Editors' Choice

Editors' Choice wines are those that offer excellent quality at a price above our Best Buy range, or a wine at any price with unique qualities that merit special attention.

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Quilceda Creek 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Editors' Choice

Price $125

The flagship wine from Quilceda Creek offers exotic scents of plum, cassis, loam, coffee and pine sap, a rich and evocative blend. The wine delivers all that is promised and more; it is deep and dense with flavor, polished, focused and persistent. Vanilla, espresso, fine tannins, luscious acids and cascading fruits. — P.G. (2/1/2012)

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Failla 2010 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

Editors' Choice

Price $44

Shows classic, full-throttle notes of tropical and citrus fruits, pears and sweet green apples, combined with strong minerality and complex layers of buttered toast, honey and creamy lees. The description alone hardly does justice to the wine’s beauty. The acidity is perfect, the oak deftly applied, the finish long and completely satisfying. Winemaker Ehren Jordan… — S.H. (7/1/2012)

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Cayuse 2009 En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah (Walla Walla Valley (OR))

Editors' Choice

Price $75

In a vintage that produced the finest overall lineup of Cayuse wines to date, it may seem a little nit-picky to score some higher and some lower. But the En Chamberlin deserves first place again. Brilliant aromatics of smoked meat, bacon fat and otherworldly roasted accents seduce instantly. Once on the palate, the silky, balanced, near-perfect mix of umami and… — P.G. (3/1/2013)

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The Maiden 2001 Red (Napa Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $95

This companion wine to the famous Harlan Estate comes from the same Oakville vineyard. Decadent and vastly complex, it opens with cassis, grilled meat, cedar, spicebox, cigar box and cheddar aromas, and then turns medium- to full-bodied in the mouth. Terrific black cherry, blackberry and cassis fruit, pure and refined. Perfect elaboration of oak, char, tannins… — S.H. (6/1/2005)

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Coup de Foudre 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $75

This wine is from John Schwartz, who partners with Heidi Peterson Barrett to make Amuse Bouche. For Coup de Foudre, he has paired with Danielle Price, MS, and wine director at Wynn Las Vegas, to produce this stunning Cabernet, which contains 12% Syrah. Grown in a 5-acre Stags Leap District vineyard, it shows stunning levels of blackberry and chocolate fruit… — S.H. (5/1/2007)

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R.L. Buller & Son NV Calliope Rare Tokay (Rutherglen)

Editors' Choice

Price $120

Just a tiny serving of this dark nectar will last a long time. The malty, porter-ish aromas intrigue, followed by incredibly rich and syrupy flavors accompanied by mouthwatering acids and enormous peristence. Layers of complexity gradually unfold in the glass, revealing hints of honey, caramel and beguiling rancio notes. — J.C. (12/15/2007)

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W.H. Smith 2005 Maritime Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)

Editors' Choice

Price $52

The first thoughts on this wine are how young it is, and how much potential it shows. The immaturity lies in the primary fruit, acidic character, like a big gulp of fruity cola. But the wine’s awesome future is in its vast complexity and balance, and the way it dominates the palate and lasts and lasts. A blend of several vineyards, it’s high in acidity, with… — S.H. (5/1/2007)

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Leonetti Cellar 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla Valley (WA))

Editors' Choice
Online Exclusive

Price $85

Dense, aromatic, layered and rich, this wine explodes from the glass with scents and flavors of concentrated berries, cassis, black cherry, and more. The vines have reached a mature stage that amplifies the fruit and keeps the generous barrel flavors in perfect balance. The barrel notes roll on in a chorus of toasty accents, and the finish is as good in the last… — P.G. (9/1/2011)

2010 Andeluna Altitud

This is a high-quality Malbec with fleshy berry aromas that veer towards…

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