Chateau de Valandraud Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2001
Readers of the Wine Advocate and collectors of the micro-produced "garage" wines of Saint Emilion know Valandraud to be the first of these remarkable specialty wines to be made in Bordeaux. Fashioned with an attention to detail impossible at larger estates, Valandraud is one of the most intense, complex and dramatic red wines made in France. First encounters are almost shocking, as if the wine were made at Harlan or Screaming Eagle but drier and more refined. Proprietor Jean-Luc Thunevin and wife Murielle were perspicacious enough to make 100 cases of the very first 'garage' Kosher wine in the world! Deeply colored. Rich, tight, brooding nose at first but the 2001 slowly unfolds to reveal very enticing black raspberry and bitter chocolate aromas. Sweet, supple and broad but not at all over the top. Rich flavors of cocoa powder and spices. Decidedly modern in style on the palate, with well-extracted fruit. The wine's big, rich, chewy tannins are a bit stern, but the wine's length is impressive. Excellent acidity keeps everything moving like a wagon train across the palate.
As hard as it may be to believe, Valandraud’s 2001 is better than their 2000. One of the great efforts from proprietors Murielle Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin, the 2001 Valandraud boasts a saturated plum/purple color as well as a sumptuously sweet nose of Varhona chocolate intertwined with espresso roast, blackberries, cherry jam, and currants. Full-bodied, opulent, voluptuously textured, pure, rich, and seriously endowed, this is a brilliant effort from Bordeaux’s leading revolutionary. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.
 Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2000 Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru, though still in adolescence, is beginning to show some charming aromas and flavors of fresh blackberries, black cherries, ripe raspberries, and currants, overlaid with vanilla, oak, cloves, and even hints of tobacco. Wine Spectator said "Very, very complex, with berry, raspberry, cloves, and turmeric. Full bodied, yet very reserved and silky. Refined and long. Superimpressive and a triumph for this estate. Best after 2008."
 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Grand Cru 2000 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte a charming place known worldwide and a great growth, is perpetuating a great tradition of winemaking. The richness of the soil and meticulous care given to the vineyard has made this estate one of the best wines in the Bordeaux region. This kosher vintage has clearly benefited from this charming place, where culture is combined with technique to reach the top. With its inky purple color offering wonderfully complex aromas of black currants and a hint of toast, it is thick and rich, with a long concentrated finish with high but sweet tannins. Typical of its appellation it is complex with an intense bouquet, fine structure, excellent balance and just the right touch of oak. The result of outstanding methods of wine production. This 2000 vintage will mark its century. "A sensational effort, and undeniably the finest wine to ever emerge from this estate, the opaque purple-colored 2000 offers scents of tobacco, camphor, graphite, creme de cassis, and licorice. This full-bodied, concentrated effort possesses low acidity, a multi-layered texture, tremendous intensity of flavor, and a persistent finish with considerable ripe, well-integrated tannin. This is a brilliant example of equilibrium and finesse allied to considerable power and flavor. Kudos to the Cathiards. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025" 94 points Robert Parker
 Chateau Royaumont Lalande de Pomerol 2002 This effort displays beautiful aromas of raspberry, berry and hints of wet earth. It's full-bodied, with a good core of fruit, velvety tannins, and bright acidity. Best paired With full flavored dishes of beef, veal or chicken. 
 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2003 Full bodied with aromas of ripe currants and berries. Smooth Tannins with a long finish. This wine should ideally be cellared for extended ageing, as it requires time to reveal the characteristic qualities of Pauillac wines: full body, dark color, truffle and chocolate flavors. Best paired with heavy meat, grilled steak and spicy chicken dishes.
 Chateau Patache d'Aux Medoc 2002 Full bodied and dry, with hints of blackberry, plum, and oak. Its deep purple colour and powerful tannins melt in nicely and are typical of wines intended for long cellaring.
 Chateau Montviel Pomerol 2004 The dynamic management style of Chateau Montviel owners has resulted in a Cru that truly represents the splendor of the Pomerol district of Bordeaux, France. The grapes for these masterfully blended Merlot and Cabernet Franc lots used to produce this outstanding wine were meticulously selected and harvested at their peak maturity. Chateau Montviel combining power and subtlety was carefully aged in oak barrels during 18 months and expresses rich, complex fruit flavors characteristic of Pomerol's great wines. The excellent acid and tannin structure of this wine should allow it to mature in bottle for many years.
 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Pessac Leognan 2003 A model of elegance, symmetry, and balanced power, the dense ruby/purple colored 2003 displays sweet aromas of plums, currants, tobacco, and smoke. Situated for centuries on the finest group of hills in Leognan, the Malartic Lagraviere estate is famous throughout the world for its wines which are powerful, complex, elegant, and subtle. The wine possesses abundant power, concentration, extract and length. This elegant, expansive, juicy, layered, medium bodied effort should prove very long-lived.
 Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint Julien 2002 This is a big, traditionally made wine. The Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2002, like all the St. Julien wines, with high levels of sweet tannins and refreshing acidity, is a wine of very long aging which will open itself completely to lovers of fine wine after 2008. The carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes exhibit an opaque ruby/purple color with intense flavors of raspberry, blackberry and plum intermixed with some licorice, espresso roast and toasted bread. Great structure with a beautiful mouth feel and a very long finish. Best paired with spicy beef, veal or chicken dishes. One of the stars of the vintage, this 2002 reveals a saturated to the rim purple color as well as a big, sweet, provocative nose of earth, licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. It possesses medium to full body, great purity, tangy underlying acidity, and an impressively long, 40-second finish. This top-flight St.-Julien should hit its prime in 5-8 years, and last for over two decades. Bravo! Robert Parker 94 points (Oct 2003)
 Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint Julien 2001 This wine is superb. Vivid, with lovely aromas of berries, minerals, toasted oak and leather. A well known Grand Cru. This wine also displays intensely rich aromas of licorice and chocolate. It is full bodied, earthy with a lot upfront fruit and accompanied by a subtle oak flavor and a long finish. A wine to remember. One of the finest ever from this estate. Silky extremely well integrated tannins provide am exceedingly smooth texture. Best paired With full flavored, rich, saucy dishes. Sweet notions of plums, black currants, caramel, and spicy oak are provocative and alluring. Subtle but substantial, layered, and textured, with medium body as well as sexy, up-front flavors, low acidity, and ripe tannin, this beauty is among the most evolved and flamboyant of the appellation. Nevertheless, it should age well. Anticipated maturity: now-2016. Robert Parker 90 points (Jun 2004)
 Chateau Le Crock Saint Estephe 2002 Deep color, fruity bouquet, strength and complexity characterize this wine. Chateau Le Crock is classified as one of the leaders of the better “Cru Bourgeois.” The great care lavished on these wines by the vintners have allowed them to clearly express the St Estèphe terroir. The wine characteristically displays robust tannins and a full fleshy structure with exceptional aging potential which will mellow to produce beautiful complexity. Château Le Crock is classified among the first Bourgeois growth Supérieur of the Médoc region. It produces wines which distinguishes themselves from others by their exceeding aromatic nose, their full-bodied structure and their finesse. The politique of low quantité but high qualité and the production methode which are applied to Château Le Crock, are based on the same principals as those of Château Léoville Poyferré.
 Chateau Lafon Rochet Saint Estephe 2003 The origin of Lafon Rochet's vines goes back to the 17th century. The estate includes a single 100 acre block of vineyards in the distinguished Saint Estephe Grand Cru appellation, next to the estate of Lafitte Rothschild. Characteristic of wines from Saint Estephe, this red is powerful, rich, concentrated, full bodied and smooth. It is a blend of 55% Cabernet, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Chateau Lafon Rochet's vineyards and vintners produce wine of a rich and dense character that will age gracefully for years to come. This is a sleeper of a vintage with dense blue/purple color. It exhibits plenty of blackberry, cassis and graphite along with a touch of toasty new oak. The wine is more backward than expected, but it possesses full-bodied, concentrated flavors as well as good elegance, purity, and overall equilibrium. This is a long-distance runner. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.
 Chateau Labegorce Margaux Grand Vin Exceptionnel 2001 Located in the upper part of the Margaux appellation, Chateau Labegorce produces wines that are full-bodied yet refined. The palate displays enticing fruit and mineral flavors with a smooth finish. Best paired with richly flavored courses.
 Chateau Giscours Margaux 2001 This wine is really superb. Rich ripe fruit flavors of currants, raspberries, plums and blackberries dominate this classic. Incredible aromas of flowers, anise, coffee, black licorice, herbs, dark chocolate, and with intriguing aromatic traces of un-smoked cigars, leather, and even tar. This lovely, medium to full bodied wine is nicely balanced, with a solid core of fruit, incredibly finely knit tannins and a finish that goes on and on. Best after 2009. Wine Spectator 92 points
| 
Anselme Deslar Chassagne Montrachet 2001 
Chateau Piada Sauternes 2001 
Chateau Guiraud Sauternes Premiere Cru 1999 
Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2000 
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Grand Cru 2000 
Chateau Royaumont Lalande de Pomerol 2002 
Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2003 
Chateau Patache d'Aux Medoc 2002 
Chateau Montviel Pomerol 2004 
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Pessac Leognan 2003 
Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint Julien 2002 
Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint Julien 2001 
Chateau Le Crock Saint Estephe 2002 
Chateau Lafon Rochet Saint Estephe 2003 
Chateau Labegorce Margaux Grand Vin Exceptionnel 2001 
Chateau Giscours Margaux 2001 
