Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes 2003

Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Sauternes 2003
97 / $45
Bordeaux
6,520 cases made

Lafaurie-Peyraguey has produced some of Sauternes’ most powerful wines for more than two decades. The 2003 is no exception—Bordeaux’s hottest summer on record produced a full-bodied dessert wine with incredibly intense apricot and honey aromas. To achieve that concentration, the château uses more than 90 percent Sémillon, planted on 100 acres of gravel. Read more

Kosta Browne - Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2004

Kosta Browne

Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley 2004
96 / $38
California
1,020 cases made

Dan Kosta and Michael Browne have joined the ranks of California’s most accomplished Pinot Noir producers since arriving on the scene 10 years ago. Kosta Browne is red-hot, with six of its seven 2004 Sonoma Pinot Noirs garnering classic scores. The Russian River bottling is a blend from four vineyards: Cohn, Koplen, Amber Ridge and Bly. Read more

Kongsgaard - Chardonnay Napa Valley 2003

Kongsgaard

Chardonnay
Napa Valley 2003
97 / $75
California
1,200 cases made

John Kongsgaard launched his own Chardonnay and Syrah brand in 1996, after 20 years as a winemaker for other Napa Valley producers. The grapes come primarily from his shy-bearing, 10-acre family vineyard in Napa, but are supplemented with grapes from Carneros and St. Helena. The wines are unfined and unfiltered, adding to their intensity and rich texture.

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Brancaia - Toscana Il Blu 2004

Brancaia

Toscana Il Blu 2004
96 / $70
Tuscany
4,100 cases made

Born of the successful team of owner-winemaker Barbara Kronenberg-Widmer and consultant Carlo Ferrini, Il Blu is the flagship of the Swiss Widmer family’s Chianti Classico estate. The family also owns Brancaia in Maremma, on Tuscany’s coast. This perfectly balanced super Tuscan is a blend of 50 percent Sangiovese, 25 percent Merlot and 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2004

Two Hands

Shiraz Barossa Valley
Bella’s Garden 2004
95 / $50
Australia
1,500 cases imported

Two Hands, a partnership of Richard Mintz and Michael Twelftree, has quickly become one of Australia’s powerhouses. Of the half-dozen regional wines Two Hands makes from purchased grapes, the Barossa-based Bella’s Garden Shiraz is always among the best. Sixteen vineyards in the Barossa Valley go into this wine; the parcels are fermented separately before blending.

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