Premier Cru - Fine and Rare Wine What's New RSS/RDF Feed http://www.premiercru.net/premier/jsp/xml/premiercruwhatsnew.php 96-98 points Parker: "This nearly perfect wine, made from 84% Shiraz (105- to 115-year-old vines) and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon (60- to 90-year-old vines), was cropped at a minuscule .5 to 1 ton of fruit per acre, and spent 15 months in French oak prior to bottling. Its gorgeously sweet, pure nose of crushed rocks, blueberries, cassis, and minerals soars from the glass. Floral-like black and blue fruits, an inky/purple color, and nearly endless depth and persistence on the palate are the stuff of legends. With extraordinary equilibrium, precision, and purity, it represents the apogee of Ben Glaetzer?s winemaking talents." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=33333 98 points Parker: "The brilliant 2004 Les Amis (100% Grenache aged 18 months in new oak) is fashioned from a vineyard planted in 1903. While it does not have quite the size and power of the 2002 Les Amis, it is still a Grenache on steroids. With wonderful purity, more elegance than the 2002, and remarkably well-integrated oak, I suspect it will shut down at some point, require 4-5 years of patience, then re-emerge and last for two decades or more." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34250 96 points Parker: "This outstanding trio of McLaren Vale reds performed beautifully. One of South Australia?s finest efforts is Oliverhill?s 2005 Shiraz Jimmy Section. Aged in 100% French oak (33% new) for 17 months, it is an unbelievably dense wine boasting an exquisite perfume of spring flowers, blackberry and blueberry jam, smoky pain grille, and graphite. Huge intensity, full body, and stunning concentration, richness, and length suggest this spectacular wine will age effortlessly for 10-15+ years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35798 95-97 points Parker: "May merit a perfect score in a few years. Its saturated purple color is followed by a bouquet of ink, blackberries, and camphor in addition to enormously endowed, concentrated, massive flavors that are beautifully delineated and pure. A tour de force in Syrah winemaking, it offers both power and finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020". http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27919 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38415 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38421 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38414 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38941 93-96 Tanzer: "(from 80-year-old vines; Dugat vinified whole clusters and did the punchdowns by hand) Deep ruby-red. Like a liqueur of griotte cherry on the nose, with notes of violet and eucalyptus; this is different from every other 2003 at this address. Large-scaled, rich and velvety but not especially sweet. Shows sound acidity and well-distributed tannins, with the chocolatey oak perfectly integrated with the wine's fruit. Offers great finesse and subtle persistence, with the minerality contributing to the wine's precision and thrust. Dugat says this parcel is planted at a very dense 14,000 vines to the hectare." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31824 95 points Josh Raynolds (IWC): "Deep red. Explosively perfumed nose offers a profound bouquet of red and dark berries, licorice, incense and musky underbrush. Broad, palate-staining raspberry and blackcurrant flavors are enveloped in velvety tannins, with suave anise and Asian spices adding complexity. A huge but balanced-even graceful-wine, with a finish that refuses to let go of the palate. This remarkable young Chateauneuf has the sheer sex appeal to enjoy young but also possesses superb cellaring potential. I'd hold mine." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=36178 95 points Parker: "One of the great successes of the vintage and certainly one of the most profound Pontet-Canets made over the last decade is the 2003. Deep purple to the rim with a glorious nose of scorched earth, black currant jam, smoke, licorice, and roasted meats, it is full-bodied, incredibly powerful, dense, with low acidity but high tannin, broad-shouldered, and savory. This is a stunning, pure, classic Pontet-Canet that should be at its best between 2010 and 2035." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30078 94 points Parker: "Haut-Brion's 2001, which was bottled late (the end of September, 2003), possesses an unmistakable nobility as well as a burgeoning complexity. Plum/purple to the rim, this blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc is playing it close to the vest, having closed down considerably after bottling. Nevertheless, it reveals pure notes of sweet and sour cherries, black currants, licorice, smoke, and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, firm tannin, and an angular, structured finish, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020+." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=25203 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37978 96 points Parker: "The prodigious 1997 Insignia (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Petit-Verdot) lives up to its pre-bottling promise. Tasted on three separate occasions, every bottle has hit the bull's eye. The color is a saturated thick-looking blue/purple. The nose offers up explosive aromas of jammy black fruits, licorice, Asian spices, vanillin, and cedar. Full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure and impressively endowed, this blockbuster yet surprisingly elegant wine cuts a brilliant swath across the palate. A seamless effort with beautifully integrated acidity, sweet tannin, and alcohol, it is still an infant, but can be drunk with considerable pleasure. Anticipated maturity: now-2025." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=17105 '94-97 points Josh Raynolds (IWC): "Avril presented the components, from foudres, and opined that he now prefers this to showing an approximate blend because "blending on the spot isn't an assemblage, it's just a melange, and a wine needs two months after blending to harmonize." Sample #1, 70% grenache and 30% mourvedre: Blackberry, dark cherry, plum and licorice on the nose. Sweeter on the palate, with bright raspberry and bitter cherry flavors. This is "about 15.8% alcohol," says Avril. Sample #2, 70% grenache and 30% syrah: Intensely perfumed nose combines powerful kirsch, cassis and Asian spices. Silky and sweet, with a deep cherry flavor and suave tannins. Sample #3, a blend of 80% grenache, 10% mourvedre and 10% syrah: A strong floral quality lifts the ripe raspberry and licorice aromas. Lush, broad and silky, with impressive concentration. Sample #4, all grenache: Bright raspberry and strawberry on the nose. Impressively silky and sweet, with strong minerality, fine tannins and excellent persistence. The final blend should be a great Clos des Papes." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=36235 94-96 Parker: "One of the vintage?s superstars and a candidate for the finest St.-Julien of the vintage, the 2003 Leoville Poyferre rivals the 2000, 1996, and 1990 as one of the best Poyferres ever made (although the 1982 seems to be gaining in stature every time I go back to it). With a dense purple color to the rim, an extraordinary nose of pure cassis and raspberries, enormous body, great richness, high tannin, and low acidity in a voluptuous, almost opulent style, this will be a sensational wine that should hit its accessibility point in about 3-5 years and then evolve slowly for 25+. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2025." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30009 93 points Parker: "Gorgeous aromas of flowers, bacon fat, and overripe blackberry and cassis fruit soar from the glass of the 2003 Cote Rotie. Fashioned from low yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare, the wine is spicy and ripe with surprisingly good natural acidity as well as full-bodied, powerful flavors. Drink it over the next 12-14 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32182 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37437 97 points Parker: "Representing the essence of Zinfandel, this wine boasts a dark saturated purple color, mind boggling fruit extract and concentration levels, compelling harmony and overall balance, particularly for a wine of such massive size, and a whoppingly long finish. The dominate characteristics are its blackberry/black raspberry/cherry liqueur-like flavors, voluptuous texture, and seamless integration of wood, alcohol, and acidity. I am not a great believer in the capability of Zinfandels to age, but this wine, although accessible now, should last well beyond a decade. Kudos to Turley!" http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=R5592 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32955 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=R5584 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37427 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=R5506 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27887 91 points Parker: "Readers looking for a Zinfandel with a Rhone-like personality should check out the 1998 Zinfandel Vineyard 101. Offering an explosive nose of dried herbs, ground pepper, new saddle leather, rose petals, black raspberries, and cherries, this fat, dense, full-bodied, luscious wine possesses low acidity, but gobs of fruit. Drink it over the next 4-5 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=16384 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37430 91-92 points Parker: "An impressively endowed offering is the big, rich 2004 Zinfandel Duarte Vineyard. There are usually fewer than 500 cases of this effort, which generally reveals southern Rhone-like garrigue characteristics along with plenty of soil overtones, fresh black cherries, and a spicy, heady finish." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34283 92-94 points Parker: " A debut effort is the 500-case 2002 Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard, a limestone vineyard on the west side of Paso Robles planted in 1885. Yes, for those who are wondering, this is the former commissioner of major league baseball. This stunning Zinfandel comes across like a full-throttle Chateauneuf du Pape. Kirsch liqueur, pepper, and garrigue/Provencal herb-like notes cascade from the glass of this full-bodied, heady red (500 cases; 16.4% alcohol). Amazingly rich, with a velvety, unctuous texture, enormous thickness yet surprising elegance as well as delineation, it is the result of exceptional winemaking and old vines ... a marvelous combination. Enjoy it over the next 5-7 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30969 91-93 points Parker: "From Howell Mountain, the 2004 Zinfandel Rattlesnake Ridge (less than 400 cases produced from a site adjacent to the well-known Black Sears Vineyard) is a terroir-based effort given the vineyard's volcanic soils with considerable iron and white ash (known in California as tufa). At 15.9% alcohol, it is not a wimpish wine, but reveals surprising complexity with a sweet cherry, plum, and anise-scented nose, deep, rich, full-bodied flavors, gorgeous purity, and remarkable elegance as well as equilibrium. Drink it over the next 7-8 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34281 98+ Parker: "The 2003 Pavie (7,080 cases; 13.5% alcohol) is closest in style to the 2000, but slightly more evolved and exotic. Its dense plum/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, creme de cassis, melted licorice, espresso roast, and blackberries. The wine, which hits the palate with a dramatic minerality, comes across like a hypothetical blend of limestone liqueur intermixed with black and red fruits. With massive depth, richness, and body, this tannic 2003 should be forgotten for 4-5 years, then enjoyed over the next four decades. The integration of acidity, tannin, and wood is flawless, and the wine is incredibly pure, rich, and intense." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30002 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32954 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27140 93-95 points Parker: "The 2004 Zinfandel Dragon Vineyard is a spectacularly concentrated effort with 15.9% alcohol as well as beautifully sweet, jammy black cherry, raspberry, and plum fruit intermixed with notions of white flowers, earth, and crushed rocks. This complex, full-bodied, voluptuous Zin should drink beautifully for 7-8 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34280 94-96 Parker: "A blockbuster, compelling effort is the 2004 Zinfandel Vineyard 101. No shy wine at 16.3% alcohol, it boasts an inky/purple color in addition to fabulous ripeness, great intensity, a remarkable, rich, full-bodied style, plenty of peppery blackberry and cherry fruit, huge body, and a succulence that comes across like a great Pomerol from Bordeaux. This intriguing example is completely different from the 2003 Vineyard 101, which I have enjoyed over the last six months or so. Look for the 2004 to evolve for 7-8 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34348 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37426 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37429 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=17949 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35900 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37957 90-92 points Parker: "Loaded with sweet black currant, plum, and raspberry fruit is the dark ruby-colored 2003 Zinfandel Mead Ranch (a medium to full-bodied, 400-case cuvee with 16.5% alcohol grown on a mountaintop vineyard). Bluer, blacker fruits make an appearance, but what I liked about the wine was its purity and fruit-driven character, with less spice and more of the fruit spectrum represented. Its suppleness and opulence should allow it to age nicely for 5-6 years if not longer." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31944 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35905 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=RE589 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32956 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37433 93 points Parker: "The immense 2000 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard (550 cases; 16.7% alcohol) possesses great texture and intensity, in addition to a dense opaque garnet color, and a sweet, concentrated blackberry and raspberry-scented bouquet with hints of pepper, earth, and wood. This is a wine of enormous fruit, body, and palate-staining extract. It should drink well for a decade. The 2000 appears to be slightly more restrained and elegant than previous renditions of this blockbuster Zinfandel." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=26062 93-95 points Parker: "One of the finest Zinfandels I have tasted from Dry Creek is Turley?s 2004 Zinfandel Grist Vineyard. From rocky volcanic mountaintop soils, it is always a whopper in terms of alcohol (15.8% in 2004). The deep ruby/purple-colored, Chateauneuf du Pape-like 2004 boasts a sensational perfume of raspberry jam, scorched earth, pepper, and garrigue. Full-bodied with an amazing texture as well as a voluptuous mid-palate and blockbuster finish, this is Zinfandel at its finest. Enjoy it over the next 5-7 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34345 90-92 points Parker: 'The 2004 Zinfandel Old Vines (a 1,000-case blend of different lots declassified from the single vineyard wines) is one of the estate?s best buys. Aromas of plums, licorice, truffles, herbs, and briery black fruits are followed by a soft, plump, voluptuously-textured Zin to consume over the next 3-4 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34279 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=20894 94-96 points Parker: "Extremely small yields of only 21.2 hectoliters per hectare, from a harvest that began on September 11 and ended September 26, the 2003 Leoville Las Cases is a blend of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot, and 12.6% Cabernet Franc. The 13.27% alcohol is slightly less than the record alcohol level attained here in 2002, and the pH is 3.82. Only 54% of the harvest made it into the grand vin. Still a large-scaled, monolithic wine, it will no doubt move up the scale as it sorts itself out and becomes more delineated. Inky/ruby/purple-colored, it possesses the classic Las Cases purity and balance along with layer upon layer of ripe, pure, black cherry and black currant fruit wrapped around a solid core of minerals and subtle oak. Medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannin, but not as opulent as many of its peers, this classically proportioned, well-delineated 2003 is a brilliant achievement from Jean-Hubert Delon and his staff." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30158 95 points Parker: "Bellevue's debut vintage under the collaboration of Bordeaux wunderkind Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt is a whopper. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare, this wine boasts an opaque inky purple color as well as a glorious perfume of blackberries and blueberries underlaid with a striking minerality, full body, high tannin, abundant glycerin, concentration, and muscle, and a 40-second finish. Will it shut down? I kept a bottle open eight days without any oxidation. A tour de force! Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=22529 93+ Parker: "The solidly made 2003 Leoville Las-Cases (13.2% alcohol) is a blend of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot, and 12.6% Cabernet Franc. In this incredibly hot vintage, the alcohol is slightly lower than achieved in 2002, a cool-climate year. While not a profound example of Las-Cases, the 2003 is muscular, deep, and full-bodied with an impressive ruby/purple color, a tight but juicy bouquet of vanilla, black cherries, crushed rocks, and flowers, a sweet attack, and moderately high tannin. Backward and fresh, displaying impeccable delineation and purity, it can be enjoyed between 2012-2023." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30160 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=21324 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=21703 96-100 Parker: "In an appellation that was not nearly as homogeneous in quality as Pauillac and St.-Estephe, manager Paul Pontallier has produced a prodigious 2003 Chateau Margaux that, qualitatively, towers over all the other Margaux estates. From yields of only 30 hectoliters per hectare, it includes 45% of the total crop, and spiritually as well as stylistically, represents a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1996. Opaque purple-colored, with an extraordinary perfume of spring flowers, blueberries, black currants, licorice, and vanillin, this 2003 exhibits an opulent texture, tremendous structure as well as definition, and an ethereal lightness of being despite its prodigious concentration. As the wine sits in the glass, notions of white chocolate and flowers come forth. The attack suggests the 1990, but the finish recalls the 1996. Phenomenally pure, and medium to full-bodied, but surprisingly light in terms of its palate impression, its aftertaste lasts well beyond one minute. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30180 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27200 93-96 points Tanzer: "Good deep red. Wild, sappy nose combines blueberry, pomegranate, bitter chocolate, violet and exotic spices. The sweetest and lushest of these '06s by a wide margin, but with bracing racy acidity framing and intensifying the dark fruit and floral flavors. Finishes with major, ripe tannins and a layered richness leavened by crisp minerality. Extremely promising." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38606 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32797 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35594 93-95 points Parker: "The inky purple 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers up abundant quantities of sweet earth/loamy soil notes intermixed with black cherry and blackcurrant fruit as well as a floral characteristic. There is superb fruit concentration in addition to a heady blueberry/blackberry component in this effort. Again, these wines need plenty of time to reveal all their attributes, but at the moment, I would be hard pressed to say it?s better than the 2003 or 2002. It should be ready to drink in about five years and last for 25 or more." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35330 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=32798 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=13291 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31364 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27894 88-90 points Parker: "The 2001 Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch Water Trough Vineyard, from a cold climate, Green Valley vineyard, displays jammy, sweet plum and cherry fruit along with Asian spice notes, medium body, elegant flavors, crisp underlying acidity, and a tangy, long finish." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27655 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27827 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38693 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=28831 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27754 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35221 88 points Parker: "The medium ruby-colored 2000 Pinot Noir Estate exhibits a sweet perfume of dusty cherries intermixed with plum, loamy soil, and mineral notes. The wine is medium-bodied and impeccably clean, with excellent length as well as ripeness, and enough acidity to provide definition and uplift. It will drink well for 4-5 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27289 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=38197 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27891 89 points Tanzer: "Medium-deep red. Sexy, rather oaky aromas of bitter cherry, red raspberry, cola, nutmeg and cinnamon. Velvety, dense and sweet, with concentrated flavors of red fruits and spices. Substantial pinot noir, finishing with soft tannins and decent grip." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=24305 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30384 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=22690 93-96 points Parker: "There are 500 cases of the super-concentrated, full-bodied, fat, luscious, dark purple-colored 1998 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard. Made from the Calera clone, it offers a juicy, black cherry, berry, earth, mineral, and spice-scented nose. In the mouth, beef blood and black fruits are present, along with copious fat, glycerin, and moderate tannin. A sumptuous Pinot Noir, it will be fascinating to follow over the next decade or more." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=19367 92 points Tanzer: "Bright dark ruby. Expressive aromas of black fruits, bitter chocolate, cardamom, gunpowder tea, tar and mint. Offers impressive intensity of black fruit, spice and licorice flavors, plus a lively suggestion of cranberry. Finishes with very firm tannins and sneaky persistence. This very backward wine needs a good six or seven years of patience but should be superb." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=27097 89 points Wine Spectator: "Serves up a wide range of ripe, rich, complex flavors, with blackberry, black cherry, earth, spice and cedar notes, turning racy. New from Williams Selyem. Drink now through 2005." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=16629 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=19071 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=26390