Collectible
One of the joys of fine wine is aging them and experiencing the evolution of the wine. These offerings represent wines that will age gracefully and will get batter with time in the bottle. At times, they will be high-scoring but not necessarily. Our wine specialists certainly will recommend wines that we feel deserve to be in your cellar regardless of professional press.
Chateau Tour Des Termes 2009
Region: St.-Estephe, Bordeaux
Wow. Great nose of bright dark berries and currant, with Indian spices as well. Full-bodied, with round and chewy tannins, but polished and very pretty and enticing. Big juicy wine with balance. This small estate continues to make excellent wines in top vintages. Score range: 92-95Points, James Suckling
A fresh, lively style, with a hint of anise on the edges of the sappy damson plum and cherry pit notes. A mix of currant and pomegranate are backed by briar on the finish. This should be a solid buy for mid-term cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2022. 89 Points, James Molesworth
$4299
Chateau L'Argilus du Roi 2009
Region: St.-Estephe, Bordeaux
Plum and blackberry, with hints of violets and licorice. Full-bodied, with a beautiful core of fruit and ripe, silky tannins. 89-92 Points, The Wine Spectator
$2799
Karl Lawrence Cabernet 2008
Region: Napa Valley, California
For the seventh consecutive year the Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon is made from these two renowned vineyards. The combination and blending of the Morosoli grapes and the Lamb Family grapes define the unique Karl Lawrence Cabernet style. The grape combination produces a wine that is rich and full-bodied, well balanced, and enhanced fruit and spice characters. A wine to remember!
$6499
Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2005
Region: Sauternes, France
Organic. "Delivers lots of botrytis spice, with lemon tart and cooked apple. Full-bodied, with loads of cream and vanilla and an intense tropical fruit and honey aftertaste. Long and viscous, with a layered and beautiful spicy finish. Hard not to drink it now. Best after 2014." 97 Points, JS, The Wine Spectator.
$3999
Marcarini Barolo Brunate 2007
Region: Barolo, Italy
Taylor's Pick: After tasting this wine at a show, I immediately was taken by its velvet glove/iron vist personality. If any wine accurately displays this personality, it is the 2007. Lots of rich, lush fruit wrap around the tannin and structure. "The estate’s 2007 Barolo Brunate sweeps across the palate with endless layers of expansive fruit. The Brunate shows fabulous intensity and depth in an uncharacteristically rich, opulent style for Marcarini. Despite the wine’s richness there is plenty of Brunate character, particularly on the finish, where menthol, pine, resin, spices and a host of other balsamic notes speak with great eloquence." 94 Points, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate.
$4759
Spottswoode Cabernet 2008
Region: Napa Valley, California
"The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a glorious perfume of spring flowers, blueberries and black currants, good acidity and serious tannins as well as concentration. It is slightly more restrained and backward than the seamless, compelling 2007, but the 2008 possesses lots of stuffing as well as elegance married with purity, power and rare equilibrium. Drink it over the next 2-3 decade."
95+, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #192
$11499
Chateau Pichon Baron 2005
Region: Bordeaux, France
"As usual, this superb Pauillac possesses an inky/blue/black color in addition to a big, sweet nose of graphite, charcoal, burning embers, black currant liqueur, and toasty vanillin from new oak casks. Full-bodied with high but sweet, well-integrated tannins, the 2005 Pichon Baron is more backward than the blockbuster 2003 or prodigious 2000. Nevertheless, it is a superb effort whose power, length, and tannic structure suggest it should be at its peak between 2015-2035."
94 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, #176
$14500
Olivier Leflaive Corton Charlemagne 2009
Region: Burgundy, France
"A fresh and elegant if mildly reticent nose of lemon/lime, wet stone and green apple trimmed in a subtle application of warm oak and discreet sulfur hints gives way to big, taut and well-muscled broad-shouldered flavors that possess excellent dry extract and ample finishing intensity on the explosive finish that also exhibits a faint saline character. I very much like the intensity here as well as the very dry backend. This should be most impressive in time."
93 Points, Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, February 1, 2011
$13500
Ramey Pedregal Vineyard Cabernet 2008
Region: Napa Valley, California
"Not surprisingly, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal has also improved after a year in barrels. A wine of undeniable richness and intensity, this blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Petit Verdot exhibits notes of graphite, blackberries, black currants, scorched earth/burning embers, white chocolate and cedar. It tastes like a hypothetical blend of a Bordeaux Pauillac and Graves, but with the intensity and opulent fruit of Napa Valley well-displayed. It should be more approachable than the 2007 when it is released, yet last just as long, 20-30+ years."
93-95 Points, The Wine Advocate, #192
$15999
Domaine Faiveley Pommard 1er Cru "les Rugiens" 2009
Region: Burgundy, France
"Discreet but not invisible wood frames quite a cool but elegant mix of red and blue orchard fruit that introduces mineral-inflected and big-bodied flavors that possess excellent mid-palate concentration as well as a stunningly long finish. This is not only exceptionally complex but I also like the sophistication of the tannins."
92-94 Points, Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
$8999
Revana Napa Valley Cabernet 2008
Region: Napa Valley, California
"Aromas of roasted herb, dried currant, sage and underbrush are full-bodied and complex, savory and alluring, approachable already. Drink now through 2019"
90 Points, The Wine Spectator
$13999
Luce della Vite 2007
Region: Tuscany, Italy
"Currant and toasty oak character defines this dense and powerful red. Full and chewy. Structured and impressive. Very New World. Best after 2012."
95 points, JS, The Wine Spectator, Oct 31, 2010
$8200
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia 2008
Region: Tuscany, Italy
"The 2008 Ornellaia has really come together beautifully over the last few months. Up until fairly recently it was a tightly wound, inaccessible wine, but it has begun to blossom quite nicely. The 2008 is a cool, inward Ornellaia graced with exquisite finesse in its dark fruit, mocha, licorice, tar and spices. I especially like the minerality and focus... The result is a big, massively structured Ornellaia built for the cellar. "
96+, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate, #196
$16999
