Wine Merchant

Red Wine by Ch?teau Cheval Blanc from St-Emilion, France - Bordeaux. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Subtle herb, menthol, cranberry, black currant, and licorice aromas emerge from this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. It is medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, but not a lot of weight or intensity. The complexity and nobility of Cheval Blanc's gravelly terroir is apparent in this delicate, subtle St.-Emilion. Give it a few years to develop additional aromatics, and drink it over the following 12-15. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 90 Points Intense aromas of tar, blackberry and wet earth, with just a hint of tobacco and flowers. Full-bodied, chewy and long. Extracted, yet turns caressing and velvety in texture. Broad-shouldered and muscular for this estate. This is better than the 2000. Best after 2012. Wine Spectator 94 Points

Red Wine by Ch. Cos d'Estournel from St. Estephe, France - Bordeaux. The prodigious, fantastic 2003 Cos d’Estournel is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon (unusually high for this chateau), 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 17,500 cases were produced from low yields. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense, and flowers. With extraordinary richness, full body, and remarkable freshness, elegance, and persistence, this is one of the finest wines ever made by this estate. The good news is that it will be drinkable at a young age yet evolve for three decades or more. Kudos to winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier. -Robert ParkerIn the old Gascon language, the word ‘Cos’ means ‘The Hill of Pebbles’. Appropriately named, Château Cos d’Estournel is situated on the banks of the Gironde River between Pauillac and St. Estèphe, where the property is clearly defined by the hill of Cos, reaching to a height of almost 65 feet. It is today owned by Michel Reybier, and continues to be managed by a member of the Prats family under the direction of Jean-Guillaume Prats. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc

Red Wine by Ch?teau L?oville Las Cases from St-Julien, France - Bordeaux. Incredible nose of crushed berry, licorice, violets and lightly toasted oak. Pure creme de cassis. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Solid. Best after 2011. Wine Spectator 97 Points

Red Wine by Ch?teau Hosanna from Pomerol, France - Bordeaux. Aromas of blackberry, forest fruits and licorice with just a hint of spice. Full-bodied, with loads of ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Raisins, toasted oak and just a hint of dark chocolate. -Wine Spectator

Red Wine by Ch?teau Pichon-Longueville-Lalande from Pauillac, France - Bordeaux. ...plenty of structure, wonderful sweetness, a closed style, but a rich, textured, persistent character... -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Ch?teau Monbousquet from St-Emilion, France - Bordeaux. A strong performance in a difficult vintage, the 2002 Monbousquet (60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc) reveals abundant aromas of espresso, sweet black currants and cherries, damp earth, compost, and new oak. It is a medium to full-bodied, fleshy offering with light tannin as well as a long finish. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. This is the home estate of Chantal and Gerard Perse, who have become the poster children for owners taking a less hallowed terroir and producing sumptuous, high quality wine. Readers should realize that Monbousquet is not meant to be cellared for 20-30 years. It is a beautifully made wine that has performed well in every blind tasting I have conducted, often out-scoring far more hallowed as well as expensive wines. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Ernie Els from South Africa. Producing a wine made up of five Bordeaux varieties to reflect the unique diversity of the Stellenbosch terroir. This wine, made by cellarmaster Louis Strydom, is Ernie Els and Jean Engelbrecht's vision to produce an exceptional wine, reflecting their respective commitment to quality. Mediterranean with the rainfall ? 650mm per annum, the EE vineyards are located high up on the northern slopes of the Helderberg Mountain. This contribution imparts warmer fruit flavours to the wine. In summer, the vineyards' close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean result in cool sea breezes that keeps temperatures lower, extending the ripening period. Earthy and mineral, wild berries, mocha, this wine is forever changing in the glass. Firm tannins and French Oak seamlessly integrated, with dried fruit flavours that linger nicely on the slightly dry finish. Larger than life tannins will ensure good ageing. Decant! 2002 Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon (61%) Merlot (24%) Malbec (5%) Cabernet Franc(5%) Petit Verdot (5%)

Red Wine by Mount Veeder from Napa Valley, California. This fabulous mountain Cabernet blend is hefty in tannins, but its so delicious and balanced, it's totally dinkable now... - Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection This wine expresses the lush, concentrated fruit character of the Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the steep terraced slopes of our mountain estate. Refined tannins add texture and depth to the intense blackberry flavors of the wine.

Red Wine by Ch?teau Lascombes from Margaux, France - Bordeaux. The color is amazing, almost black with light purple glints. The nose is complex with layers of black fruits, such as blackberries, bilberries and black cherries as well as flowers and spices. The Cabernet Sauvignon, incredibly consistent in quality in 2004, brings finesse to the blend and gives Chateau Lascombes 2004 power and concentration on the palate while maintaining a delicacy and unctuousness that mingle well with a dense, tight-knit tannic structure of good pedigree. The finish is long and flavorful. Chateau Lascombes 2004 is definitely to be ranked among the greatest Margaux of this vintage.

Red Wine by Ch?teau Ducru Beaucaillou from St-Julien, France - Bordeaux. One can't say enough about the efforts Bruno Borie is pouring into this wonderful estate that I have often called the Lafite Rothschild of St.-Julien. An undeniable success, the 2004 Ducru boasts sweet aromas of creme de cassis, spring flowers, pain grille, licorice, and road tar. This pure, medium-bodied wine possesses moderately high tannin, superb concentration, good sweetness, and low acidity. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25 years. Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 93 points

Red Wine by Chateau St. Jean from Sonoma County, California. Cinq Cepages (Five Varieties) is a Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), Merlot (9%), Cabernet Franc (7%), Malbec (4%), and Petit Verdot (3%). Each component is aged separately for two years in small French oak barrels (47% new) before blending. Once the wine is assembled, it spends six months in the bottle before release. Inviting aromas of boysenberry and violet define the nose of this flagship Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. A rich and dense entry begins with layers of black raspberry, mocha and hints of blueberry. The palate offers a graceful balance between fruit extract and fine-grained tannins. This deep, concentrated wine has a classic Cinq Cepages structure with beautiful oak integration and a lushness throughout that leads to a lingering finish. - Margo Van Staaveren, Winemaker

Red Wine by Ch?teau Gruaud Larose from St-Julien, France - Bordeaux. Well done. Good, dark color to this '99, with lots of plummy, berry and cassis character. It's medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Best after 2004. -Wine Spectator