2004 Wine from France

View From The Cellar, 97 points: The 2004 Krug remains one of the most beautiful young vintages of this bottling to be released in quite some time. It does not have the power and sternness of structure of the titan that is the 2002, nor the shimmering...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: Fermented in oak barrels and aged under natural corks for almost 13 years, Bollinger's 2004 R. D. Extra Brut blends 66% Pinot Noir with 34% Chardonnay from 16 crus, 88% of which are classified as Grand Cru. The wine opens...

Wine Spectator, 92 points: Shows prominent herb and tobacco notes, but has the density of fruit for balance, with fleshy layers of black currant and raspberry. The dark, ripe finish shows graphite and licorice notes, with solid grip. Drink now...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: For a 2004, this is big and rich, but that is to be expected from Guiraud. The fruit is magnificently ripe, with flavors of peach and tangerine syrup along with the core of botrytis and dark honey. The aftertaste is...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 91 points: A very fine nose, very intense but tightly coiled with blackberry, a touch of earth, cedar and rose petals. Superb. The palate is medium-bodied, very good acidity with earthy black fruits, tobacco, quite austere on the...

Wine Spectator, 92 points: Highly perfumed, boasting violet, cherry, black currant and mineral aromas and flavors, with fine length. Opulent and packed with sweet fruit, yet harmonious and elegant for the appellation. Drink now through 2016. 210...

TheWineCellarInsider.com, 95 points: Perhaps the best deal for Chateau Angelus in the marketplace today. Plush, polished, sensuous and richly textured, the fruit is ripe, sweet and shows both its black and red sides. Full bodied, with depth and...

Wine Enthusiast, 91 points: Often outshone alongside its stablemate, Lafite, Duhart-Milon seems to be coming into its own. It is rich and polished, dominated by new wood and soft, ripe fruit. The flavors are black currant, more jelly than fruit, but...

Wine & Spirits, 96 points: Open the bottle and you'll find harmony in the glass but the wine remains subtle stony and mute as if the flavors lie behind a closed door. Over the course of several days that door begins to open the stoniness transforms...

Wine & Spirits, 97 points: The energy in this wine recalls the 2002 Cristal (I wrote “energy” three times in my notes.) In 2004, it’s explosive. The wine is saturated with flavor, from floral notes of rose to pale limestone and equally pale fruit...

Vinous, 95 points: (a blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon 32% merlot 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Bright ruby-red. Aromatic nose combines blackberry violet and licorice. Juicy aromatic and fine-grained with subtle inner-mouth perfume...

Vinous, 93 points: Bright yellow. Bright and precise on the mineral-driven nose and in the mouth, displaying lively citrus pith, pear and melon character. Dry and sharply focused, delivering a suave blend of power and verve and...

Wine Spectator, 94 points: Aromas and flavors of warm plum cake, violet, red licorice, blackberry coulis and cherry preserves glide seamlessly along here, with just a light underscoring of alder adding texture. Features a very fine-grained finish...