1 Bottle Laurent Perrier Brut Grand Siecle Cuvee Iteration #24, Champagne, France

"Tasted from magnum, a format that won't come to market for another year or two, Laurent-Perrier's NV Brut Grand Siècle #24 is a blend of the 2007, 2006 and 2004 vintages. Wafting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of dried flowers, toasted nuts, mandarin orange, clear honey and subtle hints of iodine, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and expressive, with all the elegant charm and accessibility it displayed when I reviewed it for the first time last year. As I wrote then, this is an especially giving rendition of Grand Siècle that will show well young."

The Wine Advocate 94 Points

1 Bottle 2015 Aubert CIX Estate, Chardonnay, Sonoma, California

"The 2015 Chardonnay CIX Estate has the most alluring, singular, beguiling nose so that it cannot fail to impress. Revealing notes of candied ginger, nutmeg, aniseed, apple pie and pear tart, it delivers a full-on bombastic, richly fruited and decadently creamy palate, beautifully contrasted by a seamless line of freshness, finishing multilayered and with epic persistence. Wow."

The Wine Advocate 100 Points

1 Bottle 2005 Domaine Pierre Usseglio Cuvee de Mon Aieul, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France

"Showing superb Grenache character, the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aïeul offers tons of charm in its kirsch, jammy blackberry, spice, licorice and underbrush-scented bouquet. This flows to a full-bodied, focused and elegant version of this cuvee that has fine tannin, good concentration and fabulous purity."

The Wine Advocate 95 Points

1 Bottle 2000 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Bordeaux, France (RP 96)

"The 2000 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is spectacular. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this effort has a dense saturated purple color, a singular/distinctive yet possibly controversial aromatic smorgasbord existing of creme de cassis, vanilla, and violets, but also tapenade and tree bark. In the mouth, it is a wine of extraordinary density, opulence, great presence, and richness. As the 2000 sits in the glass, notes of lavender and melted licorice emerge along with the distinctive tapenade aromas interwoven with creme de cassis, espresso roast, and cedar. The wine is full-bodied, with extraordinary purity and a tremendous texture. This is a dramatic, almost flamboyant style that is not classic Pauillac in one sense, but a classic wine."

The Wine Advocate 96 Points

1 Bottle 2002 Kracher Weinlaubenhof No. 12, Austria (RP 98)

2002 #12 is a libation of Scheurebe and (20%) Welscheriesling that never achieved the 5% alcohol to officially become "wine." Indeed, "it" was time and again refused authorization to label because it seems there is nothing one can say about it that won't fly in the face of some law or another. Kracher's penultimate plan of desperation was to label it - a la Magritte - "No Wine." When that received the governmental slap-down, it became simply "#12". It smells of honey, white raisin, and above all peach and apricot essence. It is virtually gelatinous and, amazingly, not at all cloyingly sweet on the palate, on the contrary its rapier penetration of a finish is only possible thanks to a level of acidity that pushes residual sugar off the radar screen and leaves this taster totally enervated."

The Wine Advocate 98 Points