| 4651 | 4650 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. Perfumed, light, hinting at minerality, the wine has a smooth veneer over the dusty tannins. The final effect is rich and polished. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Fronsac | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Fontenil 2008 Barrel sample (Fronsac) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Fontenil |
| 4652 | 4651 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. Caramel new wood aromas are followed by spice and toast flavors. The fruit seems thin by comparison, hard to feel under all that polished toast. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Margaux | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Kirwan 2008 Barrel sample (Margaux) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Kirwan |
| 4653 | 4652 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. A dark hued wine, with its tense tannins giving a strong backbone to the dry, firm structure. The fruit hardly shows through all this dry, extracted character. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Latour-Martillac 2008 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Latour-Martillac |
| 4654 | 4653 | Italy | Representing four generations of winemaking, Vietti makes a strong show with this intense and vibrant ruby colored wine. Layers of toast, coffee and ripe red fruit reveal themselves to the nose with deep spice and clove that last long on the palate. This wine boasts solid structure and power. | Tre Vigne | 89 | | Piedmont | Barbera d'Asti | | | | Vietti 2003 Tre Vigne (Barbera d'Asti) | Barbera | Vietti |
| 4655 | 4654 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. A wine with a high wood content, maybe too much – the question is over the fruit's ability to stand up to the blast of wood. The result is a wine that is super-spicy. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bourgneuf-Vayron 2006 Barrel sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Bourgneuf-Vayron |
| 4656 | 4655 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Firm and dry, here is a wine that still offers plenty of ripe fruits. There are good blackcurrant flavors, along with the dry tannins that are as much wood as fruit driven. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Haut-Bergey 2006 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Haut-Bergey |
| 4657 | 4656 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Somewhat lean, more of solid tannin than fruit. But there is also some fresh acidity. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Lafleur-Gazin 2006 Barrel sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Lafleur-Gazin |
| 4658 | 4657 | South Africa | This blend features aromas of vanilla, sweet tobacco and cherry followed by big, masculine flavors of cassis, raspberry, tobacco and cedar. Deep spice undertones add to the dimension of the wine. Ageable and intense and best paired with more robust meat dishes. | Babylons Toren | 89 | 17 | Paarl | | | Susan Kostrzewa | @suskostrzewa | Backsberg 2003 Babylons Toren Red (Paarl) | Red Blend | Backsberg |
| 4659 | 4658 | Argentina | Bold and earthy wine, with aromas of fine rubber, balsam wood, forest floor, spice and ripe black fruit. It's thick as it rolls over the palate, and the wild berry, herb and pepper flavors fit the wine's physique and profile. Long and fairly deep on the finish; drink now through 2011. | La Flor | 89 | 16 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Pulenta Estate 2008 La Flor Malbec (Mendoza) | Malbec | Pulenta Estate |
| 4660 | 4659 | South Africa | This is an interesting Cabernet because of its balance of rich, plush fruit and exotic, plucky spice. The nose offers cloves, pepper and mocha, and on the palate, flavors of smoke, cracked pepper and plum are inviting. A stylish sip with aging potential. | | 89 | 27 | Stellenbosch | | | Susan Kostrzewa | @suskostrzewa | Stark-Condé 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stark-Condé |
| 4661 | 4660 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Very sweet, ripe, rounded, with almost tropical richness, layered with lychees and spice. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bouscaut 2006 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Bouscaut |
| 4662 | 4661 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Soft, open, the wood giving roundness to a spicy, rich wine. It will develop quickly. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château de France 2006 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château de France |
| 4663 | 4662 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Spicy, rich, concentrated, with sweet vanilla flavors over the blackberry fruits. Soft and ripe, a wine that is made to charm. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Olivier 2006 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Olivier |
| 4664 | 4663 | France | 88—90 Barrel sample. Sweet, soft, ripe, full of very soft fruit flavors. The ripeness of the year seems to have overtaken the wine. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2006 Barrel sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Smith Haut Lafitte |
| 4665 | 4664 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. A light style, moving into delicate citrus and crisp fruits. It shows a lively palate, with a tight, dry core of botrytis. | Barrel Sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Sauternes | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bastor-Lamontagne 2008 Barrel Sample (Sauternes) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Bastor-Lamontagne |
| 4666 | 4665 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. A ripe, fruity wine, showing delicious fresh berries, lively acidity over solid tannins. This is a wine on the charming side, maybe lacking intensity, but a pleasure to taste. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pauillac | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Croizet-Bages 2008 Barrel sample (Pauillac) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Croizet-Bages |
| 4667 | 4666 | France | 88-90 Barrel sample. With its minty aroma and high proportion of new wood, this is a wine which shows polish, a smooth, wood-laden texture offering a wine that will probably age quickly. | Barrel sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Margaux | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Ferrière 2008 Barrel sample (Margaux) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Ferrière |
| 4668 | 4667 | US | There are delicious flavors in this ripe Syrah, and while it's too soft for comfort, it sure is nice to drink. Offers waves of blackberries, mocha, black pepper and smoky sandalwood that finish thoroughly dry and complex in Asian spices. | Farráh | 89 | 18 | California | Lodi | Central Valley | | | Klinker Brick 2007 Farráh Syrah (Lodi) | Syrah | Klinker Brick |
| 4669 | 4668 | US | A proven success for Tildio, the newest release of Cabernet Franc uses fruit from the exceptional RiverBend vineyard in the Wahluke Slope. It's a delicious mix of wild berry and smoky earth, with dark streaks of licorice and tar adding depth and persistence. | | 89 | 30 | Washington | Wahluke Slope | Columbia Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Tildio 2006 Cabernet Franc (Wahluke Slope) | Cabernet Franc | Tildio |
| 4670 | 4669 | Australia | Delicate and light-bodied with plenty to love in the nose, including irresistible notes of bread dough, strawberry and lemon which turn to fresh cherries in the mouth. The finish is focused and very crisp—just a few paces short of tart, actually. This wine screams for raw oysters. | Brut Méthode Traditionelle Sparkling Wine | 89 | 20 | Tasmania | Tasmania | | | | 42°S NV Brut Méthode Traditionelle Sparkling Wine (Tasmania) | Champagne Blend | 42°S |
| 4671 | 4670 | US | Three vineyards contribute to this lovely wine, two in Rutherford, both certified organic, and another in Soda Canyon which is at 800-feet in elevation. Red and blue fruit open for leather and a touch of cedar and dried herb—the wine ultimately elegant and Old World. The tannin weight is substantial but never distracting. | | 91 | 75 | California | Rutherford | Napa | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Pine & Brown 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Pine & Brown |
| 4672 | 4671 | US | Quite light in aroma at first, this is a delicate, lithe and lovely bottling, showing lemon and yellow pear tones on the nose. That sensibility carries to the palate, where touches of yellow apple, sea salt, faint banana and a shred of bubblegum converge for a complete yet restrained white wine experience. | Vogelzang Vineyard | 91 | 25 | California | Santa Ynez Valley | Central Coast | Matt Kettmann | @mattkettmann | Point & Line 2014 Vogelzang Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley) | Sauvignon Blanc | Point & Line |
| 4673 | 4672 | Germany | Fresh grapefruit, lime and lemon collide in this invigorating waterfall of citrus flavors. Off dry in style and breathlessly light in texture, it hits the palate with an electric edge of acidity that reverberates through a long finish. Drink now through 2024. | Rotlack Kabinett Feinherb | 91 | 55 | Rheingau | | | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Schloss Johannisberger 2014 Rotlack Kabinett Feinherb Riesling (Rheingau) | Riesling | Schloss Johannisberger |
| 4674 | 4673 | US | The producer's flagship wine, this vintage blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Dry tannins provide a leathery texture atop piquant sensibilities of cedar, pencil and chocolate-specked blackberry jam. Structured and full bodied, it'll benefit from further cellaring. Drink now through 2022. | Cambium | 91 | 115 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Sequoia Grove 2012 Cambium Red (Napa Valley) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Sequoia Grove |
| 4675 | 4674 | US | Different and intriguing, this tightly wound wine has white pepper aromas, tart cherry and raspberry flavors and an engaging, astringent mouthfeel. High in acidity and relatively low in body, it has a vibrancy and restraint that will benefit from more time in the bottle. Best after 2019. | | 91 | 26 | California | El Dorado | Sierra Foothills | Jim Gordon | @gordone_cellars | Skinner 2013 Mourvèdre (El Dorado) | Mourvèdre | Skinner |
| 4676 | 4675 | US | Single block wines, such as this one, often show a tight focus rather than a broad palate. Here it works well, wrapping savory notes around red currant fruit. There's a lightly metallic ring to the flavors, running straight through the finish. Give this a few hours of decanting, or tuck it away for drinking after 2020. | Goosepen Block | 91 | 80 | Oregon | Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Sokol Blosser 2013 Goosepen Block Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills) | Pinot Noir | Sokol Blosser |
| 4677 | 4676 | US | Farmed by the vineyard manager who owns Small Vines, another small Pinot Noir producer, this is a complex, well-crafted wine, high in acidity and high-toned red fruit, like cranberry, pomegranate and cherry, with a wisp of orange peel on their heels. Light-bodied, it finishes with black tea and mushrooms fighting for attention. | Baranoff Vineyard | 91 | 50 | California | Russian River Valley | Sonoma | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Gros Ventre 2013 Baranoff Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) | Pinot Noir | Gros Ventre |
| 4678 | 4677 | US | This wine has bold aromas of wood smoke and vanilla, a very firm, fine-grained and tannic texture, and lots of black cherry and dark plum flavors. It's a big, robust wine—pour alongside hefty proteins and settle back for the evening. | | 91 | 70 | California | Red Hills Lake County | | Jim Gordon | @gordone_cellars | Hawk and Horse Vineyards 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon (Red Hills Lake County) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Hawk and Horse Vineyards |
| 4679 | 4678 | Germany | While subdued and closed off at initial tasting, time and aeration seem to bring out this wine's vibrant tangerine and apricot perfume. The spry palate is delicately sweet, juxtaposing fresh, primary stone fruit and lime flavors against a backdrop of savory earth and nut. It's a quiet wine that should gain power and depth with maturity. Hold until 2020. | Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese | 91 | 29 | Mosel | | | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Joh. Jos. Prüm 2014 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling (Mosel) | Riesling | Joh. Jos. Prüm |
| 4680 | 4679 | Germany | Pristine, primary tangerine and grapefruit flavors shine brilliantly throughout this crisp, light-footed Spätlese. It's dangerously quaffable, yet nuanced by shades of candlewax, mineral and saffron that extend the finish dramatically. | Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Spätlese | 91 | 40 | Rheingau | | | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Johannishof 2014 Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Spätlese Riesling (Rheingau) | Riesling | Johannishof |