Published in March 2009

Wines, Spirits and Beers published in the March 2009 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

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Shafer 2004 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap District)

Price $215

A perfect score has to be considered in the context of its region. Shafer’s 2004 Hillside Select is tremendous as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that competes with its peers at the highest levels. It’s always a fabulous wine, but in warm 2004, Shafer’s amphitheater vineyard sheltered the grapes, ripening them to perfection yet protecting the “iron fist in a… — S.H. (3/1/2009)

points

Kracher 2005 Zwischen den Steen Nummer 8 Trockenbeerenauslese Welschriesling (Burgenland)

Online Exclusive

Price $103

The intensity of the acidity, piercing through the sweetness, is what is astonishing about this wine. It gives the wine an ethereal quality, a lightness to go with the concentration of the dried fruits and orange zest flavors. The essence of TBA. — R.V. (3/1/2009)

points

Château Pétrus 2006 Red (Pomerol)

Cellar Selection

After the fabulous 2005, Pétrus again has produced a magnificent wine in 2006, even if it doesn’t hit quite the same heights. It has an immensely powerful structure and concentration, always the hallmark of this wine. But this structure is almost masked by the superbly ripe and fresh fruit. And with all this weight, there is still a sense of proportion, the rich… — R.V. (3/1/2009)

points

Château Ausone 2006 Red (Saint-Émilion)

Cellar Selection

Strength and elegance go together in this wine. It has a pure line of clear berry fruits that float above the tannic core. It is not so much rich as dense, the tannins a vivid counterpoint to the fruit. The wine finishes with fine, elegant sweetness, but it is the purity of line that stays in the memory. Age for 10 years at least. — R.V. (3/1/2009)

points

Château Mouton Rothschild 2006 Red (Pauillac)

Cellar Selection

At the time it was shown as a barrel sample in early 2007, this was the best wine of 2006. That accolade remains. It has all the power of the Cabernet Sauvignon in Pauillac, which was the greatest success of the vintage. That power comes from the dense tannins as well as the black plum and spice flavors and minerality. The texture becomes velvet, giving a final… — R.V. (3/1/2009)

points

Kracher 2005 Nouvelle Vague Nummer 10 Trockenbeerenauslese Chardonnay (Burgenland)

Online Exclusive

Price $111

Marmalade, syrup, molasses and a deep layer of botrytis dryness are all elements of this superb wine. But it is so much more than the sum of its parts, because it is the sheer intensity that makes it so fabulous. The finish prolongs the pleasure, the acidity mingling with pure concentration and wonderful, unforgettable honey and fresh fruit. — R.V. (3/1/2009)

points

Williams Selyem 2006 Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $75

Accomplishes the impossible, stunning the palate with the most delicious flavors imaginable, yet with the structural integrity to age. Those flavors intoxicate with cherry pie, black raspberry tart, tangerine zest and mocha, finished with exotic spicebox and sweet, charred new oak smokiness, all enveloped in sheer silkiness and ultrarefined tannins. Drink now–2018. — S.H. (3/1/2009)

points

Château Climens 2006 White (Barsac)

Cellar Selection

Beautiful aromas of orange zest are followed by gingerbread, caramel and crème brûlée flavors. This is a beautiful, rich, smoothly dense wine with a core of botrytis, spice and vivid fresh citrus acidity. — R.V. (3/1/2009)

2009 Russian River Vineyards Estate Grown

Rich flavors of cherries, persimmons, cola, anise and oak flood the…

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