• TRY 2 FREE PREVIEW ISSUES
• SUBSCRIBE
• GIVE A GIFT

2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($75) The 2003 vintage produced some terrific wines in the southern Rhône; I agree with my friend the Châteauneuf lover Park B. Smith (who has over 40,000 Châteauneufs in his cellar) that this ripe, heady wine is one of the best. (And it's one of Park's favorite young wines.)

2003 Künstler Hölle Riesling Auslese Trocken Goldkapsel ($80) "The 2003 vintage was a gift," says winemaker Franz Künstler, who produced this aromatically opulent Rheingau Riesling that's marked by notes of peach, apricot and spice. It's gorgeously rich but with an intense, minerally finish.

2003 Prazo de Roriz ($13) Despite the torrid conditions in Portugal's Douro region in 2003, this lush, mouth-filling red, made from a blend of grapes including Tinta Roriz, is a wonderfully well-balanced wine. Produced at one of Portugal's most progressive wineries, it's delicious now but can improve for a few years.