Wine Spectator

Top-Rated by Wine Spectator at WineMadeEasy.com

Top-Rated Wines by Wine Spectator

Perhaps most famous for the Wine Spectator Top 100 list released annually at the end of each year, Wine Spectator is at the forefront of wine reviews, wine recommendations, and wine education. Spectator has been in publication since 1976, and their top critics evaluate and report on tens of thousands of wines every year. Take comfort in knowing that, if Wine Spectator liked it, you probably will, too!

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  1. Piper-Heidsieck Rare

    2008 / 750 ml. | Item#58987

    SP9797 pts. - Wine Spectator - Dec 15, 2020
    Like a stallion out of the gate, this shows an initial explosion of power, in the form of mouthwatering flavors and fine texture, before quickly settling into an elegant gait. The racy acidity is seamlessly knit, buoying the lacy mousse and flavors of cassis, toasted brioche and tangerine, with accents of candied ginger, hazelnut and fleur de sel lingering on the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2035. 2,000 cases imported. (Alison Napjus)
    JD9696 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/7/2022
    The 2008 Champagne Rare is luxurious with aromas of graham cracker, honeysuckle, quince, and orange zest. It is round and opulent, with a fine and pillowy mousse, and retains freshness throughout, with apricot and yellow flowers. It is impressive and long, and fully luxurious. Drinking well now, it is sure to hold its own for years to come. Drink 2022–2044. (Audrey Frick)
    RP93+93+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 31st Aug 2022
    The 2008 Brut Cuvée Rare, now re-baptized as “Rare Champagne,” continues to evolve at a glacial pace. Offering up aromas of citrus oil, freshly baked bread and wet stones, it’s medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, with a tangy spine of acidity and a pretty pinpoint mousse, but much in the way of texture or amplitude has yet to emerge. While I continue to think that this has the makings of a very attractive bottling, continued patience is advised. (William Kelley)
    Wine Grapes

    Primary Grape: Chardonnay | All Grapes: Chardonnay

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    9 items or less in stock. We will confirm your order by email.

    Compare at $269.00 $215.20

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  2. Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella

    2008 / 750 ml. | Item#41866

    VN9898 pts. - Vinous - Mar 2014
    The 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella is compelling. With a little air, the tannins begin to soften, releasing a myriad of intense dark aromas and flavors. Bittersweet chocolate, cloves, violets, plums and blackberry jam cover every inch of the palate in a stunning, headspinning Amarone that captures all of the best qualities of the year. When Romano Dal Forno’s wines are on, there is nothing quite like them, and that is certainly the case here. If opened young, the 2008 needs a little air. Actually, a lot of air.
    RP9595 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Oct 2013
    To be released in early 2014, the 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella (with fruit sourced from the high density Monte Lodoletta vineyard) opens with immense darkness and the kind of midnight impenetrability you never see on any color wheel for fine wine. Its off the charts appearance is followed by similarly unique aromatic intensity and versatility that spans from blackberry syrup and candied prune to chewing tobacco, black peppercorn and rain-soaked asphalt. This is but a baby that will require loads of time in your cellar before it enters its prime drinking window. Because Dal Forno did not make Amarone in 2007, the wait will seem that much longer. Having said that, this wine is very different from the 2006 Amarone despite the fact 2006 and 2008 were relatively similar cool vintages overall. I distinctly remember the impossible tightness and astringency of the tannins in 2006 when tasted at the same young stage in the wine’s life. The 2008 Amarone, on the other hand, is much softer and a tad more approachable in contrast. Ultimately, this wine promises a graceful, steady and long evolution. Drink: 2017–2035.
    SP9494 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2015
    Game and ashy smoke details lead the way in this ripe red, followed by juicy plumped cherry, date, dark chocolate and woodsy spice notes on the plush-textured palate. Velvety tannins give this some brawn, but this is beautifully knit and balanced, showing an overall sense of finesse. Delivers a lasting finish of fruit and spice. Drink now through 2033. 1,800 cases made.
    Wine Grapes

    Primary Grape: Corvina | All Grapes: 60% Corvina

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    2 items or less in stock. We will confirm your order by email.

    Compare at $599.00 $479.20

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  3. Krug Brut Champagne

    2008 / 750 ml. | Item#58043

    JS100100 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, February 3, 2022
    This is very structured and framed with an almost red sensibility. Very phenolic. Full-bodied in a tightly wound ball with so much going on. Very pinot like. Mineral and stone. Shell and stone. Iodine. Vinous. The bubbles just fade into the finish of the wine, which goes on for minutes. Turns to toffee and salted caramel with time in the glass. One for the cellar. Great length. Blend of 53% pinot noir, 25% pinot meunier, 22% chardonnay. Disgorged in beginning of 2020. Drink or hold.
    SP9999 pts. - Wine Spectator - Nov 15, 2021
    There’s a supernova of sensation with each sip of this powerful version, starting with the vivid streak of mouthwatering acidity that drives a rich panoply of ripe black currant, mandarin orange peel and grilled nut flavors, accented by hints of candied ginger, briny oyster shell, verbena and ground cardamom. This burns bright from start to finish, yet its fine integration and lovely, raw silk–like mousse pull it all together into a seamless, vibrant package. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged autumn 2019. Drink now through 2038. (Alison Napjus)
    VN9797 pts. - Vinous - Nov 2021
    The 2008 Vintage is a nervy, electrifying Champagne, the likes of which has not emerged from Krug’s cellars since the magical l1996. Bright and sculpted, with tremendous precision, the 2008 dazzles from start to finish. Stylistically, the 2008 doesn’t have the toastiness or explosive breadth often found in young Krug, but that in no way detracts from its magnificent beauty. Krug ID: 419044. (Antonio Galloni)
    WE9797 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 12/1/2021
    A vintage Champagne from this producer is rare. But 2008 was a great year in Champagne and that shows in this intense, still amazingly young wine. Freshness works with the richness to give concentration, density and the sure-fire possibility of long-term aging. So drink now, but the Champagne will last for many years.
    RP94+94+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 23rd Sep 2021
    Krug’s 2008 Brut is slated to be released at the end of 2021, but any readers who purchase the wine will need to exercise considerably more patience if they are to enjoy it in its prime, as it is very tightly wound out of the gates. Unwinding in the glass with a youthfully discreet bouquet of clear honey, dried fruit, walnut oil, Meyer lemon and rock salt, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive, with a racy spine of acidity, a pretty pinpoint mousse and a penetrating, saline finish. The polar stylistic opposite of the rich, demonstrative 2006, the 2008 is a rather understated, taut vintage from Krug that isn’t as liberally endowed with the house’s characteristic toasty patina as its immediate predecessor.
    WS9494 pts. - Wine & Spirits - 12/21
    From a cool, relatively dry year in Champagne, Krug’s 2008 is blended from pinot noir (53 percent), pinot meunier (25 percent) and chardonnay (22 percent). Released in the fall of 2021, the wine is dense and concentrated, still tightly wound. While it shows some savory maturity, the wine’s meaty intensity suggest its evolution has barely begun. Great Krug vintages last for decades, and this one should evolve into a classic.
    Wine Grapes

    Primary Grape: Pinot Noir | All Grapes: Pinot Noir

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