Wine Spectator Top 10 wines Available at CSWS
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#4 2004 Antinori Tignanello Toscana $89.99
95 points
Arguably the original super Tuscan, this blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc was first produced in 1971. Today as then, proprietor Piero Antinori uses grapes from the 116-acre Tignanello vineyard, part of the Santa Cristina estate in the Chianti Classico region. The long, measured summer of 2004 produced a full, concentrated and velvety wine that matches the quality of the great 1997 and 1988 vintages. Offers aromas of blackberry, with hints of raisin and lots of spices. Full and velvety, with wonderful concentration and a long, rich finish. Very stylish and exciting. Best after 2012.
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#6 2004 Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien $134.99
95 points
Bordeaux's wet, cool 2004 vintage got lost between the exceptional 2003 and 2005, but Jean-Hubert Delon's St.-Julien estate consistently delivers excellent wines in both great and difficult years. Half of the château's 250 acres are planted in the famous Clos Léoville Las Cases, a gravelly vineyard that gently slopes down to the Gironde river. The wine was fermented in a mix of stainless-steel tanks, oak vats and cement tanks, then aged for about 18 months in oak barriques. Intense aromas of currant, blackberry and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Layered, with everything in the right proportion for the vintage. Excellent. Best after 2012.
#7 2004 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia Bolgheri $169.99
97 points
Ornellaia—a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from a 225-acre estate overseen by Lamberto Frescobaldi—remains among the flagship wines from the rapidly developing Bolgheri area on the Tuscan coast. This is the best Ornellaia since the 1997 vintage. Dark ruby-purple in color, with complex aromas of dark chocolate, cola, vanilla, cedar and currant. Full-bodied yet ultrarefined, with dense, seamless, caressing tannins. Everything is in the right proportion. Superb. Best after 2009.
#8 2006 Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz McLaren Vale $89.99
95 points
Carnival of Love is made with grapes from three contiguous blocks of the Gateway Vineyard, the same site that produces the Mollydooker Shiraz Velvet Glove. Sarah and Sparky Marquis find that they best capture color and fresh fruit character by fermenting Shiraz at relatively low temperatures. They bottled the wine after nine months of barrel-aging it in two sets of 100 percent new American oak. A stunning wine of immense depth and integrity. Seamless from start to finish, this starts off strong and keeps building through the long, powerful finish. The flavors center on blueberry, plum, meaty cherry, cedar and cream, with a hint of mint, and the tannins are so finely polished they gleam. Drink now through 2020.
#9 2004 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $139.99
95 points
The 2004 vintage was the very last in which the Robert Mondavi family was involved with the winery, and it produced the best Mondavi Reserve since the 1996. Comprising 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this is a sensational wine from a classic vintage in Napa Valley. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens has brought new luster to this Napa stalwart, and the winery still has access to some of the valley's top Cabernet vineyards. Weaves together a complex array of ripe, rich currant, anise, smoky oak and black cherry. Dense, concentrated and persistent, with great depth and focus. Ends with an amazingly long, richly flavored finish. Best from 2008 through 2018.