Addy Bassin's MacArthur Beverages - Fine Wine and Spirits Since 1957

"The 1999 Pago Valdebellon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as a dense, concentrated, black currant-scented nose offering notions of new oak, smoke, licorice, and earth. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and pure, with a long finish, it should drink well for a decade." Robert Parker
- Wine Advocate

"The same can be said for the 2007 Alto Moncayo, also 100% Garnacha. It offers up a similar aromatic and flavor profile, just at a slightly higher octane level. This opulent effort is all about pleasure; give it 3-4 years of additional cellaring if you’d like it a bit more civilized. " Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The 2004 Pagos Viejos is inky purple with a sublime nose of pain grille, spice box, cherries, raspberries, and wild blue fruits. This is followed by a dense, plush, full-flavored, sexy wine with perfect balance and remarkable elegance for a wine so powerful. Although it can be enjoyed now, it deserves a minimum of a decade of cellaring after which it should drink well through 2047. Kudos to Bodegas Artadi for this tour de force! " Jay MIller
- Wine Advocate

"The flagship of this portfolio is the perennially outstanding Tres Picos. The 2008 Tres Picos is 100% Garnacha old vines in which 50% was aged in tank and 50% in French oak for 10 months. It gives up a compelling nose of black cherry fruit that jumps from the glass along with earth and mineral notes. Plush on the palate bordering on voluptuous, this pleasure-bent, full-flavored effort will drink well for another 3-4 years although few will be able to resist its charms for that long." Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"This beautiful modern red offers a velvety texture supported by ripe, well-integrated tannins and plenty of sweet toasty oak. Plum and boysenberry fruit is ripe and fresh. Very expressive, yet with great concentration. Mineral and tobacco notes add complexity. Powerful and complete. Drink now through 2025. 750 cases made. " Thnomas Matthews
- Wine Spectator

"This modern red is rich and plush, coating the mouth with ripe tannins that carry coffee, chocolate, plum and cassis flavors. Big but balanced. Stays harmonious through the floral finish. Best from 2007 through 2013. " Thomas Matthews
- Wine Spectator

"The 2003 Pasanau Finca La Planeta is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% old-vine Garnacha aged for one year in a mixture of French and American oak. The saturated purple color is impressive as are the glycerin legs which coat the glass. Mineral notes, lead pencil, violets, and black currants make for a stylish aromatic profile which is followed by a full-bodied wine with layered black cherry and black currant flavors. The finish is pure and long. It can be drunk now but there is enough structure for 4-6 years of further evolution" Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The opaque purple-colored 2006 Clos Mogador has an enticing nose of pain grille, pencil lead, truffle, incense, black cherry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, dense, and layered on the palate, it has loads of succulent black fruit, spice box, ripe tannin, impeccable balance, and a lengthy, pure finish. Give it 5-7 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2015 to 2026." Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"Clos Mogador is produced by the esteemed Rene Barbier who has hit homeruns in both 2003 and 2004. The 2004 Clos Mogador has a more saturated purple color than the 2003 as well as a more expressive perfume of mocha, coffee, and flowers (violets) in addition to toasty oak, earth, and blue and black fruits. More extracted and backward than the 2003, it demands a decade of cellaring and should drink well for an additional 20 years. The 2004 is a tour de force." Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The 2005 Cuvee No. 1/3 is a blend of Garnacha and Carinena aged for 12 months in seasoned French oak. Purple-colored, it offers up an enticing bouquet of mineral, spice box, cedar, black cherry and blueberry. This leads to a plush, surprisingly forward wine which nicely conceals enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. Already exhibiting considerable complexity, it will be at its best from 2010-2018." Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The 2005 Cuvee No. 2/3 is 100% Carinena from 90 year old vines. It was aged for 18 months in new French oak. Purple-colored, it has an alluring perfume of crushed stone, smoke, leather, spice box, black cherry, and raspberry. This leads to a full-bodied wine with a smooth texture, layers of flavor, and a forward personality. This intense Priorat will develop more nuance with several years more in bottle but can be enjoyed now and over the next 10-12 years. Trio Infernal is owned by three Frenchmen from Provence, Jean Michel Gerin, Laurent Combier, and Peter Fischer who purchased 50 acres in Priorat in 2000." Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The 2006 Flor de Pingus spent 14 months in new French oak. Deep purple in color, it gives up a superb bouquet of toasty oak, spice box, mineral, incense, black cherry, and blackberry. Youthful, full-bodied, intense, and powerful on the palate, it retains an elegant personality despite its size. Splendidly balanced, it will evolve for 4-6 years and deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2026. It is a superb value in great wine considering that the price of Pingus Junior is one-tenth that of Pingus. Dominio de Pingus is the estate of legendary vigneron Peter Sisseck. All three wines are produced from biodynamically farmed Tempranillo grapes." Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"Bodegas Pintia is owned by Vega Sicilia. Pintia is located further west along the Duero River inside the warmer D.O. of Toro. The estate owns 96 hectares of land. The first vintage released was the 2001. As for the 2005 Pintia, it is 100% Tinta de Toro aged for one year in new French and American oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers a complex perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied, ripe, layered wine with intense flavors, serious complexity, and exceptional length. It has enough structure to unfold for another 4-6 years and drink well through 2025. " Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"7 Golfo is a joint venture between 7 winemakers, showcasing 7 regions, and 7 varieties. Fifty percent of the wine is a blend in equal proportion of each of the varieties while the other 50% is composed of a blend assembled and voted upon by all of the contributing winemakers. Proceeds of the sale of the wine are contributed to the construction of a winery in Mozambique. The inaugural 2004 vintage is composed of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Graciano. A total of 155 cases were produced. Although the project sounds like a huge gimmick, amazingly the participants have pulled it off and the wine is awesome. Dark ruby/purple-colored, the nose is already complex with scents of cinnamon, vanilla, pencil lead, mineral, black cherry, black currant, and blackberry. Supple on the palate with loads of extract, the wine is full-flavored and rich yet remarkably elegant. It can be enjoyed now but has the potential for 6-8 years of further evolution. Drink this hedonistically-styled wine through 2020." Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"Any aspiring collectors should add a case of this to their stash. The 2004 Numanthia comes from a different terroir with a different clone of Tinta de Toro. The vines for this cuvee range from 70-100 years of age with tiny yields of 1 ton of fruit per acre. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel followed by 19 months in new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with a killer nose of mineral, pencil lead, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur that roars from the glass. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, dense, and already beginning to show complexity within its layers of spicy black fruits. There is immense power, well-concealed ripe tannin, and the well-delineated finish lasts for over one minute. This is a sensational effort which in a perfect world should be cellared for a decade and enjoyed over the following 25+ years. However, the elderly among us should not feel guilty about opening a bottle now. " Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"Espresso and allspice flavors show oak, but there's plenty of ripe black fruit on the palate. The plush texture is supported by ripe, muscular tannins, and licorice, mineral and graphite notes add complexity. Best from 2010 through 2020." Thomas Matthews
- Wine Spectator

"Bodegas Alion was started by the renowned estate of Vega Sicilia in 1991. Grapes are sourced from vineyards next to the winery and from Vega Sicilia’s own vineyards at Valbuena. Eighteen hectares of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) form the actual Alion estate. The 2004 Alion is inky purple-colored with an alluring perfume of toasty oak, lavender, violets, mineral, blackberry, and blueberry compote. This is followed by a full-bodied, rich, opulent, wine with incipient complexity, and notes of licorice, mocha, and espresso emerging on the palate. The lengthy finish is pure and persistent. Give it 3-5 years in the cellar and drink it through 2025." Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate

"The 2007 El Arte de Vivir is also 100% Tempranillo sourced from 60- to 80-year-old vines. It was aged for six months in French and American oak. It s more substantial and structured than the Vivir, vivir cuvee with layers of fleshy fruit, excellent concentration, and 1-2 years of aging potential. The finish is lengthy and sweet. Drink this pleasure-bent wine over the next six years" Dr. Jay Miller
- Wine Advocate