Wine Spectator’s Top 100 in 2018
The Best of the Best!
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Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($299.95) $249 pre-arrival special, ETA November
Wine Spectator 97 points “Rich and concentrated, this red features black currant, blackberry, violet, mineral and spice flavors. Dense yet lively, structured yet impeccably balanced, with vibrant acidity driving the long, fruit-filled aftertaste. The oak is beautifully integrated. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2042.”
Wine Advocate 97 points “…The long-awaited 2015 Bolgheri Sassicaia represents a tremendous effort that comes together with seamless precision and focus…”
#2 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 750ML ($149.95) $128 special, ETA March 2019
Wine Spectator 96 points “Still youthfully tight and backward, with a well-roasted frame of alder and juniper holding sway for now, but the core of cassis, blackberry and plum fruit waits in reserve, showing prodigious depth. When the toast and fruit melds, the backdrop of tobacco, singed iron and chalky minerality will get a turn to show. There’s a lot here. Built for the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040. 6,250 cases made.”
#5 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Dom Perignon Brut Chef de Cave Legacy Edition, Champagne 2008 750ML ($249.95) $219 special, 9 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 96 points “There’s power to this graceful Champagne, with the vivid acidity swathed in a fine, creamy mousse and flavors of toasted brioche, kumquat, pastry cream, candied ginger and poached plum that dance across the palate. An underpinning of smoky mineral gains momentum on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2033.”
Antonio Galloni 98+ points “The 2008 Dom Pérignon is fabulous… What I admire most about the 2008 is the way it shows all the focus, translucence and energy that is such a signature of the year, and yet it is also remarkably deep and vertical. In other words, the 2008 is a Champagne that plays in three dimensions.”
John Gilman 98 points “The 2008 vintage of Dom Pérignon is an absolute classic in the making and this is destined to be one of the great recent years for this iconic cuvee…”
James Suckling 98 points “The best Dom since 2002. A vintage with very restrained, powerful style that has been released non-sequentially after the 2009…”
#10 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Bedrock Wine Co. ‘The Bedrock Heritage’, Sonoma Valley 2016 750ML ($99.95) $79 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 95 points “Bedrock Vineyard was planted 130 years ago by the father of publisher William Randolph Hearst. Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson knows the vineyard by the inch, having identified and mapped all 16,279 vines. Twain-Peterson inherited his passion for historic vineyards from his dad, Zinfandel guru Joel Peterson. In 2004, Morgan and Joel bought the vineyard and renamed it Bedrock; the debut vintage was 2007. The 2016 includes all 27 varieties that are interplanted in what old-timers called field blends; about half of the brew is Zinfandel and the rest is an eccentric mix comprising Carignane, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, among others. In the cellar, Twain-Peterson relies on native yeasts and whole-cluster fermentation.”
#13 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 750ML ($99.95) $89 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja, Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2013 1.5L ($199.95) $179 special, 5 magnums in stock now
Wine Spectator 96 points “Fruity, featuring floral, cherry and plum flavors, along with savory leather, licorice and tobacco notes. A chewy texture and lively acidity keep this well-defined through the long finish. Complex and classy. Best from 2023 through 2038.”
Wine Enthusiast 97 points – Cellar Selection “A hallmark expression of Nebbiolo…”
Antonio Galloni 96 points “… A host of dark blue-tone fruits, lavender, mint, violet and spice race across the palate in an utterly vivid, compelling Barbaresco of the highest level. Perhaps I caught the Rabajà on an unusually open day, but it is terrific and also quite refined for such a young wine.”
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a gorgeous wine with a dark and penetrating quality of fruit that wraps sensuously over the palate… This is a complete and seamlessly integrated wine with drying mineral sensations on the powerful finish.”
Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany 2013 750ML ($44.95) $36 special, 33 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 95 points “This cuts more of a broad swath than its peers, yet remains graceful, evoking strawberry, cherry, tobacco and stony mineral flavors. Long and dense in structure, with a tobacco- and underbrush-tinged finish. Best from 2021 through 2033.”
#18 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone 2016 750ML ($99.95) $79 pre-arrival special, ETA Late Fall
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone 2016 1.5L ($199.95) $179 pre-arrival special, ETA Late Fall
#19 Wine of the Year – James Suckling Top 100 in 2018
Wine Spectator 97 points “A stunner from the get-go, with waves of thoroughly seductive boysenberry, plum, blueberry and raspberry reduction forming the core, while roasted apple wood, rooibos tea, bergamot, and anise notes flash throughout. This has plenty of bass, with a Turkish coffee accent and a hint of alder driving underneath. Everything moves in lockstep through the seriously long finish. Best from 2020 through 2045. 12,500 cases made.”
James Suckling 99 points “This is a stunning Beaucastel. A classic! Has a superb array of fruit, ranging from red, through to blue, darker purple and black. Nuances of dark, stony minerals, spices, wild flowers and herbs. So fleshy. This has impeccable balance, super-silky tannins and an extraordinarily long finish. This has decades ahead of it. Drink or hold.”
#23 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port, Portugal 2016 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special, ETA November
#4 Wine of the Year – James Suckling Top 100 in 2018
Wine Spectator 98 points “This is packed with raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruit flavors that play off one another, melding with anise, fruitcake and ganache notes. A warm tarry edge coats the finish, revealing an echo of bramble. A seriously grippy, strapping Port, this revels in its power. Best from 2032 through 2055.”
James Suckling 100 points “OMG. This is really the most amazing young Taylor’s I have ever tasted…”
Wine Enthusiast 98 points “Ripe, structured while also fruity, this intense, perfumed Port is opulent while also elegant…”
Neal Martin – Vinous 97 points “It is everything you really want from a Vintage Port…”
#24 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT, Tuscany 2015 750ML ($149.95) $119 pre-arrival special, ETA November
Wine Spectator 97 points “Dense and intensely flavored, with violet, black currant, blackberry, graphite, wild herb and spice aromas and flavors, this is concentrated and solidly built, yet also harmonious, vibrant and pure. Approachable now, but should be better in a few years. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2021 through 2035.”
James Suckling 98 points “…A great Tignanello. A little more sangiovese than usual. Best since the legendary 1997?”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2015 Tignanello is a wine that opens, like a fully blossomed rose, right in front of you. This vintage is immediately accessible, generous and opulent. The wine will surely flesh out and gain focus with more bottle age, but one of the best qualities of this vintage is just how beautiful the wine tastes straight out of the gate…”
#39 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Patricia Green Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($33.95) $28 pre-arrival special, ETA November 29th
Wine Spectator 93 points “Shows structure and sleek polish, with expressive raspberry and rose petal aromas and layered red plum, black tea and spice flavors that linger toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2024. 2,917 cases made.”
Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume, Loire 2015 750ML ($99.95) $89 pre-arrival special, ETA December
Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume, Loire 2015 375ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special, ETA December
Wine Spectator 98 points “Highly Recommended. Waves of creamed Jonagold apple, Cavaillon melon, mirabelle plum, mango and white peach flavors provide thrilling range, while flashes of honeysuckle and verbena add detail and focus throughout. Unctuous yet pure, sweet yet invigorating, with an inner brightness that matches the outward hedonism. Best from 2020 through 2045. 100 cases imported.”
Domaine Henri Gouges Clos des Porrets Monopole, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2015 750ML ($89.95) $79 pre-arrival special, ETA November
Wine Spectator 95 points “This red combines flavors of cherry, currant, spice and mineral with a core of sweet fruit, a silky texture and firm, chalky tannins. Finishes on the chewy side, with mouthcoating but not astringent tannins. Best from 2023 through 2040. 400 cases imported.”
Wine Advocate 93+ points “…its depth, concentration and energy are all very promising: the only missing ingredient is time.”
Burghound 93 points “…This is a classic Nuits that is built-to-age and will need it.”
#86 Wine of the Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2018
Massican Annia White Blend, Napa Valley 2017 750ML ($39.95) $33 special, 20 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 92 points “A complex and inviting white, showing intricate nuances of roasting almonds, matcha, honeysuckle and orange zest flavors, mingling with supple, juicy Asian pear, tangerine and ripe melon notes. The smooth texture and thread of acidity just add to the appeal. Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano and Chardonnay.”