3/29/10: Asparagus, Clean, bright, good. Same as each time before. 87
10/5/09: No change from 7 months ago. 87
3/3/09: Say something for this producer, the wines stand out. This is full of piney aromas, asparagus, and maybe some minerals on the aromatics. Very interesting on the nose. Bright acidity, some fruit, but that's not the star in this bottle. Very interesting. 86-87
10/5/09: Yep, still tasty. I love the touch of spice. 87-88
4/3/09: Bright red fruit. This is fairly modern in style, but well done, and it still tastes like Rioja. Nice red fruits, with a little bit of spice. Pretty ripe, but it stays within bounds. Solid bottle. 87+
1/8/10: Chocolate. Has that Malbec edge to it. Medium bodied. Big boned but balanced. This is nice, but maybe I just don't like the wine as much as I once did. 88
2/12/10: This is always such a delicious bottle of wine. Sweet floral notes. Peaches and Apricots. Tough to really anaylze, you just want to drink it. 88-89
10/5/09: Yummy. A little bit of soap flavors. fruit forward. Very good. 88
1/9/10: Expressive nose full of Chenin apricot fruits. Gorgeous palate, just really refreshing but that Chenin richness and fruit. Great acidity. Delicious stuff. 88
10/15/09: Bright, high acidity, clean. Very nice. 88
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Went heavy on the '06 at a great deal, so I was a little worried about how good the '07 might be. Well, it's pretty rich and dense right now. The grenache is really coming through. Delicious stuff, but I'm happy with the '06's at 2/3 of the price. 91-93
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Corbières
10/23/09: The best way for me to describe this is the fact that I keep thinking it's Spanish. It's very rich, with that extracted, rich mouthfeel thing going on. Some smoke and spice from the grape varietals, but this is really about the texture and ripeness more then the grapes expressing themselves. There's also a very slight barnyard thing peeking out that I'd be a little worried about in a year or two. 86
10/5/09: Fresh fruit. Lively and a little earth on the nose. Very New World, but delicoious, and can't complain with the price. 87+
This is stunning stuff. That said, I didn't bring any in b/c there's no way I can sell $60 Chenin from South Africa. I can't even sell $60 Chenin from France. Rich, gycerol wine. Full bodied , but never cloying. Amazing stuff, it keeps bringing flavors. Complex, wild, full throttled wine that retains a sense of restraint. 92-93
Maybe something was off with the bottle. This seemed boring, with nothing of interest going on. Other tasters shared similar thoughts. 87-89 based on this tasting.
Huge nose. Just full of incense, dark fruits, minerals. There's something about the aromatics of wines from Priorat. The taste is a little strange, almost beyond wine. I'm not sure I would enjoy a glass of this. The aromatics are of a 93-96 point wine, but the palate disapoints, is more like a 87-90 point wine. Let's call it 90 points and be done with it.
This is a pretty nice Napa Cab. Very restrained for Napa. With great fruit, nice acidity, and even a little complexity in there. I'm not familiar with this producer, but based on this wine, I guess I should be. 91+
2008 Darling Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Onyx 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Darling
3/29/10: Asparagus, Clean, bright, good. Same as each time before. 87
10/5/09: No change from 7 months ago. 87
3/3/09: Say something for this producer, the wines stand out. This is full of piney aromas, asparagus, and maybe some minerals on the aromatics. Very interesting on the nose. Bright acidity, some fruit, but that's not the star in this bottle. Very interesting. 86-87
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2006 Gran Familia Rioja 87 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
10/5/09: Yep, still tasty. I love the touch of spice. 87-88
4/3/09: Bright red fruit. This is fairly modern in style, but well done, and it still tastes like Rioja. Nice red fruits, with a little bit of spice. Pretty ripe, but it stays within bounds. Solid bottle. 87+
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2006 Kaesler GSM Stonehorse 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
10/5/09: Ok. Bright fruit. 87-88
3/30/09: Maybe a little over the top but still delicious fruit. 88+
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2007 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. 85 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
10/5/09: Way to sweet. Too much this time. 82-83
3/3/09: Fruit bomb. A good fruit bomb, but still a fruit bomb. 87-88
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2007 Errazuriz Chardonnay Wild Ferment 88 Points
Chile, Casablanca Valley
10/5/09: A little too much for me. 87
6/1/09: Interesting, almost floral nose. Clean fruit. Nice richness, but staying balanced. Very nice. 88-89
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NV Conde de Subirats Cava Brut 86 Points
Spain, Cava
10/5/09: This is a solid little cava. 86
6/23/09: Lime flavors. Big Bubbles. Kind of like soda. Easy drinking. Tasty. Solid enough for me at the price. 86-87
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2008 Dominio del Plata Malbec BenMarco 88 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
1/8/10: Chocolate. Has that Malbec edge to it. Medium bodied. Big boned but balanced. This is nice, but maybe I just don't like the wine as much as I once did. 88
10/5/09: Tannic. Bright fruit. Very good.
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2007 Crios de Susana Balbo Syrah-Bonarda 85 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Somewhat sweet/sappy. Ok, but this is usually my least favorite of the Crios wines. 84-86
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2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés 88 Points
Argentina, Valles Calchaquíes, Salta
2/12/10: This is always such a delicious bottle of wine. Sweet floral notes. Peaches and Apricots. Tough to really anaylze, you just want to drink it. 88-89
10/5/09: Yummy. A little bit of soap flavors. fruit forward. Very good. 88
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2009 Las Perdices Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Clean, well done, a little R.S? 87-88
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2007 Luca Malbec 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
Rich fruit bomb. Just not really digging this considering the price.
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2008 Mi Terruño Malbec Reserve 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Big, rich, tannic monster. 86-88
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2008 Mi Terruño Bonarda 86 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Rich, a little over the top.
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2008 Mi Terruño Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Big, tannic, rich, Ok. 86-87
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2008 Mi Terruño Tempranillo
Argentina, Mendoza
Tar, tannic, tough to get through or figure out.
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2006 Tikal Patriota 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
A little too sweet and too much for me. 87-88
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2008 Mollydooker Two Left Feet
Australia, South Australia
This is horrible. Super rich, super sweet. I can't really deal with this.
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2006 Weingut Markus Huber Riesling Berg 88 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Traisental
Bright fruit. Off dry. Good. Some minerals, limes. Nice stuff. 87-88
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2008 Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc Estate
Chile, Casablanca Valley
Clean, bright, grassy. Not really working for me.
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2008 Viña La Fortuna Pinot Noir 86 Points
Chile
Simple, but fine for what it is.
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2006 Viña von Siebenthal Carménère Reserva 88 Points
Chile, Aconcagua Valley, Panquehue
Tar. Actually, even though it borders on soupy, this is kind of good. You've got to be ready for the style. 88-89
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2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet La Bergerie 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
Very young still. Bright, clean, elegant. Full flavors. Great stuff. 91-92
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2007 Paul Garaudet Chardonnay Bourgogne 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Bright, clean wine. Very nice. 89-90
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2006 J.A. Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Les Moulins 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
Surprisingly rich and full. There's some smoke. This is actually hedonistic. 88+
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2008 Domaine d'Elise Petit Chablis 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis
Very bright, high acid white. Lemons and stones. 87+
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2008 Domaine de Coussergues Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays d'Oc 86 Points
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc
Easy drinking style. Fine for the price. 86-87
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2008 Domaine du Pas Saint Martin Saumur La Pierre Frite 88 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
1/9/10: Expressive nose full of Chenin apricot fruits. Gorgeous palate, just really refreshing but that Chenin richness and fruit. Great acidity. Delicious stuff. 88
10/15/09: Bright, high acidity, clean. Very nice. 88
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2006 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Bourgogne 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Soft, pretty nose. Strawberries and earth. This is pretty nice stuff. 88-89
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2006 Forey Père et Fils Nuits-Saint-Georges 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges
High acid. Bright. Nice earthiness. Needs time, maybe. 89ish
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2006 Domaine Billard Pere et Fils Auxey-Duresses Les Joncheres 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses
Pretty nose. Nice earthiness. Clean, minerally. Really nice Burg for the price. High acid. 87-88
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2007 Jean-Michel Dupré Beaujolais Terre Noire - Vieilles Vignes 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais
1/26/09: Such a pretty nose. Raspberry fruit. Some earth and spice. Easy drinking. Great value. 87+
10/5/09: Good. More guts then the typical Negociant Beaujolais that you see. 86-87
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2007 Domaine Monpertuis (Paul Jeune) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Went heavy on the '06 at a great deal, so I was a little worried about how good the '07 might be. Well, it's pretty rich and dense right now. The grenache is really coming through. Delicious stuff, but I'm happy with the '06's at 2/3 of the price. 91-93
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2007 Domaine du Gour de Chaulé Côtes du Rhône 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Rich and yummy CDR. A medicinal menthol thing going on. Good, but not sure I'd pay the price tag.
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2008 Domaine Les Ondines Côtes du Rhône la Buissonnade 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Nice spice. Meidum bodied. This is very good for the price. And it's good regardless of the price. 87-88
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2007 Société Cooperative Castelmaure Corbières Col des Vents 87 Points
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Corbières
10/23/09: The best way for me to describe this is the fact that I keep thinking it's Spanish. It's very rich, with that extracted, rich mouthfeel thing going on. Some smoke and spice from the grape varietals, but this is really about the texture and ripeness more then the grapes expressing themselves. There's also a very slight barnyard thing peeking out that I'd be a little worried about in a year or two. 86
10/5/09: Fresh fruit. Lively and a little earth on the nose. Very New World, but delicoious, and can't complain with the price. 87+
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2004 Château Villars 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac
inky purple color. Rich. Cedar. Great structure. This is very nice.
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2006 Château Vieux Chevrol 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol
Earth and fruit on the nose. A little crunchy. Very good.
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2006 Château St. Jean de Lavaud (1.1) 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol
Ok. Good fruit. Some tannins. Nice. 87-88
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2004 Château Béhèré 86 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A little stewy on the nose. Tannic. Not showing very fresh or well right now.
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2007 Undone Pinot Noir 83 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
High acid. Green. Pass. 82-84
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2007 Schiopetto Collio Pinot Grigio 88 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio
There's a weird almond thing going on here. This is interesting, but not sure if I like it. I do know that I don't like the price.
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2008 Fratelli Brovia Roero Arneis 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero
Meidum bodied. Interesting. Pretty complex stuff. Good. 88+
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2007 De Forville Barbera d'Alba 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
Bright and clean. Good. 87-88
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2008 De Forville Dolcetto d'Alba 86 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba
I never seem to really enjoy this wine. Earth. Not very giving at all.
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2008 Bruno Verdi Sangue di Giuda Paradiso 88 Points
Italy, Lombardia, Sangue di Giuda
How fun is this. Spicy, cloves, slightly off dry, but not really sweet. This is yummy!
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2004 Montevertine Toscana IGT 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Hugely structured, but still an elegant wine within. Very nice. 91ish
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NV Mukune Junmai Ginjo Root of Innocence 91 Points
Japan, Kansai, Osaka
Mushroomy. Clean and tasty. This is good stuff. 91+
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NV Rihaku Shuzo Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori Dreamy Clouds Hokkaido 92 Points
Japan, Hokkaido
Tasty. Milky. Good. Not heat. I like this even more then the Root.
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2007 Delta Vineyard Pinot Noir 84 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
Not very good.
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2007 Quinta do Crasto Douro Crasto 88 Points
Portugal, Douro
Solidly made.
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2007 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc The FMC 93 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
This is stunning stuff. That said, I didn't bring any in b/c there's no way I can sell $60 Chenin from South Africa. I can't even sell $60 Chenin from France. Rich, gycerol wine. Full bodied , but never cloying. Amazing stuff, it keeps bringing flavors. Complex, wild, full throttled wine that retains a sense of restraint. 92-93
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2005 de Trafford Shiraz Blueprint Stellenbosch 88 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Rich, ripe, good.
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2006 Wildekrans Estate Cabernet Franc-Merlot 88 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay
Funky. Well done. Good. 87-88
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2007 Celler el Masroig Montsant Les Sorts Blanc 87 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant
3/29/10: Funky, rich, low acidity, Strange. 87?
10/5/09: Very full on the palate, without the acidity that I was looking for. Ok 87-88
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2005 Pujanza Rioja Norte
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Maybe something was off with the bottle. This seemed boring, with nothing of interest going on. Other tasters shared similar thoughts. 87-89 based on this tasting.
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2007 Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero 88 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
4/1/10: Dry. Solid fruit. Good. 87-88
10/5/09: Good fruit. Tannic. Ok. 87-88
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2007 Bodegas Neo Ribera del Duero El Arte de Vivir 87 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Lots of fruit. Tannic. Ok.
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2006 Bodegas Los Astrales Ribera del Duero Christina
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Sweet, rich, over the top. Lots of vanilla flavors. High 80's?
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2007 D'Este Vino Valencia El Molinet 88 Points
Spain, Valencia
4/1/10: Ripe, with some pencil lead flavors. Very ripe. Has that funky Spanish thing going on. Good. 87-89
10/5/09: Rich, full bodied wine.
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2001 Abadal Pla de Bages Reserva 87 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Pla de Bages
Bright fruit. A little over the top, but not bad. 86-87
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2005 Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Bierzo El Castro de Valtuille 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Funky on the nose. Delicious on the palate. Keeps on coming. tons of fruit. Impressive.
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2003 Luna Beberide Mencía Bierzo Daniel 88 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Funky, earthy stuff. 88?
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2005 Clos Mogador Priorat Manyetes 90 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Huge nose. Just full of incense, dark fruits, minerals. There's something about the aromatics of wines from Priorat. The taste is a little strange, almost beyond wine. I'm not sure I would enjoy a glass of this. The aromatics are of a 93-96 point wine, but the palate disapoints, is more like a 87-90 point wine. Let's call it 90 points and be done with it.
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2008 Alma Rosa Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 86 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Good. A little sweeter then I remember the '07.
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2005 Clark-Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is a pretty nice Napa Cab. Very restrained for Napa. With great fruit, nice acidity, and even a little complexity in there. I'm not familiar with this producer, but based on this wine, I guess I should be. 91+
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2008 X Winery White X 85 Points
USA, California, North Coast
2/23/10: Rich tropical fruit on the nose and palate. This is fat. Rich. 83-85
10/5/09: Full bodied. Not bad. 87
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2006 X Winery Red X 82 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Napa County
Sweet. Not good. Pass. 82-83
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2008 Caduceus Cellars Dos Ladrones 87 Points
USA, Arizona, Yavapai County
Big Fruit. Ok. 87
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NV Conde de Subirats Cava Brut Rosé 86 Points
Spain, Cava
10/30/09: Fresh watermelon, strawberries on the nose. Enjoyable extra dry style. Clean and simple. A little soda like, but good for the money. 85-86
10/5/09: Raspberries, bubbles. Good. 86
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2003 Westport Rivers Cuvée RJR 84 Points
USA, Massachusetts
Ok. A little low on acidity for my tastes.
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NV R. Dumont et Fils Champagne Brut 89 Points
France, Champagne
Lively and lovely. Clean and bright. Very nice Champagne at a very fair price. 89+
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2004 Château Loupiac-Gaudiet 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Loupiac
Absolutely delicious, and the price is a steal.
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