Wine Spectator Online's Daily Wine Picks

Editor's Note: The following daily wine picks were originally posted on Wine Spectator's Web site. They are being republished here with permission.

Back by popular demand, Wine Spectator Online brings another diverse round of outstanding wine picks.

Here you'll find a perfect bottle for even the most discerning tastes, including a couple of well-priced sparklers to ring in the holiday season in style.

Under $15

Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Columbia Valley NV
(87 points, $12)
Smooth and generous fizz, appealing for the lime and tangerine accents to the pear and toast flavors, lingering well. Drink now. 195,000 cases made.
-- Harvey Steiman

Pierre Boniface Vin de Savoie Apremont 2005
(87 points, $14)
Fresh, with touches of elegance and fresh flavors of lanolin, honey, spice and ripe apple. The finish is redolent of melon. Drink now through 2008. 60,000 cases made.
-- Kim Marcus

Goats Do Roam Wine Company Chardonnay Paarl Goat Door 2006
(87 points, $14)
Clean-cut melon and pear flavors with a round, fresh finish. Nice unadorned style. Drink now. 6,800 cases made.
-- James Molesworth

$15-$30

Mumm Napa Brut Napa Valley Reserve NV
(90 points, $25)
Complex, with austere apple, pear and pleasant earth and mineral flavors that are firm and vibrant, finishing with a cleansing aftertaste. Drink now through 2009. 8,000 cases made.
-- James Laube

J.C. Pichot Vouvray Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette 2005
(89 points, $15)
Off-dry, with enticing quince, fig and bergamot flavors, backed by a spicy finish. Nice definition from start to finish. Drink now through 2009. 8,700 cases imported.
-- James Molesworth

L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot Columbia Valley 2004
(89 points, $30)
Crisp in texture and generous in flavor, offering currant and blackberry fruit that's shaded with herbal notes as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2008. 6,843 cases made.
-- Harvey Steiman

Finca Allende Rioja 2003
(90 points, $27)
Expressive and harmonious, this modern red balances plum, cassis, coffee, mineral and herb flavors in a plush texture, with graceful tannins and a finish accented with spice and lilac. Drink now through 2012. 3,000 cases imported.
-- Thomas Matthews

Over $30

Talbott Chardonnay Monterey County Cuvee Cynthia 2003
(94 points, $60)
Wonderful complexity and depth. Offers a mix of youthful pear, apple, melon and citrus, with some mature tropical fruit notes that pick up a wonderful graham cracker and cinnamon spiciness that's enticing. Drink now through 2009. 430 cases made.
-- James Laube

Niepoort Douro Redoma Red 2004
(93 points, $55)
Minerally, with a ripe, spicy aroma and loads of kirsch, dark plum and dark chocolate flavors. Silky tannins with an explosive creaminess midpalate. Drink now through 2012. 1,525 cases made.
-- Kim Marcus

Domaine Carneros Le Reve Carneros 2000
(92 points, $65)
A ripe Chardonnay with complex aromas of dough, vanilla, spice and hazelnut that turn rich and creamy on the palate, offering a mix of concentrated flavors with a measure of delicacy and finesse. Drink now through 2011. 4,000 cases made.
-- James Laube

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