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...

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...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Maybe this is a little shy on the nose, but 12 years of ageing in large, neutral wood have only added to the power and intensity of this wine. Dried apricot, mango and citrus peel on the palate. The finish is very long...

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...

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.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points: A top-notch effort from proprietress Helene Garcin, Haut-Bergey’s 2004 exhibits an evolved, cedary, smoky, tobacco, and sweet cherry-scented bouquet offered in a medium-bodied, supple-textured style. It is not as big or...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

Burghound, 90 points: A gentle touch of wood serves as a background note for the somber and backward earthy black fruit aromas that lead to palate drenching flavors of solid depth and this really coats the palate with old vine sap. This is a...

Burghound, 93 points: The color was very pale straw with green highlights yet there was the barest trace of oxidation on the nose. To be fair, it was extremely subtle, indeed two tasters didn't notice it at first. Yet with air, it became worse...