Of all the New World wines I've ever tasted, this may well be my absolute favorite. Anybody who loves chocolate and berries will die for this stuff. It's absolutely explosive, and has a nice hint of cocoa powder in the mid-palate. It also has a longer finish than nearly any other wine I've come across. Last time I opened a bottle, I poured a bit into a glass before emptying the rest into a decanter. I like to do that for a rough test of how the wine's coming along. But, of course, I had to try some right away. I poured a moderate amount into my mouth, swished it around like it was Listerine, and then I immediately had to leave the room for fear of consuming more too soon. That taste was absolutely incredible. And as I busied myself over the next few hours, my mind kept returning to the ecstasy in that glass. Hell, the finish itself reminded me for a while. I could still taste the stuff fifteen minutes later! Three hours later, it drank even better; liquid gold. The fact that this wine is available for only $40 leaves me nearly speechless. 97-98 points.

This is quintessential Sangiovese. The nose suprised me with tomato paste, and hints of molasses and carob. This is full of really nice sour cherry, as well as some toasted rye, worm dirt, and lambs blood. The finish is not as long or as rich as I'd like, but offers hints of raspberry, chokecherry, and even PERIQUE that are difficult to find elsewhere. Tired as the pairing may be, this is really nice with a grilled steak, covered in freshly ground pepper. Oddly enough, after a bowl of G.L. Pease's exquisite Haddo's Delight, this tastes like Rasinettes. (For my review of Haddo's Delight, click here, and look for "wildebeest".) This is a really solid effort, and deserves nothing less than 89 points. And, because it edges its way into 90-point territory when aerated to perfection, I'll give it 89+.

This nose on this juice defies my capacity to describe it. All I can say is that every sniff will give you some new marvel. Your first sip will overwhelm you with a blast of fine coffee and mocha. The tannins are as silky smooth as can be, and they subside into layers upon layers of rich fruit. Hints of pickled brussels sprouts float by in the mid-palate. My favorite moment is an intense shot of tree-ripened plum that reminds me of the consummate fruits I used to pick from my backyard during my youth in California. This stuff is DARK red in the glass, and as good as possible for this level of richness. I've had reds be slightly more polished and more concentrated than this, but I've only had ONE other wine that gave me more of the flavors I love. This just might be THE old-world bottle that could win over even the most obstinate fruit-bomb fan. Gary Vaynerchuk gave this hedonistic effort a 91, but that was about 6 months ago, and I like to think that this has evolved into something far more spectacular since then. In any case, I've had many wines rated 91 and better by all the major reviewers, and this blows nearly all of them away. When I crave red wine, THIS is what I want! A solid 94 points.

This is easily the most complex Gewurtztraminer I've ever had the pleasure to imbibe. It fills the nose with cantalope, pear, and apple; with an added dimension that reminds me of a thai restaurant, for some reason. Drunk at room temperature, the flavor is light at the beginning and builds steadily to an explosive mixture of melons and white fruit. The finish is absolutely incredible, with an obvious blast of citrus rind (more grapefruit than orange, but sweet) and a shot of white pepper right at the end. If chilled, there's a nice burst of apple at the beginning, but the finish is subdued. This juice is incredible with food, especially with spicy Indian, Thai, or Chinese. Garlic brings out pineapple notes that are easy to miss otherwise. Of all the wines I've tried in the last couple of months, this is one of the few with enough complexity for me to notice something new with each glorious sip. It absolutely BURSTS with flavor, despite the slow beginning. Think of it as a steady crescendo, like Ravel's Bolero.