Ramos Pinto Collection 2007, Douro, Portugal

Wine Advocate 90:

This is a vineyard blend from the winery’s Quinta do Bom Retiro vineyards and its Douro Superior property, Quinta de Ervamoira. It is a grape blend of Touriga Nacional (30%), Touriga Franca (30%) and a field blend for the rest. This is a very nice performance, elegant and refined, but with a very obvious backbone. More intense, deeper and lusher than the regular Tinto, it gets sweeter with air and is a pretty nice offering that should handle itself well in the mid-term.  Drink now-2017.

 Luigi Bosca Malbec Single Vineyard 2008, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

International Wine Cellars 90:

Full, deep red. Red plum, redcurrant, graphite, mocha, cocoa powder, mint and nutty oak on the inviting nose and palate. Suave, pliant and sexy, with a captivating suggestion of white fruits in the mouth. A silky, gently extracted malbec in a rather Old World style. Finishes with supple tannins and sneaky persistence.

 I Greppi Bolgheri Greppicante 2005, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Wine Advocate 89:

The generous, sweet warmth of Maremma comes through in spades in the 2005 Greppicante. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, it offers perfumed ripe dark fruit and toasted oak notes with excellent concentration and weight on the palate. Although the tannins finish with a slight note of astringency this is a wine that made me smile, and after tasting hundreds of wines from Tuscany that is no small feat. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015.

 Goulee 2004, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Wine Advocate 90:

La Goulee, named after a small port in the northern Medoc, is a special project of Cos d’Estournel.  A sleeper of the vintage as well as a brilliant introduction to a complex as well as hedonistic Bordeaux, the 2003 Goulee is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. This impressive wine possesses a deep purple color in addition to an amazingly evolved bouquet of creme de cassis, licorice, and smoke. Broad, savory, expansive, pure, and beautifully made, it represents an elegant, complex Bordeaux made in a forward, modern style that provides immediate appeal. It should age well for 7-8 years.

Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir 2011, Monterey-Santa Barbara-Sonoma, California

Wine Spectator 92:

Dark and rich, showing toasty mocha oak flavors, with a beam of wild berry, raspberry, cola, vanilla and spice. Long on the finish. Drink now through 2020.

Weingut Turk Vom Urgestein Gruner Veltliner 2004, Kremstal, Austria

Gruner Veltliner – the signature grape of Austria – is by far the nation's most widely planted wine grape. As Austria battles its way back onto the international wine market as a key wine-producing nation, the dry white, crisp, subtly spicy Gruner Veltliner has been its flagship wine. Gruner means "green" and neatly reflects not only the variety's yellowish-green berries, but also the freshness and green-pepper character which typifies Gruner Veltliner wines.

Bodegas Muga Reserva Unfiltered Rioja 2008, Rioja, Spain

International Wine Cellar 90:

The 2008 Reserva Unfiltered is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano that is aged 24 months in oak prior to bottling. Vivid ruby.  Heady, exotic aromas of candied dark berries, vanilla, cola and dark chocolate, with a slow-building floral quality. The palate offers sweet cherry-vanilla and licorice flavors, along with notes of rose pastille and bitter chocolate.  Finishes sweet and long, with silky tannins adding shape and gentle grip.