special designations

As of the Sept. 30, 2002, issue, the Special Designations refer to categories of wine deserving special mention:

• Highly Recommended: The issue's most impressive wines. Includes top-scorers and wines that represent optimal purchases based on their combination of score, price and availability.


• Collectibles: Wines that will improve most from additional bottle age and that show the greatest potential to gain in value.


• Smart Buys: Wines that deliver fine character at affordable prices and that are broadly available.


• Best Values: Wines with solid scores, modest prices and wide distribution.

Up to and including the Sept. 15, 2002, issue, the Special Designations were as follows:

• Spectator Selections: Our highest recommendations in each issue. Although they are not necessarily the highest-scoring wines, they are the wines we think would make the most outstanding purchases. More expensive wines must be especially good to earn this recommendation.


• Cellar Selections: The wines we believe will improve most from additional bottle age and show the greatest potential as collectibles.


• Best Buys: Outstanding values at modest prices.


• Highly Recommended: Noteworthy wines selected from among the highest-scoring wines in the issue.