Wines

95 Points! An extremely well-aged and understated Rioja, showing discreet complexity with plums, oranges, leather, dusty red berries and minerals. Juicy and bright on the palate with a zesty nature to the berry and orange citrus. Silky, taut tannins and a long yet elegant finish. Lots of finesse here, with almost pinot etherealness. Tempranillo, graciano and mazuelo from selected plots. 36 months aging, with American oak in use, too. Drinkable now, but can hold for another 10 years. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS, fashioned from clones 4 and 337, included for the first time some fruit from the Las Piedres vineyard as well as from the Beckstoffer To-Kalon vineyard. It was aged 20 months in 100% Darnajou barrels and finished at the same alcohol level of 14.5 %. With a dense, purple color that is opaque to the rim, it offers up notes of incense, camphor, toast, black currants and blackberry. This deep, opulent fleshy and forward style of wine seems to have hit full maturity relatively early and has sensational texture, purity and a finish of close to 50 seconds. This is a spectacular wine that should drink well for 15-20 more years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2014

94 Points! The 2004 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich dark berry fruit, cigar wrapper and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with velvety tannins and a seamless, charming profile, it is really beginning to drink with some style. It's one of the wines of the vintage and continues to represent terrific value. - William Kelley, robertparker.com, 2022

94 Points! A real sleeper effort from the Perse family, the 2004 Pavie has a dense, bluish purple color and a wonderful, sweet kiss of blackberry, licorice, spice box and roasted herbs. The wine is rich, deep, full-bodied and absolutely remarkable for the vintage. This is certainly a candidate for one of the wines of the year and seems still relatively youthful and promising. Drink it over the next 20 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2015

95 Points! Named after the famed luxury car, Maybach has none other than Thomas Brown as its winemaker, who produced this debut vintage of 340 cases from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single-parcel on the Silverado Trail in the Oakville sector. This is a deadly serious wine, and when compared to the price of a Maybach car, a great value. A beautifully sculptured style of wine with deep purple color, with a sweet nose of creme de cassis, pain grille, spice box, and loamy soil notes, the wine has fabulous intensity, great purity (as one might expect given the winemaker), sweet silky tannins, and a terrific finish of close to 50 seconds. This is a stunning opening salvo from the Maybach family, and a wine that should age easily for 20-25 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2004 Latour is perhaps evolving slower than I expected, although it remains one of the finest Left Bank wines of the vintage. It has that quintessential graphite-scented bouquet intermixed with blackberry and cedar, although the liquorice note that I observed previously has receded. Again, there is wonderful definition. The palate is full-bodied but surprisingly more sultry than I expected, especially here where I was able to directly compare it with the other 2004 First Growths. It delivers the "authority" you expect from Latour, although I might be inclined just to give it another 2-3 years in bottle. Tasted September 2016. - Neal Martin, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2004 Barolo Riserva Runcot offers up an intriguing array of licorice, tobacco, spices, plums and prunes. The purity of the fruit here is beyond striking, and the wine shows great intensity as well as superb overall balance. The Runcot saw 45 days of maceration on the skins and spent 36 months in 100% new French oak, all of which it has absorbed with impeccable elegance. I imagine the 2004 Runcot will continue to gain weight in bottle, but even if it doesn’t, it is pretty special today. What a beautiful wine! Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Producer tasting notes: "Monte Real Gran Reserva marks the local expression of the Tempranillo variety. Color Intense cherry red, with a good layer, with subtle tile rims. Direct nose with expression of fruit infused with blackberries, black cranberries, macerated plums, which give way to an explosion of black pepper, clove, which as it oxygenates with time, gives way to the fineness of the roast showing hints of vanilla, chocolate pure black, and a balsamic touch. Juicy on the palate, smooth, fine palate, slightly creamy mid-palate, combined by liquor notes of black cranberries, sweet spices, liquorice. He moves in his run with firm tannins and notable acidity, denotes very spicy and aniseed touches pleasant, accompanied by juiciness and character. The finish is elegant, delicate and marked by the acidity that supports its body, keeps it agile and alive until the end." - Bodegas Riojanas