Cellar
Rat Reserve
The market for the world’s top wines is an ever changing, fast-paced universe,
where something that you loved today can be sold out tomorrow. It is also
a world where trying to find that highly-rated wine, after everyone in the
world has seen the review, is either a fool’s errand or incredibly
expensive. The Cellar Rat Reserve will give you access
to these incredibly scarce wines.
1. To place an order, reply to this EMAIL with the
quantity you would like.
2. We will email a confirmation of
your order in about 24 hours.
This Just
In...
Spain
2004 Osmin, Merum Priorat - $89.99/btl (4 available)
“The 2004 Osmin is a similar blend to the Ardiles
but the Garnacha and Carignan
are sourced from the estate’s older vines ranging from 80-100 years of age. The
wine was aged for 12 months in new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, the wine
offers up a fragrant nose of scorched earth, spice box, cherry, raspberry, and
blueberry liqueur. Full-flavored and opulent on the palate, this chewy wine has
an extroverted personality with layers of supple fruit, ripe tannin, superb
balance, and a 60-second finish. This sensuous wine can be enjoyed now and over
the next 15 years.”
The Wine Advocate – issue 169 Feb 2007, 97Pts.
2004 Ardiles Merum Priorati
- $49.99/btl (6 available)
“The 2004 Ardiles is composed of 45% Garnacha,
34% Carinena, 18% Syrah, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Merum Priorati estate
owns 6 parcels of old vines and 7 parcels of younger vines and this bottling is
a blend of old and young vines which was aged for 12 months in a mixture of new
and used French oak. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits a fragrant nose of mineral,
spice box, kirsch, raspberry, and spring flower garden. Structured on the
palate with excellent depth and concentration, it has
layers of spicy fruit and terrific integration of oak, tannin, and acid. The
wine has a long, pure finish. Although it can be drunk now, this hedonistically
styled wine should evolve for 3-5 years and drink well through 2022.”
The Wine Advocate – issue 169 Feb
2007, 93 Pts.
2004 Torre Muga
- $94.99 (6 available)
“The 2004
Torre Muga is 75% Tempranillo,
15% Mazuelo, and 10% Graciano.
It is aged for 3 months in large wood vats before spending 18 months in new
French oak. Inky purple-hued, it exhibits a superb nose of wood smoke, pencil
lead, spice box, scorched earth, and blackberry. This leads to a layered,
opulent wine with 5-7 years of aging potential. It has great balance and should
drink at its best from 2015 to 2025.”
The Wine Advocate – issue 175 Feb
2008, 96 Pts.
Wine Spectator Nov 30, 2007, 95
pts (2007 Top 100 Wines #11)
2005
Bodegas El Nido 'El Nido' -
$149.99 (1 available)
“The 2005 El Nido is a selection of the best grapes from the same
vineyards. Opaque purple-colored, it has even better perfume than Clio. Already
complex, it offers up a toasty aromatic array of violet, lavender, espresso,
chocolate, blueberry compote, and blackberry liqueur. Smooth-textured and
dense, the wine is rich and mouth-filling. It has a decade of aging potential
at the least but is so juicy now that it would pair well with a 60-day dry-aged
rib eye. It will show best between 2015 and 2030. The winemaking at the El Nido project is overseen by renowned Australian vigneron Chris Ringland. After a
meticulous selection process, the grapes are basket pressed and fermented in
oak. Malolactic fermentation occurs in new French and
American oak where the wine remains for 26 months.”
The Wine Advocate – issue 175 Feb
2008, 98 Pts.
2005 Bodegas El Nido
'Clio' - $49.99 (2 available)
“The 2005
Clio, composed of 70% old-vine Monastrell and 30%
Cabernet Sauvignon, is opaque purple-colored with an enthralling bouquet of
pain grille, spice box, violets, espresso, blueberry, and blackberry. Layered,
opulent, and full-flavored, this thick wine has superb concentration and
balance. It will evolve for 6-8 years and drink well through 2025. The
winemaking at the El Nido project is overseen by
renowned Australian vigneron Chris Ringland. After a meticulous selection process, the grapes
are basket pressed and fermented in oak. Malolactic
fermentation occurs in new French and American oak where the wine remains for
26 months.”
The Wine
Advocate – issue 175 Feb 2008, 95 Pts.
2004 El Puntido - $59.99 (7 available)
Wine of
the Year for 2007! “As expected, the wine exhibits a dense black color, with mineral,
burnt toast and dark fruit on the bouquet. The flavor profile offers cured
meat, leather, graphite and plenty of blackberry, mocha, caramel and coffee. Beautiful modern Rioja. 4,000 cases made.”
The Wine Enthusiast, 96 Pts. #1 Wine
of the Year
2005 Finca
Sandoval $39.99 (2
available) Always a stunner, this is the highest rating ever for
Sandoval
“The 2005 Finca Sandoval is 76% Syrah, 13% Mourvedre, and 11% Bobal
fermented with native yeasts followed by malolactic
fermentation in barrel with lees stirring, followed by aging from 11-13 months
in French and American oak, a mix of new and seasoned 225 and 300-liter
barrels. Purple-colored, the wine offers up an alluring nose of toasty oak,
mineral, floral notes, blueberry, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied,
ripe, layered wine with superb integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. There
is enough structure to support 3-5 years of evolution in the cellar. This
outstanding effort should be at its best between 2012 and 2025.”
The Wine
Advocate – issue 175 Feb 2008, 94 Pts.
2005 Bodegas
Numanthia $62.99 (7 available)
“Deep ruby. A
deep, youthfully brooding bouquet offers dark cherry, blackcurrant, incense and
suave oak spices. Spicy cherry and dark berry flavors show an exotic anise
quality and slow-building sweetness. This gently tannic, chewy, extremely
persistent wine finishes with echoes of oak spice and floral pastille, not to
mention excellent vivacity .”
Steven Tanzer
IWC – Sept/Oct 2007, 93 Pts.
Wines of Benjamin Romeo
2005 La Cueva
del Contador - $109.99 (1 available)
“The 2005 La Cueva del Contador
(the second wine of Contador – determination based on
tasting the grapes) is barrel-fermented in new oak followed by 12 months aging
in barrique. Purple in color, it has an other-worldly perfume of smoky new oak, crushed stone,
truffle, espresso, and assorted black fruits. This leads to an opulent wine
with gobs of sweet fruit, incipient complexity, superb richness and texture,
and a very long, pure finish. It will continue to add complexity in the cellar
for 8-10 years and should perform optimally between 2018 and 2035. Words can
barely do justice to how singular these wines are. They must be tasted to be
believed.” The Wine Advocate – issue
175 Feb 2008, 97 Pts.
2005 Predicador
- $42.99 (4 available)
“The 2005 Predicador is a new offering priced for the masses (or at
least the majority of TWA subscribers) with enough quantity (500 cases) to have
some distribution. Deep crimson-colored, it offers up a sexy perfume of pain
grille, mineral, violets, and assorted red and black fruits. Smooth-textured,
relatively forward, layered, and long, it will evolve for several years and
provide pleasure through 2020. Words can barely do justice to how singular
these wines are. They must be tasted to be believed.”
The Wine Advocate - Issue 175 Feb
2008, 93 Pts.
Celler Can Blau - $17.99 (30 available)
The 2006 Can Blau is one of the finest
values in the marketplace. Composed of 40% Carinena,
40% Syrah, and 20% Garnacha, this purple-colored wine
has great aromatics for the price point. It offers up smoke, pain grille,
pencil lead, scorched earth, blueberry, black cherry, and blackberry. Balanced,
round, and ripe on the palate, the wine already reveals some complexity and
enough structure to blossom for another 2-3 years. Drink this lengthy effort
over the next 6-8 years.
The Wine Advocate - Issue 175 Feb
2008, 92 Pts.
Altos de Luzon - $16.99 (79 available)
The 2005 Altos de Luzon is 50% old-vine Monastrell,
25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Tempranillo (not
commonly seen in Jumilla). It was barrel fermented in
new French and American oak where it remained for 12 months. Dark ruby-colored,
it offers up an enticing perfume of mineral, garrigue,
blueberry, and blackberry. Layered and ripe with enough structure to evolve for
2-3 years, this pleasing effort can be enjoyed now and over the next 8-10
years.
The Wine Advocate - Issue 175 Feb
2008, 89 Pts.
If you don't know Sine Qua Non - do a little research; you will
thank us for it!
2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis
Fe 203 Syrah - $189.99/btl (sold out)
The 2005
Atlantis Fe 203-1a is a blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier, with about 25% whole clusters (stems) utilized.
The vineyard sources include the Eleven Confessions as well as White Hawk,
Alban, and Bien Nacido. An inky/blue/black/purple hue
is followed by sweet blackberry, charcoal, and chocolate aromas, graphite and
blackberry flavors, full body, decent acidity, and a stunningly long finish.
This terrific effort should turn out to be one of the most French-styled Syrahs Krankl has yet produced.
It reveals the great intensity and purity of
The Wine Advocate – issue 172 Aug
2007, 95-97 Pts.
2005 Sine
Qua Non Atlantis Fe 203 Grenache - $189.99/btl (sold out)
The only 2005 Grenache
I tasted is the 2005 Atlantis Fe 203-2a, a blend of 93% Grenache and 7% Syrah.
About 50% of this cuvee was produced from whole clusters, and nearly all of it
came from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard. Approximately 40% new oak was
utilized, and the wine is scheduled to be bottled after two years in wood. The
aromas reveal a distinctive chocolatey note along
with the tell-tale blackberry, cassis, kirsch, licorice, camphor, and floral
characteristics. Deep, complex, and full-bodied with a roasted meat-like
flavor, despite its size and richness, the overall impression is one of
elegance and phenomenal definition. It should drink well for 10-15+ years.
The Wine Advocate – issue 172 Aug
2007, 96-98 Pts.
Australia
2004 Elderton Command Shiraz - $89.99 (18 available)
The 2004 Shiraz
“Command” comes from a single block of 104-year-old vines. It was aged in 100%
new oak puncheons (400 liter barrels). Opaque purple-colored, this
The Wine Advocate - Issue 173 Oct
2007, 98 Pts (this is the highest score EVER for Command)
France
2005 Chateau
de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape -
$102.99 (7 available)
Really dense and
locked up now, this is packed with dark fig, currant and blackberry fruit
shrouded by layers of tar, hot stone, bittersweet licorice and espresso. The
long, dense finish has a great tug of iron buried within it. Best
from 2011 through 2030. 15,000 cases made.
Wine Spectator - April 30,
2008, 96 Pts (this is the 2nd highest score EVER for Beaucastel)