Everyone reaches into the cellar for the good bottles to help celebrate the passing of another year. This is just the second release of this wine (Benoit Tarlant began making it in 1999) and already it is one of my favorite Champagnes. December tends to be a good month for wine drinking. This one, however, was thrilling. Very lovely. MORE >>

Extraordinary Vintages in Piedmont 1996 2000 2001 2004 Exceptional Vintages in Piedmont 1990 1997 1998 1999 2005 2006In an exceptional vintage set a Barbaresco aside for a minimum of four years before drinking. In an exceptional vintage set a Barolo aside for a minimum of six years before drinking. MORE >>

The Cellar. Corrine Michot gave us an excellent tour of the cellar, both the “old cellar&# and the new cellar which is gorgeous and so high tech it even has “skylights&# that allow a visitor to look up at the sky through a thin film of water, as the cellar is located below the water table. The Tasting. MORE >>

Difficult to compare to recent vintages (which have all included at least some cabernet franc or petit verdot) this is less flamboyant than the 2006 and 2007, and will benefit from extended cellaring. The Monte Bello team was also pouring the 1999, 1997, and 1995 Monte Bellos. There is no short answer. All are superb. MORE >>

Overachievers: 1999 Domaine Leroy Meursault - Tough to get a handle on, but with time to re-taste and to think about the wine, it kind of blew me away. I'd take a half case for the cellar and re-visit in 5 years. 1997 Champagne Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs - I drank this at the recent Wilson Daniels tasting. But you get my point. MORE >>