Vinous (91)

Golden yellow. Aromas of ripe peach, guava and dates, with a hint of spicy botrytis. A cool minerality gives a refreshing quality to the luscious citrus fruit flavors. The finish is dominated by a spicy elegance rather than an impression of weight.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

Dense stygian colour; top example of a full-bodied McLaren Vale loaded with blackberry fruit and dark chocolate, yet not hot or heavy; good extract and oak.

The Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2004 is a majestic exemplar of German Riesling craftsmanship. Produced in the esteemed Fritz Haag estate, nestled within the Mosel's Brauneberger Juffer vineyard, this wine is bracingly fresh yet exhibits incredible ageing potential.

Considered an 'Auslese,' it's crafted using selectively handpicked overripe grapes, ensuring a high concentration of natural sugars. This 2004 vintage from the 'Sonnenuhr' site, known for its sundial landmark and south-facing slate soils, captures sunlight, providing optimal ripeness.

The resulting wine is a masterful balance of honeyed sweetness and racy acidity, adorned with notes of ripe summer fruits, underpinned by filigreed minerality. Fritz Haag, a seven-generation family business, continues to receive critical acclaim for their deft touch in crafting such orchestrating wines, their winemaking prowess embodied in the Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2004.

Vinous (98)

The 2004 Sorì San Lorenzo is incredibly sensual and layered in this vintage, almost uncharacteristically so. With time in the glass, some of the more typical brooding notes emerge. Hints of smoke, hard candy, black cherry, herbs, graphite and French oak meld together effortlessly. In 2004, the interplay of the finesse of the vintage and the more powerful, virile expression of Nebbiolo that emerges from this site is simply dazzling. The 2004 remains a distinctly finessed Sorì San Lorenzo with a very bright future. The vivid, nuanced finish is so inviting, it's hard to move on to the next wine.

Afficionados of fine Rieslings will delight in the Georg Breuer Rauenthaler Nonnenberg Riesling 2004. Produced in the historical vineyards of Germany's Rheingau region, this esteemed vintage captures the true essence of its pristine terroir. Master winemaker Georg Breuer used traditional Riesling vinification methods - hand-picking, spontaneous fermentation and protracted settling - to create a wine of intense complexity.

The Rauenthaler Nonnenberg vineyard's unique south-facing slopes enhance growth, furnishing the grapes with optimal ripeness and imparting the wine with its distinct character. The 2004 vintage is evocative of ripe yellow fruits, underpinned by minerality, resulting from the vineyard's quartzite soils.

Georg Breuer, a stalwart of German viticulture, ensures the sustainable cultivation of these beautiful vineyards, continuing his commitment to the quality synonymous with his name. Each bottle of Georg Breuer Rauenthaler Nonnenberg Riesling 2004 is a testament to the harmony of tradition, terroir, and meticulous winemaking.

Halliday Wine Companion (93)

Deep colour; as befits the very complex blend, powerful and complex, yet retains suppleness through the array of red and blackcurrant fruit. Barossa Valley (48%)/Adelaide Hills (42%)/Coonawarra (10%).

Wine Advocate (88)

The 2004 Barolo is a pretty, accessible wine ideal for near-term drinking. Medium in body, it offers attractive suggestions of dark cherries, flowers and spices with excellent length and lovely balance. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2014.

Vinous (94)

Manzone's 2004 Barolo Le Gramolere reveals gorgeous notes of candied cherries, spices and menthol in an elegant, sweet expression of this vineyard. It offers greater freshness than the Castelletto, with notable vibrancy to its generous fruit. The finish is delicate and long, as ethereal aromas linger in the empty glass. The Gramolere was aged predominantly in 500 liter barrels with 15-20% of the juice seeing larger 20-hectoliter barrels. It is one of the finest wines have tasted from this small, artisan producer.

Wine Enthusiast (93)

92-94 Château Giscours. A delicious, fresh wine, with some new wood, good red and black fruits, ripe tannins and some dense character. The aftertaste leaves fresh acidity.

Wine Advocate (98)

Still looking fresh and complete, Glaetzer's 2004 Amon Ra Shiraz is full-bodied, rich and dark-fruited, with black cherry and plum fruit forming the base, while grace notes of baking spices, mocha and cedar play about the edges. Creamy and velvety in texture, with a long finish, it remains at its peak and should continue to drink well for another decade or more.

Wine Spectator (92)

Spicy, with dried apricot and lemon character. Full, yet tight and long. Medium sweet, with a spicy finish. An impressive racy style. Best after 2009. -JS

Wine & Spirit Magazine (96)

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 into sleek fruit, as if to mirror the complexity of the multicolored pebbles that sustain Haut-Brion's vines, a range of flavors from red to purple to black. The structure grows increasingly substantial, while the harmony remains, lending the wine mysterious power. Twenty years from now, this will just begin to reach a plateau and should sustain itself long after.

Wine Spectator (100)

A gorgeous white, with layers of rich, ripe fruit and lemon, mineral and honey character. Full-bodied, with fresh acidity. Very long finish. Score range: 95-100

Vinous (93)

Deep, bright red-ruby. Dark raspberry, licorice, violet and minerals on the vibrant nose and palate. Moderately sweet, dense and sappy, with a saline impression of soil giving shape to the silky, mouthfilling flavors. A wonderfully creamy expression of terroir, with a very long, rising finish that juxtaposes floral lift and energy with deeper-pitched coffee and underbrush elements.

Vinous (95)

The 2004 Cepparello has fleshed out beautifully since I last tasted it. Dark raspberries, flowers, licorice and spices blossom from the glass as the wine opens up over time. When it was young the 2004 was a much more linear wine, but since then it has put on a lot of weight. Today, the 2004 comes across as a modern day 1982 because of its balance of aromatics, fruit and structure.

Vinous (93)

Medium red. Lovely perfumed nose offers raspberry, rose petal and minerals as well as hints of darker black cherry and blueberry. A distinct step up in density from the foregoing 2004s; silky, scented and almost lush for the year. Compellingly perfumed and vibrant wine. Finishes broad and long, with strikingly sweet tannins and lovely lingering perfume (a rapid succession of sensations is the way Mugnier puts it).

Vinous (94)

Deep red. Classic aromas of small wild red berries, mocha and underbrush. Broad, sweet and deep-particularly impressive in the context of the vintage-without any loss of clarity or aromatic lift. Wonderfully suave, full wine that's also surprisingly tastable today. Finishes with noble tannins, noteworthy sweetness of fruit and terrific lift. This one should probably be laid down for seven or eight years.

Vinous (94)

Deep red. Classic aromas of small wild red berries, mocha and underbrush. Broad, sweet and deep-particularly impressive in the context of the vintage-without any loss of clarity or aromatic lift. Wonderfully suave, full wine that's also surprisingly tastable today. Finishes with noble tannins, noteworthy sweetness of fruit and terrific lift. This one should probably be laid down for seven or eight years.

Wine Advocate (98)

One of the most colossal wines in all of my tastings was Jim Barry’s 2004 Shiraz The Armagh, a 100% Shiraz aged 16 months in French and American oak. It is an opaque purple-hued, super-intense effort displaying great precision and richness. Notes of melted asphalt, acacia flowers, blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, and espresso roast emerge from this full, dense, opulent Shiraz. The finish lasts for over 45 seconds. This is a great example of one of the icons of Australian Shiraz. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.

Vinous (96)

The 2004 Montrachet Grand Cru is a big and very pleasant surprise. Clean and silvery in color, it has an intense, bewitching bouquet of white peach and yellow plum, touches of petrichor developing in the glass. Taut and strict yet utterly compelling, this is what a Montrachet should be about. The palate offers brilliant delineation based on a killer line of acidity, revealing hints of lemongrass and lemon peel toward the energetic finish. This is a Montrachet that just feels so “alive.” Highly recommended. Tasted at the Montrachet vertical in London.

Vinous (96)

The 2004 Montrachet Grand Cru is a big and very pleasant surprise. Clean and silvery in color, it has an intense, bewitching bouquet of white peach and yellow plum, touches of petrichor developing in the glass. Taut and strict yet utterly compelling, this is what a Montrachet should be about. The palate offers brilliant delineation based on a killer line of acidity, revealing hints of lemongrass and lemon peel toward the energetic finish. This is a Montrachet that just feels so “alive.” Highly recommended. Tasted at the Montrachet vertical in London.

Burghound (93)

(Don't Miss!) An exotic and spicy nose features raspberry, red current, anise and clove notes that give way to sweet, classy and notably finely detailed flavors that are also relatively forward early but tighten up considerably on the backend. In most vintages, this is the undisputed class of the cellar and while it may ultimately be so once again, in 2004 it has competition. Still, lovely stuff by any standard.

Burghound (93)

(Don't Miss!) An exotic and spicy nose features raspberry, red current, anise and clove notes that give way to sweet, classy and notably finely detailed flavors that are also relatively forward early but tighten up considerably on the backend. In most vintages, this is the undisputed class of the cellar and while it may ultimately be so once again, in 2004 it has competition. Still, lovely stuff by any standard.

Vinous (91)

Good deep red. Wild nose features berry liqueur, game and smoky oak, with a firm stony underpinning. Then surprisingly silky on entry and broad and round in the middle, offering a felicitous combination of volume and power. This shuts back down on the back end, with the wine's minerality becoming more apparent.

Wine Advocate (93)

Kaesler’s deep ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Shiraz Stonehorse (100% Shiraz aged in a combination of French and American oak) exhibits a big, sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, pepper, and spicy oak. Its opulent, richly fruity, full-bodied, yet well-balanced style suggests it will drink well for 10-15 years.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

Bright red and dark fruits on the bouquet, with a little savoury edge of dried leather and spice; the finish is long, pure and even.

Emanating from the grandiose terraces of Dalsheim, the Keller Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Auslese 2004 is a splendid vintage from the esteemed Keller Winery. Famed for their mastery of Riesling production, Keller combines time-honoured techniques with the unique terroir of Rheinhessen. This Auslese is carefully selected from late harvest, noble rot grapes, and legislature mandates a minimum 120° Oechsle – guaranteeing truly magnificent concentration and complexity.

This captivating 2004 expression is a kaleidoscope of honeyed peach, invigorating lime zest, and subtle undercurrents of botrytis. The balance between intense fruitiness and vital acidity is masterful, providing an enduring finish that is both dreamy and refreshing. Aging from Hubacker's distinctive loess, loam and limestone soils further distinguishes the Keller Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Auslese 2004, making it a sought-after choice among discerning oenophiles. The harmony of depth, elegance, and vibrancy offered by this wine is a testament to Keller's virtuosity and the exceptional terroir of Rheinhessen.

Vinous (97+)

Krug's 2004 Vintage is absolutely mesmerizing. Layers of bright, chiseled fruit open up effortlessly as the wine fleshes out with time in the glass. Persistent and beautifully focused, with a translucent sense of energy, the 2004 captures all the best qualities of the year. Moreover, the 2004 is clearly superior to the consistently underwhelming 2002 and the best Krug Vintage since 1996. Readers who can find it should not hesitate, as it is a magical bottle.

Vinous (98+)

The 2004 Clos du Mesnil captures all the pedigree of this epic Blanc des Blancs vintage. A soaring, majestic Champagne, the 2004 dazzles from the very first taste with its crystalline purity and brightness. In two tastings so far, the 2004 has been nothing less than a total showstopper. The vertical structure and pure, tightly-coiled power are the stuff dreams are made of. There is little doubt the 2004 is one of the very finest Clos du Mesnils in recent memory. Will it join the 1979, 1988 and 1996 as one of the all-time greats? Now, that is a tasting I would love to do!