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.
Robert Young 1999 Chardonnay (Alexander Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $35
This long-anticipated wine from a longtime grower-turned-vintner swings for the fences. Begins with fascinating, complex aromas—highlighted by lees, pineapple, cinnamon, smoke and white chocolate—and dazzles with its sheer opulence. Everything comes together in pinpointed harmony, right down to the mind-bogglingly beautiful finish.
— S.H.
(12/1/2001)
Robert Young 1999 Scion Red (Alexander Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $50
So good, it makes you want to shout. Possesses the beautifully ripe flavors that are expected of a great vintage, such as blackcurrant, cherry, white chocolate and cassis, with extra edges of smoky caramel and vanilla. The tannins are perfect, soft and easy, but as rich and complex as a Renoir. Differentiates itself from Napa with its softness and accessibility…
— S.H.
(11/15/2003)
Dolce 2000 Late Harvest Wine White (Napa Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $75
This flamboyant wine is drenched in new oak the way Hollywood stars used to wrap themselves in mink. It’s fabulous, gooey-sweet in apricots, honey, vanilla, peaches and cream and ripe, sweet bananas sautéed in butter. It’s all folded into the most unctuous, butter cream texture. Thank goodness for the acids. Deliriously addictive. Mostly Semillon, with Sauvignon Blanc.
— S.H.
(2/1/2005)
Domaine Marcel Deiss 2000 Huebuhl White
- Editors' Choice
- $47
A wine packed with noble rot, giving richness rather than sweetness. An intoxicating blend of smokiness and almonds mixes with flavors of citrus zest and toast in this complex, concentrated wine. From the tiny Huebuhl vineyard in Bergheim. Impressive. Imported by Lauber Imports.
— R.V.
(4/1/2005)
Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2001 Clos Jebsal Séléction des Grains Nobles Pinot Gris
- Editors' Choice
- $214
Smoky aromas followed by the explosion of sweet fruits, with flavors of ripe oranges, of wild flower honey and acidity. This is gorgeous now, but its sweetness should be tamed with aging. A fantastic wine.
— R.V.
(4/1/2005)
Finca Allende 2001 Aurus Tempranillo (Rioja)
- Editors' Choice
- $184
Miguel Angel de Gregorio makes wines that match his exuberant personality, and Aurus, with 85% old-vine Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, is his premier offering. The 2001’s exotic nose pumps licorice, clove, nutmeg and vanilla on top of the ripest black-fruit aromas going. With pillowy tannins, unmatched breadth and huge flavors of blackberry, plum and chocolate…
— M.S.
(6/1/2005)
Robert Mondavi 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $125
This flagship wine shows impeccable balance and finesse. It’s well put together, as the couture people say, and drips with lavish, minty French oak. Soft tannins add interest as well as ageability. The wine is not lavishly fruity; instead, the flavors are consciously restrained and subtle. Very high quality, and worth holding through 2010.
— S.H.
(11/15/2002)
Il Palazzone 1999 Riserva Sangiovese (Brunello di Montalcino)
- Editors' Choice
- $95
A gorgeous wine with amazing texture and integration. The nose and feel are so soft and silky, and the fruit is as expressive as Sangiovese gets. Plush and royal, with perfect tannic structure, smiling acidity and smoky shadings. A dream in the glass, with meters of depth. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates.
— M.S.
(7/1/2005)
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