2004 was a banner year in Rioja. Wineries like López de Heredia, CVNE, and La Rioja Alta were able to make some incredibly ageworthy reds. Many of the 2004 Riojas have climbed the lists of Wine Spectator and other publications, producing wines for the ages. La Rioja Alta is often overlooked next to flashier wineries, but there's some incredible juice made here every year. This cuvée, the "890," is named for the year that production started – 1890. That's how you know a winery has some real, authentic history behind it. The 890 is a blend of 95% Tempranillo with a small amount of Graciano and Mazuelo. The fact that this wine is only made in certain years should give you a hint to the high standards and quality with which La Rioja Alta operates. Think of a wine that tastes like dusty deserts, leather, dried fruit, and perfume and you'll have an idea of what to expect from La Rioja Alta's Gran Reserva bottlings like this 890. Plus, these come in magnums, and they will age even more gracefully this way.

Hans Rebholz is one of my favorite people making German Riesling today. As the current generational head of the Rebholz winery, he's continued his father's work of organic, focused viticulture and meticulous winemaking. The Ganz Horn GG (aka Grosses Gewächs, German for Grand Cru) is a special Riesling vineyard near the family home in the Pfalz region. Even though this is in northern Europe and the climate gets cold in the winter, the Haardt mountains provide the Pfalz region with exceptionally dry and warm weather with a rain shadow effect. That means that these Rieslings can accumulate a lot of ripeness and power throughout the growing season. They are made to go the distance. This GG Riesling shows what a warm vintage like 2020 is capable of when brought to bear by the talented hands at Rebholz. Dry, limey, herbal, and full of tropical and stone fruit notes. It's a heady experience.

Want to see what powerful Syrah tastes like from the winery of one of the modern masters? This Voge Cornas is a fantastic way to do so. Contrary to the rustic (and incredible) wines of La Clape, Voge seeks a different side of Cornas, destemming most of their fruit and creating a more concentrated, lush, black-fruited style of Syrah that is powerful and forward. The 2020s, as renowned Rhône taster John Livingstone-Learmonth relates, are exciting wines: "The palate is full without being obvious, gives a measured run of mixed berry fruits, expands nicely along its way, builds from within on the closing stages, ends with notes of ripe fruit, prune. It’s well orchestrated Cornas that will gradually come together." I recently tasted some of these wines with winemaker Lionel Fraisse, and I couldn't agree more. They're very big, rich, and delicious, but tied to a pure ethic of what makes them Cornas, and Syrah.

This is an easy sell – what more is there to say of one of the hallmark wines of Spain, and a member of the Primum Familae Vini? Amidst all the trappings of being a famous winery, it can be easy to forget that these wines are, at their core, gastronomic concerns. When I toured the domaine, almost all the guide could talk about was food-pairing and recipes. We also admired an insane amount of branded gear with the V-S seal on it, from picking bins to drain covers to fence posts. Almost everything had Vega-Sicilia stamped on it. But back to food. Entering that round parlor to the smell of whole roasted, milk-fed lamb paired with a freshly opened 2009 Ribera del Duero from the winery was a revelation – I'll never forget that aroma. These wines are incredible with food and are worth pursuing for that reason, let alone the fact that they're amazing wines in and of themselves. This wine has intense concentration, tannin, and dusty Tempranillo fruit, but it also has a beautiful, bright acidity on the finish which makes it all the better for pairing with great dishes.

These wines take 8-10 years minimum before they're even ready to enjoy in a normal, approachable way. But here's a winery that epitomizes what is lovable and timeless about the Barolo region in and of itself; statuesque, imposing wines that need time but will reward the patient drinker. That's why we're offering this one 11 years post-vintage. It's beginning to soften out, lose its baby teeth, and become mature. Last time I popped one of these, the dense strands of angular tannins were beginning to come together. It'll only get better, more approachable, and showy with age, and it's got a long life ahead of it. The wines of Bricco Boschis are frequently easy to approach, and even though Cavallotto isn't known for making super-accessible wines, I think it works in the wine's favor in this case, marrying structure with silkiness.

Do I need to wax poetic about this extraordinarily waxy, lush, otherworldly golden wine? I don't, but I will. Château d'Yquem is not a wine, it is an experience. I love it best when it's 15-20 years old, although it can certainly go longer if need be, especially in botrytis-rich vintages like 1998. It's a great wine to enjoy in half bottles because you're going to want to have a glass or two, but you're not going to need more than that in a single sitting. I'm not going to say more about the outsized (and deservedly so) influence and greatness of Yquem. But I will leave you with this: lemon marshmallows covered in crystallized truffle honey. That should do the trick.