Published in the Year's Best 2009

Wines, Spirits and Beers published in the the Year's Best 2009 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

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Iron Horse NV Joy! Sparkling (Green Valley)

Price $147

This multivintage bottling is extraordinarily rich in orange fruit. You’ll find complex layers of smoky butter, yeasty brioche, vanilla and toasted oak. What’s so remarkable, though, is the mouthfeel: While it’s brisk in acidity, it feels as soft and gentle as satin. It’s so beautiful now that you’ll find it difficult to keep from drinking the entire magnum immediately. — S.H. (12/1/2012)

points

Château Ausone 2008 Barrel sample Red (Saint-Émilion)

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96-98 Barrel sample. While there is a surprising amount of wood here, the fruit gives a great ripe swathe of blackberry and red plum flavors. The wood spice goes with an impressive weight of fruit, shining through a lovely, perfumed aftertaste. — R.V. (12/31/2009)

points

Château Cos d'Estournel 2008 Barrel sample Red (Saint-Estèphe)

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96-98 Barrel sample. All the right elements are here. The wine is powerful, but has a wonderful lift of fresh fruit, spiced with wood but never too much. The tannins are sweet, ripe and delicious. It shows both gorgeous fruit and a dense structure. — R.V. (12/31/2009)

points

Château Lafite Rothschild 2008 Barrel sample Red (Pauillac)

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96-98 Barrel sample. Very dense, a muscular wine, very concentrated. It has a superb texture of velvet, while still keeping an abundance of dry tannins. There is power here, solid and dense structure, but there are also bright fruits. Vivid, concentrated. — R.V. (12/31/2009)

points

Château d'Yquem 2008 Barrel sample White (Sauternes)

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96-98 Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as the freshness, giving a delicious lift to the core of dry, concentrated botrytis. Obviously a great wine for long-term aging in a great Sauternes year. — R.V. (12/31/2009)

points

Failla 2006 Vivien Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)

Cellar Selection

Price $70

This small- production wine showcases the wild, feral and lonely personality of this winery’s extreme coastal mountain location, offering the most exotic flavors that are hard to describe. Asian pears, pomegranates, Dr. Pepper cola, red currants, licorice, bacon and rare berries like mulberries and loganberries come to mind. It’s softly delicious and drinkable now… — S.H. (12/31/2009)

points

Lynmar 2007 Hawk Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)

Price $70

An extraordinarily lush, dramatic Pinot Noir. Dense and full-bodied, it shows flashy flavors of black and red berries, currants, cola, pomegranates and dusty spices, enhanced with the most perfect application of smoky oak and wrapped into a rich, silky texture. The balance is exquisite, a tension of acidity and tannins. Beautiful now, and should develop bottle… — S.H. (12/31/2009)

points

Château Pétrus 2006 Barrel sample Red (Pomerol)

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95—97 Barrel sample. The freshness of 2006 is here in abundance. But because it is Pétrus, those deliciously lively black fruits are backed up with a formidable battery of tannins and concentration. But never extracted, always properly restrained. — R.V. (12/31/2009)

2009 Monte Pinadillo Ciranza

Black fruit, raisin and minerally aromas combine to create a formidable…

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