2004 Wine

Wine Enthusiast, 97 points: Following on from the great 2002 vintage of this wine, the 2004 is equally memorable. It is a magnificent wine, structured and beautifully balanced between the ripe white fruits and the tight texture that will allow it to...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: It’s fascinating to taste the 2004 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne after the 2002, something I have been able to do on a few occasions. The 2004 is all about minerality, precision and tension. It doesn’t have the...

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 95 points: Having been bottled in April 2016, this received a shorter stay in cask than its three Steinriesler predecessors. (The vineyard source is Vom Stein. On the origins of Nikolaihof Steinriesler, readers are referred to my...

Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: A blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, this is opulent and full bodied, with toast and wood flavors. Rich and ripe, this beautiful wine is generous and still young, with just a touch of bitterness at the end.

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...

Wine Spectator, 96 points: Intense aromas of blackberry blueberry and mineral with just the right amount of licorice and mineral. Full-bodied with silky tannins and a beautiful finish. Best after 2012. 2415 cases made. -JS

Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: Lightly rusty in color, this outstanding gran reserva is just now entering its golden years, which should endure for another two decades or so. Aromas of raisin, malt, tobacco and cedar are beautiful. This is tight and...

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...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A showy fleshy youngster offering supple currant anise and blackberry with hints of mocha. Intense and concentrated. The flavors are long and persistent on the finish with firm but ripe tannins that let the flavors push...

Wine Spectator, 94 points: Rich with hints of malt bread, golden raisin and honey, but finely balanced by the ample backbone of acidity and chalky texture. Notes of Golden Delicious apple, ground anise and lemon zest chime in and linger on the...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 93 points: This has a similar nose to the Village Cru although it is perhaps more tempered and refined. Subtle touches of wet pavement and minerals, signature Anne-Claude Leflaive notes. The palate has lovely balance and poise, full...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: This Barolo shows so much funky dried-flower and cedar character. It’s like going into a humidor, with tobacco and berry character. It’s full-bodied, with powerful tannins and a floral, berry and Spanish-cedar aftertaste...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: It is hard to fathom the immense minerality on the nose here. Smells chalky with wet stones, petrichor, fresh white flowers and lemon - superior aromatic purity. The palate's struck with such clarity and precision; it...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A seductively complex and compelling style with rich fruit jazzy oak and a mix of currant black cherry blackberry and mocha-laced oak. Intense concentrated and complex with a long finish that keeps repeating the fruit and...