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

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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Antinori Toscana Tignanello 2004

Antinori
Toscana Tignanello 2004

95 points / $79
26,665 cases made
Italy

Arguably the original super Tuscan, this blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc was first produced in 1971. Read more

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia - Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2004

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia
Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2004

97 points / $150
11,710 cases made
Italy

Ornellaia—a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from a 225-acre estate overseen by Lamberto Frescobaldi—remains among the flagship wines from the rapidly developing Bolgheri area on the Tuscan coast. The warm Mediterranean coastal climate tends to favor international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot over Sangiovese, the staple grape of most other winemaking areas in Tuscany. This is the best Ornellaia since the 1997 vintage.

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