muscular red, with concentrated flavors of dark cherry, plum, raspberry tart and grilled fig. The dense finish of dark chocolate is firm and focused, with smoky notes. Best from 2010 through 2014. 15,000 cases made.
Wine Spectator Rating: 90
[Issue: Dec 15/09]
$15.00 |
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 | Light, bright red. Lively raspberry and blackberry aromas are deepened by smoky minerals, musky flowers and herbs. Fresh, finely etched red and dark berry and tarragon flavors pack serious punch but are light in body and crisp. Gains depth and sweetness on the finish, which echoes the dark berry and licorice qualities. Really delicious stuff.
Int'l Wine Cellar: 90
[Issue: July 2008]
$15.00 |
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 | The 2007 Cotes du Rhone Mon Coeur is sensational, offering superb purity, texture, and richness. It should drink well for 5-7 years.
Wine Advocate Rating: (89-90)
[Issue: #181 / Feb 09]
Regular price: $25.00 Sale price: $18.00 |
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 | From Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah planted in a mixture of gneiss, schist, and chalk, and vinified half each in tank and barrel (demi-muids as well as barriques), the 2007 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem smells of violets, toasted walnuts, cassis, licorice, rosemary, roasted meats, and sea breeze. The influence of Syrah – which, understandably, tends to be featured in slightly larger percentages in Bila-Haut wines than in most of Roussillon – is very much in evidence. Fascinating suggestions of brine and iodine, resinous southern French herbs and exotic spices, inform the deeply fruited as well as richly carnal palate, where a caressing polish and tender, ultra-refined tannins make themselves subtly felt. The finish here is bright and refreshing even as it is profoundly rich. If there are two words I would use, Troullier took them right out of my mouth: “dense,” and “active.” I imagine this incredible value and remarkable performance for its vintage will be well worth following for 5-7 years.
Wine Advocate Rating: 93
[Issue: #183 / June 09]
$23.00 |
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 | A sleeper of the vintage as well as a great bargain, this effort from Stefan von Neipperg’s empire is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Like so many of his wines, the grapes are hand-harvested in small plastic containers, there is strict temperature control, a month-long maceration, a Burgundian punch down (pigeage), malolactic takes place in oak, and the wine is aged sur-lie. An inky/purple color is followed by a beautiful bouquet of crushed rocks, black raspberries, and blueberries, sensational intensity, sweet, but high tannins, good acidity, and amazing length, especially for a wine of this pedigree. It should drink nicely for a decade.
Wine Advocate Rating: (90-92)
[Issue: #182 / April 09]
$28.00 |
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 | This is a 375ml bottle (half-bottle). The 2007 Vieux Telegraphe may be the greatest wine made at this property since the 2005 and 1998. Dense ruby/purple-tinged with an exquisite nose of salty sea breezes, licorice, ground pepper, jammy black cherries, black currants, figs, and plums, this is a full-bodied, rich, Provencal-styled offering with lots of sweet, ripe tannin. It is surprisingly accessible for a Vieux Telegraphe (this wine normally shuts down several years after bottling), but it should have great longevity (25+ years) given its power, full-bodied mouthfeel, and enormous length and richness. This is a brilliant effort from brothers Frederic and Daniel Brunier.
Wine Advocate Rating: 96+
[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]
$39.00 |
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 | This estate has been fashioning terrific wines over recent vintages, and the 2008 is an opulent, dense purple-hued effort displaying sweet creme de cassis fruit intermixed with hints of tapenade, licorice, and roasted herbs. It exhibits fabulously pure fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a flamboyant, almost exotic richness. Very ripe, pure, and long, this will be a wine to drink young, but given past examples, it should be capable of lasting 15-20 years. It is a fabulous sleeper of the vintage.
Wine Advocate Rating: (90-93)
[Issue: #182 / April 09]
$45.00 |
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 | 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. 10,000 cases made. #40 in Wine Spectator TOP 100
Wine Spectator Rating: 92
[Issue: March 31/09]
$47.00 |
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 | Packed, but also superracy and refined, with silky, fine-grained tannins carrying lots of blackberry, hoisin sauce, licorice and black tea notes. The long finish really lets the iron note sing. A beauty. Best from 2009 through 2015. 665 cases made.
Wine Spectator Rating: 94
[Issue: June 15/08]
$48.00 |
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 | A real sleeper of the vintage and a sensational effort from the Casteja family, Batailley has turned out a complete, powerful, classic Pauillac, with oodles of black currant fruit as well as hints of new saddle leather, toast, chocolate, and forest floor. Full-bodied, dense, and built for the long haul, this wine should be reasonably drinkable in 4-5 years and last for two decades. Good value.
Wine Advocate Rating: 91
[Issue: #181 / Feb 09]
$49.00 |
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 | The blockbuster 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige is made from the same blend as the previous two wines, from 80- to 100-year-old vines. It is a deeper, fuller-bodied, more expansive, longer wine boasting a dense plum/ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of black raspberries, black cherries, earth, garrigue, and flowers. Broad, full-bodied, and rich with impressive purity, texture, and length, this wine can be enjoyed now, but it will be even better in 2-3 years; it should last for two decades. Sadly, production is only around 4,000 bottles for this brilliant effort.
Wine Advocate Rating: 94
[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]
$56.00 |
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 | Over the next quarter of a century, it will be interesting to see how this 2008 matches up with La Lagune’s prodigious 2005, the finest wine they have ever made. The opaque ruby/purple-tinged 2008 may be the second greatest wine yet produced here. Displaying sweet kirsch, black currant, cedar, smoke, and graphite aromas as well as an impressive thickness and glycerol richness, and a pure, nuanced character (because of the grapes’ long hang-time and the small yields), this remarkable effort is long, textured, and impeccably well-balanced. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20-25.
Wine Advocate Rating: (92-94)
[Issue: #182 / April 09]
$58.00 |
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 | 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.
Wine Advocate Rating: 91
[Issue: #181 / Feb 09]
$62.00 |
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 | This powerful, dense, full-bodied 2008 is still backward and unevolved, but it possesses a dense purple color as well as sweet aromas of creme de cassis, vanillin, crushed rocks, and flowers. With high but ripe tannin and a long finish, this wine will benefit from 5-8 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades thereafter.
Wine Advocate Rating: (92-94)
[Issue: #182 / April 09]
$69.00 |
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 | The 2008 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, which is somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant 1998, exhibits sweet cassis, tobacco leaf, earth, and barbecue characteristics in its complex aromatics. The wine reveals ripe, supple tannin, medium to full body, gorgeous fruit, impeccable purity, and a luscious texture. It should be relatively approachable in its youth, and last for 25+ years. The final composition was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc.
Wine Advocate Rating: (93-95)
[Issue: #182 / April 09]
$75.00 |
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 | 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.
Wine Advocate Rating: 96
[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]
$79.00 |
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 | Really packed, but amazingly supple and velvety in texture, with layer upon layer of black mission fig, crushed plum, freshly brewed espresso, worn saddle leather and iron notes all driving through the long, long finish. The structure is well-integrated already, but this has a long life ahead of it. Best from 2009 through 2030. 1,800 cases made.
Wine Spectator Rating: 98
[Issue: July 31/08]
$225.00 |
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