Page 5 | Published in June 2006 - Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide

Best Buy

Price $19

Opening aroma rings with lovely, sweet scents of cinnamon, candied walnut and double cream; with time the bouquet accentuates the nuttiness and the cream in the most congruous manner imaginable. Palate entry is satiny smooth, delectably creamy and properly spiced; at midpalate, the creaminess takes on a bittersweet cocoa quality that’s utterly spectacular… — P.P. (6/1/2004)

96-100

points

Sylk Cream by Drambuie

Best Buy

Price $22

First nosings offer stunning scents of citrus rind, malt whisky and light cream; later sniffings accentuate the fruity, honeyed, malty aroma of the whisky and add flowers and whipped egg white. Palate entry speaks of malt whisky, always taking care not to overshadow the honey or cream; at midpalate, the floral/blossom-like honey quality is more pronounced, becoming… — P.P. (6/1/2004)

96-100

points

Frapin VIP XO Grande Champagne Cognac

Price $159

Opening aroma is assertive as zesty notes of pine, oak and parchment dominate; aeration serves to enhance the oak by introducing a fine caramel/toffee component. Palate entry is fruity, almost jammy and sweet; at midpalate, the smooth, satiny, creamy texture provides one of the highlights along with beguiling flavors of cocoa, chocolate cake frosting, butter cream… — P.P. (7/1/2004)

96-100

points

Absolut Kurant Vodka

Best Buy

Price $20

The tart, bitter black currant bouquet is stunning right from the beginning whiffs; time serves to deepen the black currant concentration to cassis-like. Crisp, tart flavor is razor sharp and clean; at midpalate, there’s an oily quality to the texture that underscores the racy, zesty, black currant flavor. Ends up ripe, fruity. Kurant is the unequivocal prototype… — P.P. (7/1/2004)

95

points

Betz Family Winery 2003 Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Editors' Choice

Price $45

Firm, chewy, young, tight and yet quite supple and fulfilling, this stunning Cabernet is packed with a rainbow of fruit flavors—blueberry, black currant and black cherry—that open into a seamless, beautifully proportioned wine. The scents and flavors run the gamut from citrus peel to clove to oy to chocolate, espresso and beyond. — P.G. (6/1/2006)

94

points

Keenan 2002 Reserve Merlot (Spring Mountain)

Editors' Choice

Price $56

Keenan’s 2002 regular is very good. The Reserve emulates all its fine qualities and far exceeds it in richness. This is a soft yet complex wine, rich in supple tannins, with extraordinary flavors of blackberry-laced espresso and pure, dark unsweetened chocolate. As dry as it is, the finish is as sweet as crème de cassis. — S.H. (6/1/2006)

94

points

Caymus 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $70

This extraordinary wine possesses an enormous wealth of black cherry, blueberry, cassis and espresso flavors, wrapped in fine, well-toasted oak. Has that rare quality of elegance, in which all the parts work together in harmony. Thoroughly dry, it’s marked by a firm, astringent tannic structure now, but is a certain cel lar candidate. Should begin to blossom by… — S.H. (6/1/2006)

94

points

Royal Tokaji 2000 Aszú 5 Puttonyos (Tokaji)

Editors' Choice

Price $32

An amazing wine that is a benchmark for its class. Pure scents of dried apricot, citrus, jasmine and melon are coated with Asian spices, while the mouth is honeyed but nuanced, with flavors of dried spices, apricot marmalade and citrus fruits. What sets this wine apart is its mouthwatering acidity. A blend of grapes from multiple vineyards, this 26,000-case… — W.E. (6/1/2006)

Published in June 2006

Bushmills Irish Cream Liqueur

Sylk Cream by Drambuie

Frapin VIP XO Grande Champagne Cognac

Absolut Kurant Vodka

Betz Family Winery 2003 Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Keenan 2002 Reserve Merlot (Spring Mountain)

Caymus 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Royal Tokaji 2000 Aszú 5 Puttonyos (Tokaji)

2010 Pence Ranch Westslope