| 8488 | 8487 | Italy | Bixio offers a tight, compact expression of Amarone that seems bursting at the seams with fresh fruit, cherry and berry aromas. The wine is syrupy and thick in the mouth with a refreshing touch of acidity at the close. | | 88 | | Veneto | Amarone della Valpolicella Classico | | | | Bixio 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico | Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara | Bixio |
| 8461 | 8460 | US | Rich doesn't begin to describe the layers of flavor and texture. This wine is massive, with notes of tropical fruit and apricot, with a slightly botrytized character that Sleepy Hollow Chardonnays often display. The oak is lavish and buttery, but perfectly matched to the wine's volume. It also has classic Monterey acidity—as pert as a squeeze of lime. Delicious, full bodied and exotic, it defines its vineyard and appellation. | Sleepy Hollow Vineyard | 92 | 32 | California | Santa Lucia Highlands | Central Coast | | | Pessagno 2010 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands) | Chardonnay | Pessagno |
| 8489 | 8488 | US | This wine requires decanting, as it seems to have entered a dumb phase. But there is clearly a good core of blackberry and black cherry fruit, lightly dusted with fresh herb. | Janus | 88 | 35 | Oregon | Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Brooks 2008 Janus Pinot Noir (Eola-Amity Hills) | Pinot Noir | Brooks |
| 8462 | 8461 | US | Fragrant with floral notes, lemony fruit and hints of apricot, this is a tangy, textural take on Pinot Gris. Fermented in stainless steel and released young, it retains a bright and stylish profile right through a lingering finish, with a touch of sweetness. | | 92 | 17 | Oregon | Willamette Valley | Willamette Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | Ponzi 2011 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley) | Pinot Gris | Ponzi |
| 8463 | 8462 | Spain | This has a pretty light color, with dry raspberry and citrus scents. The palate is pure and elegant, with tangerine, grapefruit and nectarine flavors. This finishes longer than most, with poise and grace. | de Nit | 92 | 26 | Catalonia | Cava | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Raventós I Blanc 2009 de Nit Sparkling (Cava) | Sparkling Blend | Raventós I Blanc |
| 8464 | 8463 | US | Fogarty continues its streak of great, Chablis-style Chardonnays with this single-vineyard bottling. True afficionados will love the dryness, acidity and minerality, which give it such great structure. The severity is relieved by flavors of citrus zest and white peach, and the creamy sourdough richness imparted by lees aging. Try aging it for at least six years. | Langley Hill Vineyard Estate Grown | 92 | 50 | California | Santa Cruz Mountains | Central Coast | | | Thomas Fogarty 2009 Langley Hill Vineyard Estate Grown Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains) | Chardonnay | Thomas Fogarty |
| 8490 | 8489 | US | Somewhat soft and jammy. While it's certainly delicious, this 100% Cabernet needs greater structure and complexity to add value to the sweet blackberries, cherries and chocolate. | | 86 | 35 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Stepping Stone by Cornerstone 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stepping Stone by Cornerstone |
| 8465 | 8464 | France | This full-bodied, creamy Crozes-Hermitage far outpaces expectations for the appellation, combining cherry-berry fruit with cracked pepper, mocha and licorice. Then it finishes long, anchored by a marriage of fruit and spice. It's ready to drink now, but should evolve positively through at least 2017. | | 92 | 36 | Rhône Valley | Crozes-Hermitage | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Maison Nicolas Perrin 2009 Crozes-Hermitage | Syrah | Maison Nicolas Perrin |
| 8466 | 8465 | Italy | What sets this wine apart is its gorgeous, creamy intensity on the finish. Made from Trebbiano, this expression shows the qualitative heights this variety can achieve. Notes of vanilla cream, peach cobbler, dried sage and pineapple appear on the bouquet. The finish is long and full. Try aging this for five years or longer. | Castello di Semivicoli | 92 | 50 | Central Italy | Trebbiano d'Abruzzo | | | | Masciarelli 2008 Castello di Semivicoli (Trebbiano d'Abruzzo) | Trebbiano | Masciarelli |
| 8467 | 8466 | US | Lovely, crisp acidity marks this dry, complex Pinot Noir. It's not an ager, but very elegant, with delicate sour-cherry candy, cola and mushroom flavors. A great wine to serve with mushroom-based entrées. | Reserve | 92 | 45 | California | Carneros | Napa-Sonoma | | | Beaulieu Vineyard 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir (Carneros) | Pinot Noir | Beaulieu Vineyard |
| 8468 | 8467 | Chile | Crisp green aromas suggest lime and then passion fruit. It's lively and spritzy in the mouth, with high acidity yielding green flavors that transition to pithy and heavy. Lemon-lime mixed with celery notes come up on the finish. | EQ | 88 | 20 | San Antonio | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Matetic 2010 EQ Sauvignon Blanc (San Antonio) | Sauvignon Blanc | Matetic |
| 8469 | 8468 | Italy | Smoky, dark and rich, this oak-aged Ripasso is packed tight with savory aromas of barbecue smoke, bresaola, licorice and sun-dried fruit. There's a sweet note on the close followed by smooth, soft tannins. | | 88 | 25 | Veneto | Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso | | | | Montezovo 2009 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso | Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara | Montezovo |
| 8470 | 8469 | Chile | Toasty, minty and sweet smelling. The palate is dark, full and choppy feeling, with cola, coconut, mint, blackberry and cassis flavors. There's good power and depth to this Malbec; a bit rough and herbal at the finish line. | Orzada | 88 | 20 | Lontué Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Odfjell 2009 Orzada Malbec (Lontué Valley) | Malbec | Odfjell |
| 8471 | 8470 | US | Aromas of cedar and damp soil lend a clean, foresty air to this beautifully ripe yet restrained Bordeaux blend. Black fruit flavors are intensely concentrated yet brisk with acidity, strident grape tannins and a lingering granite finish. | Reserve | 88 | 70 | New York | North Fork of Long Island | Long Island | Anna Lee C. Iijima | | Pellegrini Vineyards 2005 Reserve Red (North Fork of Long Island) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Pellegrini Vineyards |
| 8472 | 8471 | Germany | This medium-bodied Riesling shows some already-evolving notes of honey, truffle and petrol wrapped around its core of apple and citrus. Seems a little on the sweeter side of the trocken spectrum. | Wallhausen Johannisberg GG Trocken | 88 | 67 | Nahe | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Prinz Salm 2009 Wallhausen Johannisberg GG Trocken Riesling (Nahe) | Riesling | Prinz Salm |
| 8473 | 8472 | Chile | Earthy, warm and generously oaked, with berry aromas that bring leather and smoke. The palate is healthy and tight, with spiky tannins and herbal black fruit flavors. Grippy on the finish, with olive and spice. Very much a good-quality, typically styled Chilean Cabernet. | Alpha | 88 | 24 | Colchagua Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Montes 2009 Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Montes |
| 8474 | 8473 | Chile | Shines with a nice purple lustre then opens with big blackberry and spiced plum flavors that are earthy and wild. The palate is round, ripe and feels good, and the flavors are centered on herbal blackberry and toast. Very good for the price range. | Reserva | 88 | 12 | Colchagua Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | MontGras 2010 Reserva Carmenère (Colchagua Valley) | Carmenère | MontGras |
| 8475 | 8474 | Germany | A largely unfruity wine, defined by mineral notes of struck flint and crushed stone. Yet at the same time, it's ripe in weight and mouthcoating in its intensity, hinting at orange oil on the long finish. | Landgeflecht Trocken | 88 | 55 | Rheingau | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Peter Jakob Kühn 2009 Landgeflecht Trocken Riesling (Rheingau) | Riesling | Peter Jakob Kühn |
| 8476 | 8475 | US | A lightly golden Viognier very floral in jasmine and white peach. It's sweet at first but minerally in the finish and subtle for what can be an overbearing variety at times. | Nelson Ranch | 88 | 19 | California | Mendocino | | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Philo Ridge 2009 Nelson Ranch Viognier (Mendocino) | Viognier | Philo Ridge |
| 8477 | 8476 | US | A beautifully drinkable rosé sparkling wine for opening now. It's soft and honeyed, with fine bubbles framing slightly sweet flavors of raspberries, cherries, brioche, vanilla and toast. | Mirabelle Brut Rosé | 88 | 27 | California | North Coast | North Coast | | | Schramsberg NV Mirabelle Brut Rosé Sparkling (North Coast) | Sparkling Blend | Schramsberg |
| 8478 | 8477 | US | Pretty much a near replica of the winery's previous vintage, a sound, clean and dry Cabernet for drinking soon. It's rich in tannins, with varietally proper flavors of blackberries, black currants, plums and cedar. Give it a good decant before pouring. | | 88 | 40 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Titus 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Titus |
| 8479 | 8478 | France | An intensely rich wine from vines planted on chalk soil. There is a spicy, smooth texture, with a bitter almond and cinnamon edge. The alcohol does leave a burning sensation, which detracts from the overall feel. | Calcaire | 88 | 40 | Alsace | Alsace | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2009 Calcaire Pinot Gris (Alsace) | Pinot Gris | Domaine Zind-Humbrecht |
| 8480 | 8479 | France | Certainly rich, but this wine is also about purity of spicy fruit, bringing out the fresher side of the variety as well as the intensity. | | 88 | 28 | Alsace | Alsace | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2009 Gewürztraminer (Alsace) | Gewürztraminer | Domaine Zind-Humbrecht |
| 8481 | 8480 | Germany | It's labeled dry, but this wine comes across as just slightly off dry, with ripe melons and pears taking the lead and never looking back. It's plump on the palate, finishing with a teasing sense of sugar. Drink now. | Red Slate Dry | 88 | 16 | Mosel | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Dr. Loosen 2009 Red Slate Dry Riesling (Mosel) | Riesling | Dr. Loosen |
| 8482 | 8481 | Chile | Leather and woody/smoky aromas blend well with core cassis and berry scents. The palate feels fresh and healthy, with cassis, raspberry, herb and olive flavors. Tones it down on the finish, which is dry and tastes of carob and minty green herbs. | Family Reserva | 88 | 18 | Curicó Valley | | | Michael Schachner | @wineschach | Echeverria 2009 Family Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Curicó Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Echeverria |
| 8483 | 8482 | Germany | If there's any quibble with this wine, it's that the aromas and flavors remain in a very narrow range, from struck flint to citrus. Otherwise, it's a lovely dry Riesling, slightly plump and custardy on the palate yet crisp and sharply focused on the finish. Drink it over the next several years. | Dürkheimer Rittergarten Kabinett Trocken | 88 | 22 | Pfalz | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | Fitz-Ritter 2009 Dürkheimer Rittergarten Kabinett Trocken Riesling (Pfalz) | Riesling | Fitz-Ritter |
| 8484 | 8483 | Italy | No doubt, this is a big, bold wine that hits the palate like a ton of bricks. Aromas include maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit and plum, spice and leather. Not surprisingly, it delivers loads of sticky chewiness as well. | Corte del Pozzo | 88 | 75 | Veneto | Amarone della Valpolicella | | | | Gino Fasoli 2006 Corte del Pozzo (Amarone della Valpolicella) | Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara | Gino Fasoli |
| 8485 | 8484 | Italy | There's a distinctive touch of dark cola and licorice here that frames a solid core of blackberry and cherry liqueur. The wine is darkly concentrated with firm tannins and a soft, sweet endnote of mature fruit and cinnamon spice. | | 88 | | Veneto | Amarone della Valpolicella Classico | | | | Viviani 2007 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico | Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara | Viviani |
| 8486 | 8485 | Germany | Comes across as rather round and lush on the palate, with tropical fruit flavors of guava and pineapple. It's easy to drink and enjoy for its fruity immediacy and mouthwatering finish. | Gimmeldinger Biengarten Trocken | 88 | 40 | Pfalz | | | Joe Czerwinski | @JoeCz | A. Christmann 2009 Gimmeldinger Biengarten Trocken Riesling (Pfalz) | Riesling | A. Christmann |
| 8487 | 8486 | US | An individualistic, some would say eccentric wine, made from grapes grown all over the valley. Your first impression is of jammy sweetness: blackberries, cherries, raspberries, oak. Then the tannins kick in, bringing needed dryness. Shows the ripeness of Napa Valley Cabernet, but doesn't seem like an ager. Drink now–2014. | | 88 | 70 | California | Napa Valley | Napa | | | Altvs 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) | Cabernet Sauvignon | Altvs |