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Wine Scores
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
- Allen Meadows - Burghound
- Connoisseurs Guide
- Gambero Rosso
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
Reviewers
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Staff Favorites - Mike Barber
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Reviews
2006 Penfolds "Thomas Hyland" Chardonnay
Review Date: 11-19-2009
A great chardonnay for the price- clean, crisp, refreshing, and only 7 bucks!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2010
Price: $6.99
2007 Château de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône
Review Date: 11-18-2009
This is a ridiculous deal- a serious rhone red for just over 10 bucks! The wine has a deep mid palate of dark cherry and cassis, with cedar spices and firm tannins. Wines of this complexity are definitely rare in this price range.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $10.99
2007 Ferreira "Preston Estate " Russian River Pinot Noir
Review Date: 11-18-2009
Light, elegant, and full of racy red fruit flavors, this is a great release from this small producer. True to 2007 (a wonderful vintage in russian river), the wine has wonderful acidity, a balanced and elegant structure, and earthy strawberry notes. This is a great pinot at a great price, perfect for turkey dinner!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $19.99
Germain-Robin Absinthe Superieure 375ml
Review Date: 11-18-2009
I love this absinthe- it's perfect for mixed drinks or just by itself and the price and quantity of the half bottle is great. It's an absinthe blanche (no herb maceration for color- just clear), apple brandy based, and absolutely delicious with more floral notes and balance you find with most of our absinthes.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
3009
Price: $35.99
2007 La Fortuna Rosso di Montalcino
Review Date: 11-18-2009
La Fortuna keeps surprising me with their new releases. This rosso is one of the best in our store- a real sangiovese with full cherry notes, dusty earth spices, and a fresh acidity that leaves quite a long impression on the tongue. Perfect for pastas, pizzas, or anything italian.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $19.99
2007 Ridge Vineyards "Lytton Springs" Dry Creek Zinfandel
Review Date: 11-18-2009
This is almost as good as zinfandel gets. Ridge is one of those wineries who has gotten big and is very well known, but the quality of their wine has not suffered because of it. Lush tannins, slight peppery finish, and rich strawberry flavors - that is what California's native grape is all about.
Drink from
2009
to
2016
Price: $29.99
Tarlant Brut Reserve Champagne
Review Date: 11-18-2009
Tarlant is a great producer of real, old style champagne. This is their basic bottling, but the price is unbelievable for the quality of champagne. A classic blend of all three champagne varietals, the wine is layered and complex, with crisp pear and apple flavors leading the way for a slightly bready and long lasting finish. Simply wonderful!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2016
Price: $34.99
Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka from Poland 750ml
Review Date: 11-18-2009
A delicious vodka- the slight flavoring from the blade of bison grass that floats inside works to accentuate the bready and full qualities of the spirit instead of over power them. This is a wonderful sipping vodka (and it works perfect in vodka sours as well).
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
3009
Price: $26.99
2006 Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Review Date: 10-14-2009
A great wine from a brilliant, young producer- the 2006 cigale showcases this vintage in the southern rhone perfectly. It has a dense, rich core of dark fruit and it is very serious wine: brooding and delicious with a big finish of firm tannins.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2029
Jean-Louis Denois Brut "Tradition"
Review Date: 10-14-2009
Easily our best sparkling wine under 20 dollars, this is as close one gets to real champagne without paying 30 dollars. Denois is a brilliant producer, and it shows in the tradition: a crisp, focused, slightly yeasty, entirely beautiful southern french sparkler.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $15.99
2005 Keenan Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District
Review Date: 10-14-2009
An excellent price for this wine- and proof that great and balanced art can still come from Napa producers.
Top Value!
Drink from
2010
to
2019
Price: $29.99
2005 l'Avocat Rouge, Graves
Review Date: 10-14-2009
A beautiful wine from a revitalized vineyard- this is an elegant drink from a great vintage. Dark cherries mingle with other subtle, red fruit flavors, with just the right amount of cedar and smoke on the finish.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2019
Price: $17.99
Los Danzantes Reposado Mezcal 750ml
Review Date: 10-14-2009
This mezcal is rich, dark, and delicious! Smoky and dense- I love when agave is treated with this much dedication and respect!
Drink from
2010
to
3010
Price: $64.99
2004 Tenuta di Sesta Brunello di Montalcino
Review Date: 10-14-2009
A softer, southern Montalcino style, but still a substantial brunello for a great price!
Drink from
2010
to
2017
Price: $34.99
2006 Acorn Heritage Vines Zinfandel "Alegria Vineyards"
Review Date: 9-12-2009
Once again acorn has delivered a full, rich, expressive, and delicious zinfandel. From a vineyard planted in 1890- this field blend tastes great and is a little piece of California history!
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $27.99
2004 La Fortuna Brunello di Montalcino
Review Date: 9-12-2009
Another great success from La Fortuna from a fantastic vintage. This the best wine they have made yet- and still at a great price on the shelf!
Drink from
2009
to
2019
Price: $39.99
2008 Valle dell'Acate, Case Ibidini, Nero di Avola
Review Date: 9-2-2009
The 'Case Ibidini' is a 100% nero d'avola from one of Sicily's best producers. The wines of Valle dell'Acate are elegant and soft, and the Ibidini is no exception. Plush, red fruit flavors and a hint of blackberry dominate the palate. This wine's low alcohol, fresh acidity, soft tannin, and low price make it the perfect, every day companion to any pizza or pasta!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2010
Price: $12.99
Marie Duffau Hors D'Age Bas Armagnac 750ml
Review Date: 8-7-2009
This brandy is never out of my house- it's a delicious spirit at a great price. Duffau armagnacs are almost rich enough to pass for cognacs, with a lush, round texture and less spice than many armagnacs. The age on the Hors D'age shows well through its rich flavors, which are delicate but delicious.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
3009
Price: $49.99
2006 Philip Togni "Tanbark Hill" Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 8-7-2009
A great release from the king of spring mountain! Tanbark hill is Togni's second label, and is always more accessible when young than his more expensive premier label. This is a wonderful wine, with classic notes of cedar and smoke mingled with delicious, eucalyptus laden spring mountain fruit.
Drink from
2009
to
2016
Price: $44.99
De Meric Grande Reserve Sous Bois Brut Champagne
Review Date: 7-8-2009
This is a fantastic champagne from one of the best small production houses we direct import. The quality of this sparkler outdoes bigger names at three times the cost! Mostly pinot, the de meric is lush with dark fruit flavors and refreshinly light bubbles which back up a slight, mineral complexity. Truly amazing!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2016
Price: $34.99
2005 Gundlach Bundschu "Rheinfarm Vineyard" Mountain Cuvee
Review Date: 7-8-2009
A complex and approachable wine from one of Sonoma's most legendary vineyards! This is a delicious blend from several different blocks of gundlach's expansive estate, each grape complementing the other to create a wine that is very soft but very serious at the same time. Light earthy notes mingle with red fruit flavors, backed by a long finish with softer tannins.
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $19.99
Aberlour - A'Bunadh Cask Strength Single Malt 750ml
Review Date: 6-5-2009
The best that Aberlour has to offer, in my opinion. Dark, rich, smooth and toasty, this is a deep and soothing malt with plenty of complexity and flavors. There is a very slight peat spice hiding behind a silk curtain of malty deliciousness. Very nice.
Drink from
2009
to
3009
Price: $64.99
2006 Acorn "Medley" Alegria Vineyards Russian River Valley Red Blend
Review Date: 6-5-2009
I love this kind of wine: a work of art from a legendary California vineyard that could not have been made anywhere else in the world. This is a Zinfandel field blend from a vineyard planted in 1890. The 10field blend varietals are then blended with 10 kinds of muscat, which give floral notes to the red fruit spice of the wine. All the dark, brooding complexity of the wine is lifted by the muscat addition, making this a very unique and delicious experience.
Drink from
2009
to
2019
Price: $22.99
2005 Mas Doix "Salanques" Priorat
Review Date: 5-4-2009
The second label of this fantastic chateau is definitely a winner. This is a serious wine with powerful spice and firm tannins. One of Spain's best.
Drink from
2009
to
2019
Price: $35.99
2003 La Fortuna Brunello di Montalcino
Review Date: 3-14-2009
Probably the best La Fortuna I've ever tasted. This wine, true to the estate's nature, is very approachable while young. However, it has more dust, dark cherries, and structure to back up it's flashy fruit than any other La Fortuna I've had in the past. Well done!
Drink from
2009
to
2019
Price: $39.99
2007 Paul Mathew Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir
Review Date: 3-14-2009
A shining example of great wine from a good vintage. This is my favorite California Pinot producer right now, and this small production gem showcases the high-toned 2007 vintage very nicely. They believe in a light touch to winemaking: organic fruit, native yeast, unfined, unfiltered, little sulfite, untouched, unadulterated! The result is amazing - a spicy and elegant Pinot with a light mineral touch balanced by soft cherries and a perfect finish.
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $31.99
1991 Royal Lochnagar Signatory Single Malt Whisky 750ml
Review Date: 3-14-2009
Get it while you can! Lochnagar is an incredibly old (and my favorite!) distillery in Scotland. Owned by Diageo - Lochnagar contributes the base of the Johnnie Walker blue blend, and because of increased production for Johnnie Walker Blue, Royal Lochnagar single malt will no longer be imported into the U.S. We found this single barrel bottle from Signatory and it is fantastic! True to Lochnagar style - it is round and rich, with intense floral notes and excellent spice. This is a deep and wonderful malt rounded out by bourbon and port wood - true Highland style.
Drink from
2009
to
3009
Price: $89.99
2006 Willakenzie Estate "Pierre Leon" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir(was $39.99)
Review Date: 3-14-2009
Another triumph from one of the best producers in Willamette. This gravity flow, Burgundy-inspired wine producer really hit the mark with their 2006 Pierre Leon bottle. It is earthy and delicious, with enough weight behind it's elegant blue and black berry fruit to keep all domestic Pinot drinkers very happy.
Drink from
2009
to
2015
Price: $39.99
