| 68761 | 68760 | US | There's a ruffle of herbaceous, green leaves that lingers from nose to finish, adding freshness to this otherwise rich, sumptuous Merlot. The mouthfeel is robust and velvety, with layers of fine, penetrating tannins that linger long on the finish. Enjoy now after a robust decant, but better yet from 2016-2019. | Blackbird | 88 | 40 | New York | North Fork of Long Island | Long Island | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Anthony Nappa 2012 Blackbird Merlot (North Fork of Long Island) | Merlot | Anthony Nappa |
| 68762 | 68761 | US | Zesty lime-skin notes lend elegance to this lavishly floral, fruity saprkling Chardonnay. It's brisk and clean on the palate, with startling citrus acidity that cuts through a thick, heavy mousse. | Blanc de Blancs | 88 | 60 | New York | North Fork of Long Island | Long Island | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Bedell 2009 Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay (North Fork of Long Island) | Chardonnay | Bedell |
| 68763 | 68762 | US | Blossoms and tangerines perfume this elegantly composed blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. It's rich and creamy on the palate, with concentrated flavors of apple and quince, but finishes with a gorgeous sheen of salty oyster shells. | Gallery | 88 | 60 | New York | North Fork of Long Island | Long Island | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Bedell 2012 Gallery White (North Fork of Long Island) | White Blend | Bedell |
| 68764 | 68763 | US | Ripe, rich aromas of black cherry preserves are offset by earthy, brambly tones on this Cab-Syrah blend. It's lush and full bodied on the palate with juicy black plum and cherry flavors, but finishes elegantly with a whisper of finely grained tannins. | | 88 | 22 | New York | Finger Lakes | Finger Lakes | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Billsboro 2011 Cabernet-Syrah (Finger Lakes) | Cabernet-Syrah | Billsboro |
| 68765 | 68764 | Italy | Prune, leather, oak, vanilla, underbrush and mint aromas lead the nose. The austere palate isn't very expressive, showing subtle oak, toast and espresso in the forefront with notes of dried cherry alongside tightly drying tannins. | Riserva | 88 | 34 | Tuscany | Chianti Classico | | Kerin O’Keefe | @kerinokeefe | Casaloste 2009 Riserva (Chianti Classico) | Red Blend | Casaloste |
| 68766 | 68765 | France | With a dominance of juicy Negrette in the blend, this is a soft, fruity wine. Red fruits with layers of acidity are softened by some wood aging. Tannins come from Cabernet Sauvignon that delivers a more robust aftertaste. Drink now. | Classic | 88 | 16 | Southwest France | Fronton | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bouissel 2012 Classic Red (Fronton) | Red Blend | Château Bouissel |
| 68767 | 68766 | Australia | Love the label--a graphic representation of the owner's solo 1990 flight from Oz to England in a Tiger Moth--but the wine shows some unappetizing aromas of pickle juice and the fruit on the palate comes across as a bit sour and green. | | 82 | 23 | Western Australia | Margaret River | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Edwards 2007 Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc (Margaret River) | Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc | Edwards |
| 68768 | 68767 | Portugal | A highly perfumed, lime-dominated wine that gets some freshness from apple skins and high acidity. Its flavors do feel awkward, fresh from the candy shop rather than the vineyard. | Monte Alentejano Branco | 82 | 8 | Alentejano | | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | DFJ Vinhos 2007 Monte Alentejano Branco White (Alentejano) | Portuguese White | DFJ Vinhos |
| 68769 | 68768 | Argentina | Licorice and warm blacktop make for a dark nose, yet there isn't much base to the acidic palate. There's grabby, tangy generic fruit but mostly tartness and sizzle. An edgy wine with a spot of mocha on a sharp finish. | Estate Bottled | 82 | 11 | Mendoza Province | Uco Valley | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Finca El Portillo 2006 Estate Bottled Merlot (Uco Valley) | Merlot | Finca El Portillo |
| 68770 | 68769 | Argentina | Smells like a field of wild flowers and weeds on a hot summer's day. There's sweaty leather and rhubarb along with murky, mildly soupy berry flavors. Lacks proper balance and freshness, and instead shows a weedy, sticky side. | Reserve | 82 | 10 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Santa Ana 2006 Reserve Malbec (Mendoza) | Malbec | Santa Ana |
| 68771 | 68770 | US | The underlying wine is fine, with brisk, cool-climate acidity framing peach, pear and pineapple flavors. But the oak layering tastes weird and unnatural, almost sweetly medicinal, which drags down the score. | | 82 | 15 | California | Santa Barbara County | Central Coast | | | Tangley Oaks 2005 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) | Chardonnay | Tangley Oaks |
| 68772 | 68771 | Argentina | Consistent with the mediocre 2006. This amounts to generic red wine in a catchy, youthful package. It offers basic raspberry and strawberry aromas and flavors along with scouring acidity. It's bouncy and free-flowing, but hardly what we'd call an elevated premium wine. | Ring Master | 82 | 9 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Hat in the Ring 2007 Ring Master Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Hat in the Ring |
| 68773 | 68772 | Argentina | Hard and fiery, with spearmint dominating the nose. Raw and jumpy in the mouth, with hard berry and coffee flavors. Not much else to say about this tough wine; it's a fighter not a lover. Imported by USA Wine Imports. | Don Maza | 81 | 9 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Finca Los Maza 2006 Don Maza Malbec (Mendoza) | Malbec | Finca Los Maza |
| 68774 | 68773 | Argentina | Raw, rubbery and just not that good of a wine. Bramble, leather and compost muscle out any fruit aromas, and on the palate it's perky to the point of being acidic. Lacks balance while burning up everything in its path. | Monteagrelo | 81 | 37 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Bressia 2005 Monteagrelo Malbec (Mendoza) | Malbec | Bressia |
| 68775 | 68774 | Argentina | Two vintages ago this wine rated the same, so we can say that improvement and evolution are not evident. This wine is tan in color and heavy, with strange butterscotch aromas that seem foreign and artificial. Forced oak flavors and a resiny mouthfeel are also drawbacks. | | 81 | 11 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Budini 2007 Chardonnay (Mendoza) | Chardonnay | Budini |
| 68776 | 68775 | US | Simple and harsh in texture, this Pinot has the variety's silky texture, but not much else going for it. The flavors are minty and green, with just the barest suggestion of cherries. | | 81 | 12 | California | California | California Other | | | Red Truck 2006 Pinot Noir (California) | Pinot Noir | Red Truck |
| 68777 | 68776 | Argentina | Minty and sheer on the nose, and that's a prime indicator of what's to come, namely high-toned, lean fruit flavors and an abundance of scouring, protruding acidity. Some oak lingers to soften things, but overall this is a sharp, underdeveloped style of Cabernet. | Barrica | 81 | 10 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Finca El Retiro 2006 Barrica Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Finca El Retiro |
| 68778 | 68777 | Argentina | Brambly aromas precede sour flavors of pie cherry and green strawberry. A sheering wine that's miserly even by Funky Llama's standards. The best that can be said about this tart Malbec is that it isn't overripe or sappy. | | 81 | 6 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Funky Llama 2007 Malbec (Mendoza) | Malbec | Funky Llama |
| 68779 | 68778 | US | Unbalanced, with sweet cherry and orange jam flavors and acidity that's almost sour. | Altitude 2401 Fair Play Farms | 81 | 24 | California | El Dorado | Sierra Foothills | | | Perry Creek 2005 Altitude 2401 Fair Play Farms Syrah (El Dorado) | Syrah | Perry Creek |
| 68780 | 68779 | US | This Syrah-Merlot blush has a pretty color, but there's not much going on, flavor-wise. It tastes like alcohol and acidity, with a tiny splash of cherry flavoring. | | 81 | 12 | California | Sonoma County | Sonoma | | | Clos du Bois 2007 Rosé (Sonoma County) | Rosé | Clos du Bois |
| 68781 | 68780 | US | A little too sweet and syrupy, with canned peach and apricot flavors that finish soft and simple. | White Table Wine | 81 | 9 | California | California | California Other | | | Kenwood 2006 White Table Wine White (California) | White Blend | Kenwood |
| 68782 | 68781 | Argentina | Forced together and not happily married is the only way to describe this dysfunctional coupling of sweet, tropical Torrontes and heavy, cloying Chardonnay. Too sweet for most palates, with a heavy dosage of melon, lychee and table sugar. | Grazioso Chardonnay-Torrontes | 80 | 10 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Caligiore 2007 Grazioso Chardonnay-Torrontes White (Mendoza) | White Blend | Caligiore |
| 68783 | 68782 | Argentina | Big and purple, with sweet aromas. But the palate is very uneven, with acute acidity that scours and turns the plum and grape flavors sour. Grabby mouthfeel as well, with clamp. | | 80 | 8 | Mendoza Province | Mendoza | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Santa Julia 2007 Merlot (Mendoza) | Merlot | Santa Julia |
| 68784 | 68783 | US | Eric Dunham's Lewis vineyard Syrah belongs near the top of anyone's list of the best in the country. The brilliant nose opens with bright, inviting raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry scents and flavors. The wine is forward, intense and nuanced. Immediately, brilliantly appealing, it has the power and balance to age for up to a decade. | Lewis Vineyard | 94 | 75 | Washington | Columbia Valley (WA) | Columbia Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Dunham 2005 Lewis Vineyard Syrah (Columbia Valley (WA)) | Syrah | Dunham |
| 68785 | 68784 | US | A racy, clean and pure Pinot Noir that shows succulent flavors of raspberries, cherries, oranges, cola, smoky vanilla, cloves, pepper and cinnamon, wrapped into a lightly elegant texture. Marked by considerable acidity, the wine should hold and modestly improve for up to six years. | | 91 | 39 | California | Santa Cruz Mountains | Central Coast | | | Black Ridge 2006 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains) | Pinot Noir | Black Ridge |
| 68786 | 68785 | Australia | This top Cabernet bottling from Taylors has been a consistent favorite over the last few vintages, and the 2004 continues the string. It's complex, bringing scents of mint, coffee, cassis and tobacco all to the dance, and matching that complexity with weight and richness. The tannins are a bit astringent right now, so try it from 2010-2020. | St. Andrews | 91 | 50 | South Australia | Clare Valley | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Wakefield 2004 St. Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon (Clare Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Wakefield |
| 68787 | 68786 | Portugal | Typical of the wines from Estremadura, low in alcohol, offering great juicy fruit, very fresh, bursting with red currants and berries. It is balanced, a vivid painting of bright flavors. | Portada | 85 | 8 | Estremadura | | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | DFJ Vinhos 2006 Portada Red (Estremadura) | Portuguese Red | DFJ Vinhos |
| 68788 | 68787 | US | This highly concentrated, richly ripe red explores notions of plum, black cherry and tobacco. It finishes with a mildness of dried herb. | | 86 | 25 | California | Sonoma Valley | Sonoma | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Buena Vista 2014 Merlot (Sonoma Valley) | Merlot | Buena Vista |
| 68789 | 68788 | US | Lots of white flowers, from jasmine to lilies, show on the nose of this well-priced bottling, alongside poached pears and lime sorbet. The palate packs tangy pungency, with Anjou pear and Granny Smith apple flavors. | lot 533 Limestone Cowboy | 86 | 13 | California | Santa Barbara County | Central Coast | Matt Kettmann | @mattkettmann | Cameron Hughes 2015 lot 533 Limestone Cowboy Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) | Chardonnay | Cameron Hughes |
| 68790 | 68789 | Italy | A blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, this informal red has subdued aromas suggesting of dark-berry, violet and a hint of kitchen spice. The light-bodied simple palate shows black cherry, dried plum and a hint of toast alongside soft, rather fleeting tannins. | Dogajolo | 86 | 15 | Tuscany | Toscana | | Kerin O’Keefe | @kerinokeefe | Carpineto 2015 Dogajolo Red (Toscana) | Red Blend | Carpineto |