welcome to the fifty best wines of 2005

                 Presents

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1   Trimbach 2000
Cuvée Frédéric Emile
Riesling  (Alsace);  $42. 
This is one of Alsace’s greatest Rieslings, a wine from the grand cru vineyard of Osterberg. It is bone dry, a style that remains a passion for the Trimbachs. With its steely, mineral character, and its grapefruit flavors, it can seem too austere. But just wait 10 years—the wine will be transformed. This is superb Riesling by any standard. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.

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2   The Maiden 2001
Red Wine  (Napa Valley);  $95. 
This companion wine to the famous Harlan Estate comes from the same Oakville vineyard. Decadent and vastly complex, it opens with cassis, grilled meat, cedar, spicebox, cigar box and cheddar aromas, and then turns medium- to full-bodied in the mouth. Terrific black cherry, blackberry and cassis fruit, pure and refined. Perfect elaboration of oak, char, tannins, acids and fruit, like a symphony orchestra working together. Drink now–2015.

3   Fonseca 2003
Vintage Port;  $92. 
Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as sweet tannins. It is delicious already, and will remain delicious throughout its long life. Imported by Kobrand.

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4   Pol NV Roger
Extra Cuvée de Réserve
(Champagne);  $40. 
One of the great nonvintage Champagnes, this is a wine with considerable bottle age, full of toasty flavors. With its gooseberry and apple fruit flavors, it is still fresh, but its great character comes from its supreme elegance. Imported by Frederick Wildman & Sons, Ltd.

5   Clarendon Hills 2003
Blewitt Springs  (Clarendon);
Grenache  (McLaren Vale);  $80. 
Made from bush vines that are about 75 years old, this tremendous Grenache is a vibrant pink-purple color and has deep peppery, fruit-sweet aromas. On the palate it’s massive but controlled, like a rhinoceros behind a steel wall. Intense plum and cherry fruit warms the palate. Dry tannins persist through the long, minerally finish. Drink after 2010. Imported by Commonwealth Wine & Spirits Inc.

6   Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi 1999
CastelGiocondo Riserva
(Brunello di Montalcino);  $100. 
Tight as nails on the nose before it explodes on the palate in a cacophony of cherry, cassis, black plum, tobacco and chocolate. It’s like the best cigar and a great red wine rolled into one. Yes, the tannins are hammering and yes, the acidity is forward. But that only means this brilliant Brunello should age for 15 years without batting an eyelash. Imported by Folio.

7   Château Ste. Michelle 2003
Cold Creek Vineyard (Columbia Valley);  $22. 
Winemaker Bob Bertheau lays back on the new oak and gives this great vineyard its due. A classic spine of juicy acid, with ripe—but not fat—citrus and apricot flavors. Long, balanced and tightly focused.

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8   W. & J. Graham’s 2003
Vintage Port;   $100. 
This is a great Port, from a great house. It is packed with solid, structured, rich and intense black fruit flavors. Its tannins show considerable aging potential. It is a big, ripe wine, balanced by a long, lingering dark aftertaste. Imported by Premium Port Wines.

9   Sandeman NV
Royal Ambrosante  Aged 20 Years Old
Solera Pedro Ximenez  (Jerez);  $24. 
Sandeman excels with its reserve-level Sherries, as is exemplified by this stand-out PX. Figs and raisins are front and center throughout, but it never sits heavily on your palate. Just the opposite, there’s plow-through acidity that creates a brilliant mouthfeel and the sensation of freshness. Fabulous by itself or on top of vanilla ice cream. Imported by Pernod Ricard.

10   Quilceda Creek 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington);  $80. 
Amazing density; the aromas billow up from the glass and weave together sinuously, taking you on a bit of a magic carpet ride before the wine even hits your mouth. This wine has the power of a monster California Cab while retaining the subtlety of a first-growth Bordeaux. It is just a massive blast of dark fruit, incredible viscosity, silky textures and soft herbs, pepper and spice. The oak—all new, all French—is unobtrusive and perfectly integrated.

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