







E. GUIGAL

La Turque Côte-Rôtie Syrah 1985

Rated 10

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI

Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1962

Rated 10

DOMAINE RENÉ ENGEL

Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1966

Rated 10









CHÂTEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1945

Rated 10

HENRI JAYER

Cros Parantoux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Pinot Noir 1990

Rated 10

DOMAINE JEAN-LOUIS CHAVE

Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin Hermitage Syrah 1990

Rated 10

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI

Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1978

Rated 10

CASTELLO DI VERDUNO

Barolo Nebbiolo 1945

Rated 10

Above photo via Rajat Parr's Instagram: "Among the Top 5 wines I discovered in 2015."





DR. LOOSEN

Erdener Prälat Auslese Riesling 2013

“Wow. Stones. Explosive in the mouth. Rare treat. Half bottle.”

Rated 9.7

DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER

Pessac-Léognan White Bordeaux Blend 2001

“Love. Savory, salty mouthful. Nice bottle development. Stone fruit. Snappy acidity. Kiss of Botrytis?”

Rated 9.7

PALLADINO

Serralunga Barolo Nebbiolo 2008

Rated 9.7

DOMAINE WEINBACH

Cuvée Ste. Catherine Schlossberg Alsace Grand Cru Riesling 2013

“Honey botrytis, rich and broad. Black tea. Trenchant acidity. Lemon, apples. Balancing phenolic grip. What a treat.”

Rated 9.6

ALBERT BOXLER

Réserve Alsace Riesling 2013

“Mineral verve, broad feel with razor-sharp acidity, honey and lemon aromas. Perfect with smoked salmon from the farmers market. Wow.”

Rated 9.6

LUCIEN ALBRECHT

Pfingstberg Alsace Grand Cru AOC Riesling 2007

“Lovely. Botrytis honey mingling with Riesling diesel, fairly dry and quite snappy. Mineral. Broad feel. A present from the Napa Valley Wine Academy who visited during harvest and helped us press a tank. What a treat. Grateful.”

Rated 9.6

GAIA ESTATE

Wild Ferment Santorini Assyrtiko 2014

“Wow. Lime/lemon custard, mineral. Dried flowers. Wonderful tension between snappy and broad/rich.”

Rated 9.6

AZIENDA AGRICOLA LA TORRE

Estate Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2009

“Leather, dusty floral notes, earth. Smells a bit like pears. Silky texture. Dried cherries. Plums.”

Rated 9.5

Above photo via Cathy Corison's Instagram: "Closeup of MOG (material other than grape). Millions of tiny green 'shot berries' removed."





GIUSEPPE ALBERTI

Anisetto Liquore Strega

“Outrageous. Wow.... Long and crazy pretty.”

Rated 10

HENRI JAYER

Cros Parantoux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Pinot Noir 1990

“Perfect.”

Rated 10

MEINKLANG

Konkret St. Laurent 2011

“Wow. This is what a concrete egg ought to do.... So good”

Rated 10

MONTEVERTINE

Le Pergole Torte Sangiovese 1982

“Wow. Kinda like the 78.”

Rated 10

MAISON FRANÇOIS MARTENOT

Collection du Docteur Barolet Chambolle-Musigny Pinot Noir 1925

“Outrageous.”

Rated 10

DOMAINE JEAN-LOUIS CHAVE

Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin Hermitage Syrah 1990

“Yup”

Rated 10

ALBERT BOXLER

Sommerberg Grand Cru Riesling 2010

“Best thirty bucks I've spent all year and one of the great Rieslings ever. Forever ever."

Rated 10

IL PARADISO DI MANFREDI

Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2000

“The most pure expression of grape and place I've ever drunk. Love it.”

Rated 10

KALIN CELLARS

Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 1980

“Best California Pinot I've ever had.”

Rated 10

Above photo via Richard Betts' Instagram: "Totally digging on @jolielaidewines 2014 Trousseau Gris"









LOUIS JADOT

Clos des Ursules Beaune 1er Cru Pinot Noir 1959

“Astonishing youth.”

Rated 9.7

BOUCHARD PÈRE ET FILS

Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay 1990

“1990. Astonishing. One of the whites of the night so far.”

Rated 9.7

CHÂTEAU LASCOMBES

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1953

“Hot damn. Lascombes relatively untrod territory for me. A timeless expression of Cabernet. From magnum.”

Rated 9.7

KEPLINGER

Caldera El Dorado Mourvedre Blend 2011

“An astonishing, perfumed example of Mourvedre beauty, Foothills style. (Specific hat tip to Ron Mansfield.)”

Rated 9.6

EMMANUEL BROCHET

Haut Chardonnay Millésimé Extra Brut Champagne

“Recapping from NYE: still epic, like great Meursault with bubbles.”

Rated 9.5

WWE. DR. H. THANISCH (ERBEN-THANISCH)

Bernkasteler Doctor Auslese Riesling 1971

“A beautiful night-ender. All the freshness, all the weight of Auslese (like, real Auslese), the sweetness now perfectly evolved.”

Rated 9.5

DOMAINE ARLAUD

Les Chatelots Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Pinot Noir

“A pretty stunning reminder of (stemmish) Chambolle purity.”

Rated 9.5

RHYS

Bearwallow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

“The year Bearwallow finally hit its stride.”

Rated 9.5









RANZ HIRTZBERGER

Rotes Tor Smaragd Grüner Veltliner

Rated 9.6

YARRA YERING

Dry Red Wine No°2 Shiraz Blend 2004

“Still youthful and utterly dazzling with wild blackberries and crushed hard spices.”

Rated 9.6

DOMAINE HENRI BOILLOT

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay 2009

Rated 9.6

DR. LOOSEN

Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese Riesling 2010

Rated 9.6

JACQUES PUFFENEY

Vin Jaune Arbois Savagnin 2008

Rated 9.5

DOMAINE LONG-DEPAQUIT (ALBERT BICHOT)

Moutonne Monopole Chablis Grand Cru Chardonnay 2012

“Tropical fruits meld into a lightly pastry crust flavored core. Impeccable acidic balance keeps it together now & should give it 10+ years of aging well in bottle.”

Rated 9.5

DOMAINE JAMET

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2006

“Brilliantly balanced with fondant-like tannins and racy acidity. Only 13%! Oodles of blackberries. More, please!”

Rated 9.5

HENRI BOURGEOIS

Terroir De Silex Sancerre d'Antan Sauvignon Blanc 2010

“Very possibly the most delicious and expressive Sancerre I've ever tasted. Mind-blowingly long on the finish.”

Rated 9.5

Above photo via Christy Canterbury's Instagram: "This, after I thought I was already #Mac-ed out."









KRUG

Clos d'Ambonnay Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne 1998

“Everytime it rains, it rains pennies from heaven.”

Rated 10

HUBERT LIGNIER

Les Chaffots Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2000

“Heaven.”

Rated 9.9

TURLEY

Mead Ranch Zinfandel 2013

“Well, that went fast!”

Rated 9.9

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI

Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay 1978

Rated 9.9

PIERRE PÉTERS

Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Chardonnay 2009

Rated 9.8

SILVANO BOLMIDA

Bussia Barolo Riserva Nebbiolo 2009

“BEST. DATE. EVER. “

Rated 9.8

VIETTI

Barolo Nebbiolo 1971

“1971 all for fun.”

Rated 9.8

PAOLO BEA

Pagliaro Secco Montefalco Sagrantino 2007

Rated 9.7

Above photo via Christina Turley's Instagram: "20 year vertical of Turley Hayne Petite Syrah today. Eye-opening & humble-making."





ARNOT-ROBERTS

Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

“A perfect Pinot. So many pinots, even good ones, are one-trick ponies. This one isn't. It has all the depth and mystery that caused me to fall in love with the grape. Best wine experience in a long time.”

Rated 10

SANTA BARBARA WINERY

Santa Barbara County Syrah 1995

“Balanced, food-friendly, varietally correct, high-acid, moderate alcohol well-structured Syrah--fascinating to taste a California Syrah with 20 years on it, made in the cutting edge style of a younger producer like Arnot-Roberts, Windgap, or Jolie Laide--it was made to age and it did so wonderfully.”

Rated 10

KEEP WINES

Lost Slough Albariño 2014

“2014 rose wine, napa valley, Kahn vineyard. Refreshing zingy grapefruit, blood orange, yellow nectarine. Best rose this year.”

Rated 10

RIDGE VINEYARDS

Monte Bello Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2008

“2008. Probably the classiest wine in the world of wine, reflects its maker.”

Rated 10

SCHLOSS LIESER

Thomas Haag Lieser Dry Spätlese Riesling 2010

“Pretty much a perfect Riesling, impeccable balance and precision, our favorite style, on the delicate side, a touch of sweetness, floral, clean, clean, clean.”

Rated 10

YOUNG INGLEWOOD

Vin Clair St. Helena Malbec Merlot Rosé 2014

“Vibrant, zingy, light red fruits straight from the icebox.”

Rated 9.9

FORLORN HOPE

Que Saudade Verdelho 2010

“Another case of Rorick doing big, rich, and soft, at lower alcohol, while maintaining freshness and minerality. I'd put this against any top white from anywhere in the world. Texture like a bigger burgundy or northern Rhone. 2010.”

Rated 9.8

MASSICAN

Napa Valley Tocai Friulano Blend 2012

“Lemon-oil, fresh celery, sea salt, perfect with any food, great as always.”

Rated 9.8

Above photo via Steve Matthiasson's Instagram: "You could emerge from a magic portal, take one look, and know exactly where you are... #napavalley"

CHÂTEAU PÉTRUS

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 1975

Rated 10

CHÂTEAU LATOUR

Grand Vin de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1970

Rated 10

TRIMBACH

Clos Ste. Hune Riesling 1976

“Just spectacular. And 40 years old, though you'd never guess it.”

Rated 9.8

LES CAILLOUX (LUCIEN ET ANDRÉ BRUNEL)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape White Rhône Blend 1990

“1990 vintage. Spectacular.”

Rated 9.7

WEINGUT KELLER

G-Max Rheinhessen Riesling 2008

“Spectacularly good Riesling at Rieslingfeier last night.”

Rated 9.7





DOMAINE LEFLAIVE

Clavoillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Chardonnay 2008

Rated 9.6

DOMAINE JEAN-LOUIS CHAVE

Hermitage Syrah

“From magnum. Kept changing every time I went back to it. Spectacular wine.”

Rated 9.6

KRUG

Clos d'Ambonnay Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne 2000

“Spectacular champagne. Also spectacularly expensive. Certainly enjoyed tasting it though.”

Rated 9.6

Above photo via Ray Isle's Instagram: "Pretty much captures the #fete2015 vibe. A whirlwind of #champagne! @foodandwine #thisisfall"





Y ROUSSEAU

"Milady" Chardonnay 2012

“Imagine lawn party in raking, late afternoon light. People in white linen mill about, or lounge on wicker, burbling with laughter, nibbling sandwiches, cutting deep wedges of cheese, and trying not to stain their fingers in platters of ripe berries. There’s the pok! of croquet beyond the hedge and chattering birds; later, the crickets begin. And there is this wine. It is sunlight distilled into a glass, its breath is like the kiss of that day’s breeze, its body crystalline and pure. People sip, then stop and look up. What is this wine? Some say Chablis, from a ripe vintage, or maybe a Montrachet made with restraint. It is succulent, gleaming, yet discreet. It is nearly perfect, they say, an ur-wine. It is just right for this moment—it is this moment. And it is beautifully done. 14.2% abv | $42 (sample)”

Rated 9.8

LUTUM

Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013

“This wine has everything going on: earth, depth, savoriness, complexity, structure, acid, interestingness. The scent is somewhat animal, somewhat fruit, and the palate is bitter and savory and curious, with an herb-steeped meaty edge and a body that finishes in a rain shower of steely minerals. Surprising, unorthodox, almost unlikeable, and singularly compelling. 14.1% abv | sample”

Rated 9.5

VIETTI

Roero Arneis 2014

“Silky and floral, with a fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle and a genial palate of ripe pear—a classic note for Arneis—and yellow stone fruit. A breeze of laurel drifts through at the finish. The fruit was grown on 25-year vines in the Santo Stefano region of Roero, northeast of Alba. The wine was raised in stainless, and malolactic was suppressed. The result is delightful and succulent, pure, refreshing, beautifully stitched together. Don’t serve it too cold—you'll want that gorgeous perfume of night orchard to pervade your senses. 13% abv | $20 (sample)”

Rated 9.4

Y ROUSSEAU

Russian River Valley Old Vines Colombard 2014

“Crackly up front, with green apple tartness and a lime citrus snap. But the texture is a surprise—round and luscious, a silky mouthful of melon and honeydew—and the wine’s lingering goodbye is minerally, almost salty, with a finishing flare of green acid. Delicious, and a superlative deal. 12.5% abv | $20 (sample)”

Rated 9.4

RHYS

Horseshoe Vineyard Syrah 2009

“A bloody-beef red with aromatics of cracked pepper and rare meats, pronounced herbaceousness, and strident acidity. The Syrah fruit was grown at 1,340 to 1,600 feet of elevation in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on rocky Monterey shale pitched at an 11 degree slope. The result is a lean, muscular, and (now) supremely youthful wine, with nerve, verve, and clarity. Enjoy it now with vegetarian gratins, pesto, the aïoli platter, and lean meats. Enjoy it later on its own. 12.8% abv | $59”

Rated 9.4

LUTUM

Durell Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

“Far more restrained than the Gap’s Crown, fresher and aromatically more pure, with sharp notes of struck flint, lemongrass, and hay. On the palate it’s ample, but with a welcome snap of lemon tea and laurel. On Day Two its even more stony and serious, with salty angularity and an almost metallic sheen. Pair it with briny seafood. 13.8% abv (sample)”

Rated 9.4

VIETTI

Tre Vigne Barbera d’Asti 2013

“A Barbera with a gorgeous perfume of fennel, anise seed, wild roses, and plum skin, plus something tawny and dusty, too, like harvest fruit, like earth, like autumn. It’s attenuated and linear along the tongue, very pure, with glistering acidity and a clean, squeaky-tannic finish. This is a superlative food wine; pour it with pesto, marinara, pizza, fish, poultry, cheeses. It could (maybe should) become your staple, weeknight wine. 14% abv | $18 (sample)”

Rated 9.1

FERRARI

Brut Trento DOC Chardonnay

“Conventional wisdom says to treat nonvintage sparkling wine as a fresh product, but when the wine is well made with long lees contact, it can continue to evolve and deepen. Past experience has proven that this wine can age beautifully for five or more years after disgorgement, becoming rounder and toastier. Made from 100 percent Chardonnay, hand-picked, which spent two years sur lattes. This bottle, disgorged in 2014, is indeed fresh right now, with glistering acidity and notes of green citrus and lime peel. For the price, it’s a terrific wine for anytime-celebrations, and pairs beautifully with fish, sushi, poultry, fresh cheese, and salads. In two to three years it’ll be ready for charcuterie, lighter meats, hard cheeses, pasta—the works. 12.5% abv | $25 (sample) | Imported by Palm Bay”

Rated 9.1

Above photo via Meg Maker's Instagram: "Before and aftermath. #winelover #winewriting #champagne #harvesttrip"

HENRI JAYER

Cros Parantoux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Pinot Noir 1987

Rated 10

EMMANUEL HOUILLON (MAISON PIERRE OVERNOY)

Arbois Pupillin Poulsard 1986

Rated 10

LES JARDINS ESMÉRALDINS

Genèse Chenin Blanc 2000

“Almost perfect, and of course chenin”

Rated 9.9

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI

Échézeaux Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1978

“singing singing a slightly low ullage and a pale a pale rose color but damn”

Rated 9.8

JEAN FRANÇOIS GANEVAT

Cuvée Prestige Sous la Roche Savagnin 2005

“Pure core of salt and minerals - highly highly addictive yet the 2005 needs a lot of air”

Rated 9.8

I. ET S. BERNAUDEAU

Les Nourrissons Anjou Chenin Blanc 2013

Rated 9.7

GEORGES ROUMIER

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1990

“Showing superb, with a dense and soft core and fantastic tannins”

Rated 9.7

EDMUNDS ST. JOHN

Sonoma County Syrah 1986

“1986, maybe 18% Cabernet Franc - really exceptional, with a great density of the mid palate, layers a secondary and tertiary and a very alive tannins structure”

Rated 9.7

PIERRE GONON

Saint-Joseph Vielles Vignes Syrah 2009

“Build to last for a very very long time. not feeling of heat. Iingering for minutes. superb tannins.”

Rated 9.7















