Now that a new year is upon us, it’s time to reflect a bit on the wines tasted, and enjoyed, throughout 2009. Everyone publishes their list of top wines, heck just last Friday we published a couple of lists, but about what interested you, the Snooth user.
Today I want to take a look back at what interested me. I’ve put together some lists, grouped by grape variety, of wines that were not only great, but that are also available on your retailer’s shelves. These are the wines I want to buy again, or that get filed in the deepest recesses of my brain to be referenced when I’m faced with a particularly puzzling restaurant wine list.
I’m not saying these are anything but some of my favorites. I think it’s a pretty good list, full of some surprising selections in many cases, but always open to discussion. Not with me, I chose them after all! So without further ado my many Wines of the Year, in no particular order.
Today I want to take a look back at what interested me. I’ve put together some lists, grouped by grape variety, of wines that were not only great, but that are also available on your retailer’s shelves. These are the wines I want to buy again, or that get filed in the deepest recesses of my brain to be referenced when I’m faced with a particularly puzzling restaurant wine list.
I’m not saying these are anything but some of my favorites. I think it’s a pretty good list, full of some surprising selections in many cases, but always open to discussion. Not with me, I chose them after all! So without further ado my many Wines of the Year, in no particular order.
One of the Year's Best Buys
This will not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. I am a certifiable Nebbiolo freak. I love the grape and the wines, but the prices have gotten a bit out of hand lately. I always suggest that people turn to the best Nebbiolo d'Alba for the greatest values, but when a meticulous, artisanal producer starts offering Barolo from the village of Serralunga at a rock bottom price, well lets just say it's a great way to get my attention, and my wallet open.2004 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna Santa Caterina
This was wonderfully fresh on the nose with heather floral tones and whisps of wild strawberry emerging with some air yet with time the floral elements took control of the aromatics and added a base of cigarette smoke, oily coffee beans and spearmint that was compelling...
Pinot Noir Tops My List
In trimming each of my lists to fit this email the one I had the greatest difficulty with was the Pinot Noir list. There is simply a ton of great Pinot coming from around the world. I think my favorite Pinot of the year has to be the utterly surprising 2007 Johan Estate from Oregon. Sadly it seems that this particular wine is now sold out, so I did not include it on my list. If you happen to find a bottle, grab it! It's a real treat!2008 Felton Road Central Otago Pinot Noir
Lightly smoky and earthy on the nose with watermelon and spicy cherry fruit that has a light candied cranberry tone. Fairly lightly bodied though juicy and transparent in the mouth with spicy mineral tones giving the wine an almost salty tinge that adds to the subtle...
Cabernet Sauvignon Rounds out the Top Three
Cabernet Sauvignon is still king of the red wine world. So many of the wines really are great, but the prices of the best, from California to Bordeaux, have become difficult to deal with. One great find this year that did not make my list is the 2005 Sausal Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. If I could have found it at retail it would have gotten top billing, a truly delicious California Cabernet that recalls the great wines of the past, at a very affordable price. Until it shows up on the retail shelves I guess we'll have to make due.2006 Trinitas Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Intense yet fine with plenty of oak but strong black currant, tomato leaf , licorice, vanilla and mint tones. Lovely mouthfeel, rigid with a touch of woody sweetness and wonderfully pure fruit. The tannins are modest and a touch stiff but in proportion and well balanced...
These three wines just offer a glimpse of what I've included in the complete article. So follow this link to read all about my favorite wines of 2009. From Pinot to Cabernet, Blaufrankisch to "Orange Wine", there's something for everyone in my top 40!
Comments
I recommend trying 14 Hands Cabernet out of Washington State, reasonably priced and wonderful! It is only available for purchase to restaurants and some wine shops, just check the availability online or at your favorite fine dining establishment. Wholesale, it's around 14 dollars and at a restaurant, around 28. Cheers!
Jan 06, 2010 at 2:19 PM
hayward
By far the most memorable was Maset del LLeo 2001 100% Tempranillo from a small estate in the Penedes -a gift as it happens and easily the most enjoyable bottle of the year- far more like a very beautiful mature Chambolle Musigny in weight and texture -silky ,creamy and wonderfully perfumed , Sadly they don't export to the Uk nor I suppose to the States either but it was such superb wine making I hope someone out there will source it . It's their flagship wine at about 23euros a bottle plus shipping (in Spain)
Jan 06, 2010 at 2:44 PM
I agree with KKelly as to the Fourteen Hand wine out of Washington. My husband and I first had this at a restuarant chain and fell in love with it! We had the Merlot and it is by far our favorite!
Jan 06, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Jacuzzi 2006 Cabernet out of California in the $15 price range is hard to beat... Also Lander Jenkins 2007 Napa Cab for around $12 is a really good buy. Darby and Joan 2008 Cab out of the Barossa Valley in Australia at $9 a bottle is a great everyday wine and a steal at that price. Finally Excelsior 2007 Cab out of South Africa at $8 a bottle imo was the best buy of the year for Cabs under $10.
Jan 06, 2010 at 4:23 PM
D'Arenberg The Stump Jump Shiraz 2008 is a great wine for $9. Lots of fruit and well balanced for the price. I found it at Costco and have bought 3 cases already. Also agree 14 hands is very good at that price point.
Jan 06, 2010 at 5:17 PM
I
I dare anyone to find not just a better value, but a delicious red from the Jumilla region of southern Spain, Panarroz '07, for under $7 (on sale). For $7, you can't not try it. Blew away n $21 Cotes du Rhone we had last night.
Jan 06, 2010 at 5:31 PM
Great! You have discovered Felton Road. I've been looking for an American dealer since we tasted these at the winery. I'll order some of the Riesling and Pinot Noir in April, when the snow melts. Pringles in Ft. Collins does not seem to carry them any more, but a couple of west coast dealers do.
Jan 06, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Very good, pointers, as usual, Greg. Good overlap with those I know, interestingly enough. Would love to see any more of the wines you've particularly enjoyed over the past year.
In the way of quibbles, tweaks, what have you, am curious, though. Is this as short a shrift as you usually give to whites? And do you ever drink anything for dessert?
Jan 06, 2010 at 6:25 PM
8
Good recommendations. Like to see more from different countries. Some at competitive prices.
Jan 06, 2010 at 7:51 PM
i
2007 MacKenzie Pinot Noir from the Russian River region of CA. Superb. (pricing varies.)
Jan 06, 2010 at 8:00 PM
I'd suggest putting the wine prices in each set of notes. That will help evaluate the value/quality balance.
Jan 06, 2010 at 11:52 PM
14 hands Merlot is indeed excellent value
Jan 07, 2010 at 8:48 AM
Mark West Pinot Noir is a great value too, around $10. It has become my house wine.
Jan 07, 2010 at 8:50 AM
Geary
Found the Cab. by Louis M. Martini (Napa Valley) 2006 very good and price ranges $13 - $16.
Has anyone tried it?
Jan 07, 2010 at 9:09 AM
I totally agree with molwj. I'm completely sold out of Mark West awaiting a new shipment. It's not an August Ziegler Cuvee 2005, Paraiso or Tohu, but for $9.99 it's very good.
I have customers who drive from all over Indiana to buy Mark West by the case because they can't get it where they live.
Jan 07, 2010 at 9:40 AM
Living in Belgium most of these wines are impossible to Find, but I enjoy reading your articles
Can anyone give me info.about a wine named
Saint Clair Drs Creek Pinot Noir from New Zealand
Looking forward to hearing from you
Tony Gallen
Jan 07, 2010 at 10:09 AM
guy
Rontana Col Mora Colli di Faenza is a wonderful Sangiovese from Emilia-Romagna. Rich, and full of burnt cherry flavors.
Jan 07, 2010 at 10:24 AM
n
I am new to the site, so maybe I have missed something. I like your top wines article, but didn't see pricing on the specific wines, say under Pinot Noir. Price point vs quality is the key ratio for me. I like your descriptions, also..I'll have to get a few so I can see if I can taste the same notes.
Jan 07, 2010 at 10:40 AM
n
While I have steered away from Pinot's since the decent ones from Oregon and Washington always seemed to be out of my price range - $30+ (The lower price ones often seemed thin, watery or without character), when in Napa and Sonoma last June, I did have a Fred MacMurray Pinot from Sonoma that had a lot of body. The lowest priced offering is under $20, and is very drinkable, as a wine with dinner or just appetizers. I use it with chicken, Turkey, and Salmon regularly. Probably doesn't compare with your selections, but at the price (I pay $15) it has been very enjoyable, and it seems to be widely available.
Jan 07, 2010 at 10:46 AM
ng
Here is how I rank wine (very drinkable only of course, fresh, flavorful, decent to great structure, subtle/interesting, natural, not industrial, toxic or corrupted by chemical tricks):
$5-10 Drink it all day
$10-15 Better be special
$15-25 something really unique
$25-35 this truly begins to hurt
$35 plus, reserved for my 50th Birthday, Daughters engagement dinner, 30th Anniversary, etc.
I am really amazed at what people are willing to pay for wine in America these days. I lived in Europe from 87-94 and found really great wines to drink in those days from $3-5 a bottle, esp. when travelling around to some areas that are not big on the export market. I was also there recently and brought back 12 bottles great drinking wines priced from Euro 5-10 each (e.g. Buzet, Jurancon, Fitou, Gaillac, Muscadet de Rivesaltes) to name a few.
The wine producers of America have sure done a good job in hyping up their wines, but let's face it folks, it begins as grape juice and is an agricultural product. I like to see how people in wine country in Europe pop open a bottle and pour it out unceremoniously, generously and enjoy with marvelous food. In Europe, we did "camping a la ferme" in France and the local farmer always had bottles from his area to sell along with food we could warm up on our propane cooker, talk about heaven. Most of those wines were less known outside of France.
Sorry to be a little critical, but I am not sure you are doing us a great favor by recommending wines that cost out at $30-40 as your top picks and I don't think that is really hard work. Your other lists don’t even include a price point. I won't reveal all my methods (I am not a pro wine writer) but my wine shelves, probably around 150 plus bottles honestly average out at something under $15 bottle and that is important to me (and believe me, there are some kick ass wines on those shelves). I want to feel free to pull out 3-4 bottles when I have guests. Unless you are only writing for a public whose income is plus $150K, I guess then it doesn't matter.
I also believe that wine tastes are changing in terms of what people attribute to being great wines, again driven by American winemakers and their excellent marketing to a relatively young, affluent and unsophisticated buying public. They produce wine with huge almost exploding tastes, which appeal to this younger demographic. These wines are probably meant to be drunk in under three years, or just plain immediately. I wonder what these wines will taste like, if any are still around, in 10-15 years. Almost invariably, if you serve a "vin de garde" to these young people, which is not completely ready, they will complain of "dryness" because of the residual tannin, they are unable to appreciate that wine, or to guess what it will become.
I will admit that I am confused by the plethora of names coming out of America today and they pick the strangest names possible, which seems to justify a shocking price. It is funny, because in the beginning I think they were clever to simplify the naming system around the basic grapes. From being simpler than France, e.g. I think they have evolved into being more complex. The hierarchy of wine production in France where the top areas limit production is the assurance of quality, whereas I don't think there is any such comparable discipline in America. I am personally afraid to try these wines, except for some exceptional situations. For example, I tried a Plumpjack at a business dinner in Las Vegas, because one of my guests wanted it ($160.00 at the table!).
Sorry for ranting on, I will wrap up. Unless wine writers are just like Radio DJs, ie. who are in fact agents of the big wine producers and contributing to the a.m. hype, I think it would be helpful if they would take strong positions about democratizing the wine markets, like is the case in Europe. I sense some of the same feelings from the comments above, see how many mention something of as they would say in France “rapport qualite/prix.” The relation between wine quality and price is critical and I feel I must be critical of you as a writer to not even mention it on most of your listed wines and as mentioned above, the ones you list are not great achievements in the $30-40 range. You have a voice, you obviously know more about wine in detail, than I do, I am asking you to use this power for a greater purpose.
It is important.
Jan 07, 2010 at 2:44 PM
dirkwdeyou-ng, you make several excellent points. Why don't you join the discussions in the Snooth Forum? Some of what you bring up has been discussed there, but not altogether at once, and with the passion you bring. I'm sure you'd be welcomed warmly there.
Jan 07, 2010 at 3:21 PM
dirkwdeyou- excellent piece that hits the bullseye.
Jan 07, 2010 at 7:32 PM
Greg
Your comments about the Felton Road PN prompted me to try a bottle of the 02 I bought two years ago. This wine definitely takes bottle age, as it is drinking well now, and probably can hold a while longer. This puts most new world Pinot Noirs to shame.
Jan 07, 2010 at 10:42 PM
dirkwdeyou-ng
I share your frustration with trendy high-priced wines. I grew up on classified Bordeaux, and now I can't afford it. To think that 82 Gruaud Larose was $13 on futures. Most of the the California Cab Sauv seems insanely overpriced, and served much too young. And the top French wines seem to be almost as high priced.
Thanks to the Loire and Alsace that have great wines at reasoble prices. Of course, a good Chinon is out of vogue, as not being a fruit bomb.
I must confess that I paid $48 for the Felton Road Pinot Noir 02 that I just drank. This was worth it to me, suitable for special occasions. But after tasting it, I think I'll wait several years on the 08 that Greg recommends. Real magic seems to happen with well aged wines of this caliber.
Meanwhile, I'll enjoy a good Muscadet on the cheap.
Jan 07, 2010 at 11:04 PM
Dal Piaz
Hi folks.
First off thanks for the great responses.
A few points. As far as not having included pricing for the majority of the wines, that is strictly a technical issue. I don't actually enter each wine's information into this document but rather use the URL for the wine's detail page which pulls only the image, name and my review.
As far as the choice of wine in regards to the cost of the wines there is little I wish to add but would like to point out the following. In the introduction to this list I clearly write "These are the wines I want to buy again,".
Each Snooth member has their own criteria that they use to determine whether or not a wine is right for them. No list I publish is going to appeal to them all so I did not even try.
Using Dirks price breakdown though I see that virtually all of the wines I've recommend fall at the very top of his scale. In all honesty I would have thought that this is where guidance may be most appreciated.
It's not very painful to sift through 6 $8 bottles of wines to find the one you want to buy a case of. If you are reserving those more expensive bottles for special occasions, do you really want to taste through a handful before finding "the one"?
I will make sure to include a values selection in next years list but, in a way, the list I above is a value list. Almost every wine on that list delivers as much satisfaction as wines costing two or three times as much.
As far as comparing wines bought in Europe and the style of wine culture found there with what's going on here is just too depressing to go into. I've spent a significant portion of my life in Italy where it's pretty easy to find wonderful wines locally for one or two Euros per liter. We bring our own bottles too and there are no labels or corks to pay for. Those same wines ending up costing $20 on the shelf once they find their way to the states.
So again, use this list as you wish. Your criticism is duly noted. Two final points though. I certainly am not a cheerleader for any winery. My reviews for each wine are my honest opinions. I have been criticized before for being too stingy with my grading, though that is another discussion entirely.
And finally, Dirk, I am puzzled by one of your last statements. You wrote "the ones you list are not great achievements in the $30-40 range." I have to disagree with you here. Each of the three wines with pricing is indeed a great achievement. These are world class wines. I would love to know why you feel otherwise.
Jan 08, 2010 at 8:58 AM
I must admit that I am not an educated wine connisour, I just enjoy a good wine! One of my favoirite wines has yet to be mentioned and that is Bianchi. Yes, it runs about $20 US and I try to save it for special occaions. I want to say I am thrilled to have discovered this website and I am certain that a new and exciting education is beginning. Thank you to all for your open and honest revelations!
Jan 08, 2010 at 10:13 AM
Dal Piaz
Thanks Hischild.
Looking forward to hear more about your discoveries. Don't miss the talk forum, it's a great place to discuss wines. http://www.snooth.com/talk/
Schelbe - I agree with you regarding the Felton Road PN. Glad to hear you had such a good bottle!
Jan 08, 2010 at 12:08 PM
n
There is no question that wine is one product sector where neither cost nor quality relates directly to price. That is why well grounded reviews are so helpful. I have had bottles for less than $10 that I liked (subjective quality to be sure) better than $40 bottles. It does take a little more trial and error to sort out the lower priced offerings, especially.
I do think that many wines are way overpriced, and the only way to correct that is not to buy them. Any producer will attempt to determine the market pricing that provides the best balance between volume and profit per bottle. Over the years, it is amusing to watch the wine on the shelf reflect their empirical approach. Wines that were $20/bottle a few years ago are now $12, and vice versa. Thanks for the reviews...I'll keep my eyes open for some of the favorites.
Jan 08, 2010 at 3:30 PM
I really appreciate dirkwdeyou-ng's comments.
Case in point: last month, I picked up a bottle of Park Estate's cabernet (2006, as I recall). Took it to a Christmas party of mostly wine snobs -- they LOVED it. In fact, one of the best cabs I've had in some time. Price? Normally $20-22 a bottle, on sale at Fred Meyer for about 11 bucks. You don't need to spend a forture, especially in these trying economic times, to pick up a good bottle.
Jan 08, 2010 at 4:38 PM
Freak
Wow, I drink wine every day (unfortunately on my own dime) and I have had only had one on the list, the Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2005. In addition to this, I also enjoy many wines from the same "family", i.e. Perrin and Fils, and Tablas Creek. As I see Greg as one of my utmost gurus regarding wine, now I'm feeling compelled to taste many new ones. Luckily, after seven months of unemployment following a layoff, I found a new job so I can feel a little less guilty about it. Red wine is my hobby/sport/obsession, and I love following Greg and the Snooth forums. As I still have not tried Barolo, that will be a priority. Once again, thanks to you Greg. Cheers and Happy New Year! Dan
Jan 08, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Dal Piaz
Q Creek,
Congratulations on your new found employment. Very happy to hear it! If you ever get a chance to travel to NYC we'll have to taste Barolo together. If I get out in your neck of the woods, well we can still drink Barolo. Here's to a happy and successful 2010.
Jan 09, 2010 at 9:34 AM
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