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Top 23 of 2023
2023 is almost over, which means that the time has come for the hotly anticipated perennial Talk-a-Vino feature – the list of top wine experiences of the year.
2023 was an interesting year for a variety of reasons, some of which are obvious, and some of which are not, but this is not the time and not the place to discuss it. We are here to dreadfully decide on the list of 24 23 best wines of the year – and share that list with you, my readers.
To explain how this top list is created, instead of re-writing the same explanation every year using barely different words, let me just quote what I explained before:
If you are a regular here on these pages, you know the story. Every year ever since this blog started in 2010, I come up with a list of the most memorable, most interesting/unique/unusual/stunning wines I tasted throughout the year. When I started these Top Wine lists, the goal was to identify a dozen (12) top wines. I was rarely successful with such limitation, and most of the Top wine lists consist of two dozen, a few times there were even two dozen plus a few.
As the year already ended, I will not try to separate the first and second dozens of the top wines – without further ado, here is the full list of the 23 most memorable wines of 2023 – and yes, the pun is intended:
23. 2021 Stolpman Vineyard Combe Trousseau Ballard Canyon ($24) – I had no idea Trousseau, a classic red grape from Jura in France is even grown in California, never mind by the Syrah specialist such as Stolpman Vineyard. I ordered this wine at a restaurant in New York as it seemed to be one of a very few somewhat affordable options. The wine was surprisingly brilliant, fresh, light, and uplifting – it was definitely a great find.
22. 2007 Leviathan California Red ($40) – this was my last bottle of the 2007 vintage of this legendary wine, an unofficial second label of Screaming Eagle. Beautiful California Cab that probably has another 20-25 years to go on. No, I wouldn’t want to wait that long.
21. 2019 Le Morette Riserva Lugana DOC ($NA) – this wine was probably my favorite from the Lugana wine tasting events, beautiful white wine with a substance. Going beyond just a specific bottle, consider this entry more a node to the Lugana wines of Northern Italy that represent an outstanding QPR and just a bunch of delicious wines.
20. 2018 Vino Vasai Pinot Noir Estate Reserve Chehalem Mountains ($58) – superbly balanced Oregon Pinot Noir – powerful and delicious, with a label to adore.
19. 2019 Plantaže Crnogorski Krstač Montenegro ($10) – love pleasant surprises. This wine was acquired strictly for being made from the unique grape I have not had before – it also happened to be simple and delicious – I’ll take this bonus any time.
18. 2016 Alban Patrina Estate Syrah Edna Valley ($58) – I don’t believe I ever I had a wine from Alban that I didn’t like – this Syrah was unctuous and delicious.
17. 2015 Carlisle Grenache Rossi Ranch Sonoma Valley ($39) – another favorite producer, Carlisle, with an absolutely delicious wine – beautiful nose and dark fruit intermingling with dark chocolate on the palate.
16. 2022 La Torre Girgentina Maltese Islands IGT ($15) – Similar to wine #19, this wine was acquired strictly to add to the rare grapes collection and to add another winemaking region to the Wines of the World page. The more interesting part was the bright, refreshing, round white wine, simply world-class delicious.
15. 2017 Etude Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills ($NA) – Never paid much attention to Etude Pinot Noir – this wine was presented as a gift. The wine was definitely bigger than a typical Californian Pinot Noir – it was also better than the typical, with layers of dark fruit and cocoa. A tasty encounter.
14. 2018 Amichai by Shiloh Micah Judean Hills Israel ($57) – Shiloh is one of my favorite Israeli producers, but this is not the reason why this wine is listed among the top wines of the year. It is a perfect rendition of Cabernet Sauvignon, round and delicious.
13. 2018 El Coto Coto De Imaz Blanco Reserva Rioja DOC ($24.99) – this wine belongs to the “surprise” group, as I never had a Chardonnay from Rioja. Never mind the surprise part, this was simply delicious Chardonnay, bright and perfectly varietally correct. Pleasure in the glass.
12. NV Capetta Dolce Asti DOCG ($NA) – Asti wines are sooo underappreciated… They are often dismissed as light and sweet, but the whole point is in the balance. Yes, this wine was sweet, and nevertheless, cleansing acidity was making it impossible to put the glass down until the bottle was empty. Similar to the Lugana wines mentioned above, this wine is a nod to Asti wines as a category that is well worth everyone’s attention.
11. 2021 Domaine Bousquet Virgen Natural Malbec Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina ($13) – Domain Bousquet makes excellent wines, for sure. But this unoaked organic malbec, made without any additional SO2 was unexpectedly delicious. Try it for yourself.
10. 2020/2021 Campochiarenti Sant’ Ambrogio Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (€10) – I had both 2020 and 2021 wines, and couldn’t make up my mind which one do I like more. With or without taking into account an excellent price, this wine offers tremendous value for the money, as I often wish that the wines that cost 10 times more would taste as good as this wine. Another case of pure pleasure in the glass.
9. 1998 Chateau Saint-Nicolas Fronsac AOC ($19.99) – a perfect example of “wine is a living thing”. The wine which tasted like nothing on the first day, evolved into a beauty on the second day. It doesn’t happen always, but hey, give your wine a chance.
8. 2021 La Loggia Toscaia Sangiovese in Bianco Toscana IGT ($14) – I had before white Merlot and white Pinot Noir, but never a white Sangiovese – and this wine didn’t disappoint. It was masquerading a nice Chardonnay – and yet it was delicious in its own unique right.
7. 2019 Sine Qua Non Distenta 1 California White Wine ($150) – big, voluptuous, expressive, delicious. A perfect first experience with the wines of Sine Qua Non.
6. 1999 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley ($30) – delicious wine from a legendary producer. A perfect rendition of the nicely aged Californian Cabernet Sauvignon which will continue to delight for many years, if someone would have enough patience, of course.
5. 2013 Stolpman Vineyards Sangiovese Ballad Canion ($30) – besides the total surprise factor that Stolpman even ever made Sangiovese, this wine tasted perfectly on par with outstanding Chianti that was opened at the same time, just adding a Californian touch to the cherry/leather/tobacco profile. Superb.
4. 2019 Flora Springs Red Wine Blend Napa Valley ($95) – a quintessential Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Bold, voluptuous, unashamed, but impeccably balanced with all components in perfect harmony. A definition of hedonistic pleasure.
3. 2019 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley ($65) – wines of Smith-Madrone are often featured in this blog. Smith-Madrone Cook’s Flat was the wine of the year in 2019. This 2019 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon has such impeccable precision of a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon, varietally correct and incredibly enticing, even coercing you into the nirvana state – yes, this is how good this wine is.
2. 2003 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO Chile ($N/A) – when poured at a table, this is the wine that has the power to stop everyone in their tracks, force them to forget that reality exists, and for a few minutes make everyone to communicate only using nods and smiles. The words are not needed in the presence of such greatness. Tasting this wine was one of the absolutely best experiences of 2023.
1. 2021 Balverne Chardonnay Russian River Valley AVA ($35) – when I tasted this wine for the first time, not only I was blown away, but my first thought was “this will be the wine of the year”. Don’t get me wrong – each and every wine in the top ten of this list would easily qualify for the Talk-a-Vino Wine of the Year position, but still, this wine will stay in my memory for a long time. This wine had a brilliant precision of Chardonnay which doesn’t even let you put your glass down. Truly, you need to experience this wine to share the feeling.
Here you are, my friends. 23 most memorable wines of 2023. Cheers to the new wine discoveries of 2024!
Top Two Dozens of 2022
Year started. The year ended. What happened in between? Lots of things, many of them… well, you know. You live here too.
As it has been a tradition since this blog started, it is time to sum up the year in wines (well, the time was at least a week ago… I know…). The quintessential exercise in pain and pleasure. It gives me great pleasure to relive the great moments enabled and enhanced by all the wonderful wines. It gives me great pain having to decide on what wines should be on this list, and what should be the wine of the year. Lots of great moments, lots of uneasy decisions.
The original thought behind my very first Top Wines list was to come up with the 10 best wines. Even on the first try, I realized that I can’t stay within this limit of 10, and the limit was changed to 12 (hence a Dozen). Next came the realization that even 12 is not enough, and thus for most of the years my lists consist of 2 dozen wines, but even that often is not enough, so the final count can be 25, 26, and even more.
The criteria for inclusion into the Talk-a-Vino top list is simple – the wine has to be memorable. It should be easy to recall when, where, why, and even with whom I shared that wine, and what emotions did the wine solicit.
Oh yes, as I love analyzing the other Top Wine lists, let me give you the stats for the Top Talk-a-Vino wines of 2022. Total of 26 wines, 19 reds, 3 whites, 2 fortified, 1 sparkling, and 1 pink (it is not a Rosé, it is skin contact white). 6 wines are from California, 5 from Spain, 5 from France (interestingly enough, all from Bordeaux), 4 from Italy, 2 from Portugal, 2 from Washington, 1 from Australia, and 1 from New York.
That’s all there is to it. Without much further ado, let’s get to our list:
25. 2020 Field Recordings Domo Arigato Skin Contact Pinot Grigio Central Coast – a stunning concoction, almost magical. 2 of us finished the bottle and said “what just happened? where did this wine go? “. It is elegant, balanced, complex, and magical. Oh yes, I already said that.
24. 2012 Bodegas Excelencia Los Frontones Crianza Sierras de Málaga DO – one of the memorable surprises of the trip to Malaga. I had no idea that Bordeaux varieties can be the main grapes in the winemaking region in Spain – and then there was this beautiful 10-year-old fresh and delicious Bordeaux blend. If you are in Malaga, please ignore the dismissive comments “ahh, it is just local” – this is what you want to drink.
23. 2020 Rosina’s Barbera Hudson River Region New York – I have the good fortune of being invited as a wine judge for the annual Hudson Valley Wine and Spirits competition. This Barbera from New York was dark, smokey, and powerful – and a totally unexpected surprise.
22. 2017 Quinta do Vale Dao DOP Portugal – No matter what Portugal continues to be the spelling for the wine values. This $6.99 red was simply stunning – round, generous, impeccably balanced. In a blind tasting, this wine would easily put to shame many of the $100 bottles. Don’t take my word for it – I dare you to check it for yourself…
21. Bodega Callejuela Oloroso Origen Callejuela Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO – this wine was simply singing from the glass. Sherry might be the most complex wine in the world, and when it is done right, like this fine specimen… Oh boy, that’s lots of pleasure. But then put it next to the charcuterie… And you might think you accidentally made it to heaven…
20. 2018 Turley Tecolote Red Wine Paso Robles – of course everyone knows Turley Zinfandels, but Turley’s prowess extends way beyond that variety. Turley wines are notoriously hard to get, and Tecolote, a Spain-inspired blend of Grenache and Cariñena might be one of the most difficult ones to procure. If you will be lucky enough to come across it, get as many as you can – the lip-smacking voluptuous goodness of this wine is something to be experienced.
19. 2018 Double Lucky #8 Walla Walla Valley – one of the latest Cayuse projects, created under the No Girls line and crafted by Elizabeth Bourcier, was introduced to wine lovers in 2021, in a midst of covid. I found the introductory 2017 to be too powerful and too concentrated, the absolute “liquid rock” rendition. 2018 was surprisingly approachable, definitely powerful but balanced enough to be enjoyable even at this young age.
18. 2017 San Felice Bell’Aja Bolgheri Superiore – A beautiful example of super-Tuscan, with my notes (overdue to be published) saying “beautifully elegant, perfectly layered and scrumptious”. A pure pleasure.
17. 1997 Chateau Montelena Saint Vincent Red Wine Napa Valley – Sangiovese from Napa Valley is always a surprise. The Sangiovese-based blend from Chateau Montelena should count as a double surprise, as this is not the grape the winery is known for. The wine was well-structured and delicious, didn’t disappoint at all.
16. 2016 Hacienda Calavia Reserva Rioja DOC – When you drink good Spanish Rioja while in Spain this shouldn’t be surprising, right? And nevertheless, I was surprised at how unquestionably perfect, unquestionably Riojan this wine was, offering a beauty of the dark berries and cigar box. Clean, assertive, classic, delicious.
15. 2013 Campochiarenti Passione Divina Vini Storiche Toscana IGT – Sunningly beautiful pure Sangiovese from Campochiarenti. If you like Italian wines, especially the Brunello level, I’m sure you experienced that moment when you take a sip of the wine and it literally sends jitters all over your body. The wine that almost affects you on a physical level (no, I’m not talking about being drunk). I don’t know how to properly express it, but again, if you are an Italian wine aficionado, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. And if you are not, then consider becoming one.
14. 2019 Chateau L’Annonciation Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – if you find a classic Bordeaux in a bottle of Bordeaux – should that be surprising? A delicious pop’n’pour classic Bordeaux – should I say more?
13. 2018 Alto Moncayo Veraton Campo de Borja – your palate knows delicious, isn’t it? This wine is as stunning as it is delicious from the moment you pull the cork. Layers of goodness, succulent fruit, perfect amount of tannins to support the structure. If you looking for instant pleasure, this is the wine to open.
12. 2006 Trabucchi d’Illasi Amarone della Valpolicella – Everyone here knows that I love Amarone. But – it doesn’t mean that I love any bottle which says “Amarone” on it. I’m very particular about the balance in Amarone, and this wine delivers everything – dried fruit, fresh fruit, perfect power and perfect acidity. If I could only procure a case (or 5) of this wine…
11. 2019 BARRA of Mendocino Petite Sirah Mendocino – surprise is always a good way to create lasting memories. Petite Sirah is one of my all-time favorites grapes, but more often than not it requires time to be enjoyable, lots and lots of time. This wine was just perfectly ready the moment the cork was pulled out. dark concentrated, layered, well structured, perfectly balanced, and ready to deliver the pleasure on the moment’s notice.
all great wines, but only Petroni made the cut
10. 2010 Petroni Rosso di Sonoma Sonoma Valley – what happens when the Italian makes wine in California out of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon? A super-Californian! This was my last bottle, luckily snatched from WTSO. Beautiful, layered, delicious wine.
9. 2008 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli – well-aged Brunello should be on every wine lover’s “try before you die” list. This was simply an experience, the experience you want to go on and on and on, sip after sip. Pure, unadulterated pleasure.
8. 2007 François Cazin Le Petit Chambord Cour-Cheverny AOC – another case of the “last bottle”. I was slowly depleting my stash of this Loire white, made from the rare grape called Romorantin. Every bottle showed differently over the years, but this one was the ultimate reward. Honey, flowers, and perfectly fresh acidity. Ahhh…
7. 1998 d’Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon High Trellis McLaren Vale – spectacular. Still young, fresh, and loaded with gobs of cassis and cherries. An absolute beauty with much more time left.
6. 1969 Oliveras Cercial Madeira – I now think that Madeira might be the most interesting wine in the world. Think about it – the wine had everything done to it – heat, oxidation, everything. And then when you open it, it is ageless, it is vibrant, it is alive, and it can last forever. If I need one New Year resolution here, it might be “drink more Madeira!”
5. 1998 Château Tournefeuille Lalande-de-Pomerol – what a beauty! This might be a year of the classic Bordeaux for me. Cassis, cassis, more cassis. Layered, round, seductive, and luscious. I’m ready to meet with it again at any time.
4. NV Lanson Le Green Label Organic Champagne – this was my first encounter with Champagne Lanson, and I was duly impressed with precision and finesse. This Green label organic was my favorite, offering a perfect balance of yeast, toasted bread and cleansing acidity – every sip encouraging you to take another. An absolute beauty.
3. 2013 Alban Roussanne Edna Valley – Roussanne might be my favorite white grape (pssst… don’t tell that to Chardonnay and Riesling). Well-made Roussanne offers this round, beautiful, present, silky mouthfeel that no other white grape can. And when this Roussanne is made by the California Rhone Rangers pioneer such as Alban, it becomes an absolute pleasure trip. If you can find this wine – don’t miss it.
2. 1997 Château Haut-Piquat Lussac Saint-Émilion – more stunning Bordeaux. This is the fifth bottle of Bordeaux on this top list, but it is only reminiscent of the year, this was not by intent, but rather a surprising realization. Still perfectly fresh, balanced, firmly structured, and precise. I wish humans would age like this.
Cue in “yes, I did it again”. Because I’m guilty as charged. I didn’t want to take upon myself the burden of decision regarding the top wine, and tossing the coin would be simply not fair to either of the wines. But this is my blog, my rules. hence two #1 wines of 2022. Here we go:
1. 2018 Revelry Vintners Reveler Columbia Valley – I was blown away with my first sip. I think if I will count repetitive words in this post, “precision” would come out on top. And so this was yet another precise, delicious, spot-on, love-at-first-sight Bordeaux blend, powered by Washington’s rocky, lava-laden soil. The word “superb” doesn’t describe this wine.
1. 2020 Abadia Retuerta L’Domaine Ribera Del Duero – I know Abadia Retuerta Ribera del Duero reds, but I never heard of their white wines. My trip to Spain brought this revelation on the last day – this Sauvignon Blanc-based blend was absolutely spectacular – it would well compete with Chablis with its clean acidity, gunflint, firm structure, and pure, refreshing mouthfeel. This wine is absolutely world-class, ready to compete with the best of the best white wines can offer.
Now we are done, my friends. The presentation of Talk-a-Vino Top Wines of 2022 is complete. What were your most memorable wines of 2022? Cheers!
2021 Top Dozen
Here we go – a culmination point of the year in wine. Whatever 2021 was, it had no shortage of amazing, memorable wines.
Yes, my wine experiences were a little skewed, as you will see from the list, but hey, it just happened to be so.
You can click on any and all the wine names below if you want more information about the wines – I’m only offering brief impressions in this post.
Let’s dive into it, shall we?
12. 2018 Lenné Estate Cinq Élus Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton AVA ($85) – Superb Pinot Noir from Oregon. Lots of power, but amazingly balanced now, and has great aging potential. A world-class wine.
11. Osborne Palo Cortado Capuchin VORS ($90?) – This was my favorite sherry from the recent Sherry seminar in New York. Dry fruit, salinity, sapidity, ultra-complex with every little element perfectly in check.
10. 2020 Field Recordings Domo Arigato (Mr. Ramato) Skin Contact Pinot Grigio Central Coast (12% ABV, $25) – I’m a big fan of skin-contact wines (call them orange if you want), and this wine was somehow magical – two of us finished a bottle while talking, and when the bottle was empty, we both shared most sincere amazement – how is that empty? Was someone invisible quietly helping us? Just wow.
9. 2013 Lynmar Estate Chardonnay Russian River Valley (14.5% ABV, $30?) – a perfectly Californian, with a good amount of vanilla and butter, in your face and unapologetic. Beautifully capable to match the mood and deliver what you crave.
8. 2004 Zýmē Kairos Veneto IGT ($NA) – sigh. My last bottle. The closest I got so far to Quintarelli. I opened this bottle to celebrate OTBN (Open That Bottle Night) 2021 – a stunningly beautiful concoction. I’m sure it had at least another 10 years of life left, but hey, no regrets.
7. 2018 Terra Pacem Tempranillo Rogue Valley (14.2% ABV, $34) – This wine spurred a discussion with a fellow wine writer, Jeff Burrows – how should unadulterated Tempranillo taste? Typical Spanish Tempranillo is rarely made without oak. This wine seemed to be pristine and clean, and we agreed that this might perfectly be a textbook Tempranillo example.
6. 2019 Troon Vineyard Estate Syrah Applegate Valley ($35) – Speaking of unadulterated grape expressions – this Syrah was exactly as I always imagine it to be – complex, earthy, and perfectly peppery. Organic, biodynamic, and precise. A pleasure.
5. 2015 Youngberg Hill Vineyards Nicolette’s Select Pinot Noir McMinnville AVA (14.1% ABV, $85) – Pinot Noir overload in the Top Dozen? Impossible. There is never enough of the wines of such pristine beauty. This wine has everything you expect from Pinot Noir – plums, cherries, violets, a firm frame, and finesse, lots of finesse.
4. 2018 Le Cadeau Vineyard Chardonnay Willamette Valley (14.1% ABV, $45) – Le Cadeau was probably the best Oregon Chardonnay I tasted this year, even though deciding on this wine for the Top Dozen list was not simple. It really represents a world-class level of Oregon Chardonnays which now offer outstanding consistency – you can count on vanilla, apples, a hint of honey, and an impeccable balance. A pure joy.
3. 2007 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($NA, $289 for the 2017 vintage) – in a word, amazing. This was California Cabernet Sauvignon which everyone wants to drink. Classic cassis intertwined with hedonistic pleasure.
2. 2011 Gran Enemigo Cabernet Franc Single Vineyard Gualtallary Argentina ($93) – if I would call this wine “bloody brilliant”, would that make me a vampire? Upon opening, this wine was really unmoving. On the second day, this wine was a God’s nectar, bold, concentrated, layered. Incredible.
1. 2019 Battle Creek Cellars Amphora Series Carbonic Red Blend Oregon ($75) – pure, clean, unadulterated pleasure. Oh yes, I already used these words before. You can call me a bad writer, I will be okay with that. But I experienced the joy this wine delivers – and there is a good chance that you did not. Find it, try it – then we will see it an eye to eye.
Here you have it – Talk-a-Vino Top Dozen Wines of 2021.
What were your top wines of 2021?
And Happy New Year 2022!!!
Top Wines of 2021: Second Dozen
And the time has come (drum roll, please) to announce Talk-a-Vino Top Wines of the year 2021.
One of the most exciting and most dreadful posts of the entire year.
It is exciting, as during the preparation I get to re-live the wines of 2021, look through the notes, reflect, and reflect more.
It is dreadful because I don’t like making decisions. Can you decide on your favorite child? Of course not. These are wines, not kids, but still – there are many ways to decide on what makes the wine exciting and what does not, and then trying to sort through the excitements? Dreadful, just dreadful.
But someone has to do it, right?
If you are a regular here on these pages, you know the story. Every year ever since this blog started in 2010, I come up with the list of most memorable, most interesting/unique/unusual/stunning wines I tasted throughout the year. When I started these Top Wine lists, the goal was to identify a dozen (12) of top wines. I was rarely successful with such limitation, and most of the Top wine lists consist of two dozens, a few times there were even two dozens plus a few.
So without further ado, let me present the second dozen (and some) of Top Wines of 2021.
26. Castello di Amorosa Sparkling Grape Juice Red Blend ($14.99) – until I tasted these grape juices from Castello Amorosa, I had no idea that it is possible to create grape juice that would perfectly resemble the wine, only without alcohol. I tasted 3 different juices from Castello Amorosa, all 3 were a pure delight – I liked this sparkling juice red blend just a hair more than the two others.
25. 2013 Fero Vineyards Saperavi Pennsylvania ($25?) – This was the only bottle of “Georgian” grape I could open to accompany an impromptu Georgian dish we had for dinner. Exceeding any of my anticipations, this wine evolved to be perfectly delicious, and it elevated our dining experience akin to the glove perfectly fitting the hand.
24. 2020 Tenuta Gorghi Tondi Midor Catarratto Sicilia DOC ($12) – Ancient grapes make delicious wines – Catarrato or Lucido, you can’t go wrong with this invigorating white from Sicily.
23. 2014 Oscar Tobia Rioja Reserva ($20) – if you are as conservative as I am when it comes to what Rioja do you drink, remember this name. Perfect delight in the classic style – if you have a Rioja craving, this wine will deliver. This was our go-to wine during a week in Cancun, and it didn’t fail us.
22. 2018 Knotty Vines Cabernet Sauvignon California ($10) – simple is beautiful. This is the first entry in the Top list from the Oregon trip in August (but so ohh not the last). Delightful California Cabernet Sauvignon at $10 or so is not something which should be even possible – and nevertheless, here is this wine. If you will have an opportunity – give it try. Definitely a case buy.
21. 2020 Troon Vineyard Kubli Bench Pet tanNat Applegate Valley ($35) – this wine has an energy of the tight rope, or maybe a guitar string should be a better analogy. As clean and vibrant sparkling as they get – ignore the petNat part, this wine is a serious game.
20. 2015 Imperial Reserva Rioja DOCa ($50) – a beauty such as Imperial Reserva Rioja can easily be anywhere on the list. Anywhere. But on the Top list, as this is top wine in its core.
19. 2019 Troon Vineyard Siskiyou Estate Syrah Applegate Valley ($50) – I’m a big fan of Syrah, and this Syrah is as pure as they get. Clean pepper and underbrush, clean and unadulterated. If you like cold-climate Syrah, this is just pure pleasure.
18. 2013 Montecillo Rioja Reserva DOC ($40 for 1.5L) – Rioja overload? This is not even remotely possible. If you love Rioja, this is yet another beautiful rendition.
17. 2015 Becker Vineyards Claret Les Trois Dames Texas ($14.99) – you never know what you can find in the local store. This wine was at its peak and absolutely mind-boggling in its Claret beauty.
16. NV Keush Origins Brut Methode Traditionelle Armenia ($25.99) – Armenia winemaking might be one of the oldest in the world, but this is modern, clean, and very well-made, world-class, sparkling wine.
15. 2018 Bodegas Muga Flor de Muga Blanco D.O.Ca. Rioja ($50) – Another Rioja!!!! Okay, this time it is at least white. Rioja is not only red, and some of the Rioja whites can be quite memorable – like this one from the classic producer.
14. 2019 Field Recordings Festa Beato Farms Vineyard El Pomar District ($25, 100% Touriga Nacional) – aromas that can transport and transform. Amazing wild strawberries and meadows aromatics. A perfect rendition of one of my most favorite grapes.
13. 1998 Reverie Special Reserve Diamond Mountain ($NA, blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot, aged in 100% new small French oak barrels) – they don’t make them like that anymore. This is sad, but a true statement – this winery doesn’t exist anymore – but this 23-year-old wine was a pure delight, as good as aged California Claret can be.
And now we reached the end of the presentation of the second dozen to Talk-a-Vino Top WInes of 2021. Top Dozen presentation coming soon and it will be …. well, you will have to wait. Cheers!
Fun With Numbers – Analyzing 2021 Top 100 Lists
Whoosh…
It is the last month of the year already – do you believe it? There are very few facts left in this life – time moving in one direction is still one of them.
The arrival of December means that it is the time to look back at the year which is about to bid adieu, and reflect. For example, on all the wines, good and bad ones. And maybe rate them, right?
I know that many of the true wine aficionados scoff at the bare idea of the wine ratings, especially those coming from major wine publications – I’m not talking about wine collectors who live and die by those. Top wine lists are usually equally ignored by those passionate wine lovers. I, however, appreciate all of the scores and top lists as a reference – and also the numbers I can play with.
At this point, all major wine publications produced their Top 100 wine lists – some even multiple Top 100 lists, such as James Suckling with Top 100 wines of Chile, France, Spain, New Zealand, and all other major winemaking regions… That means a lot of numbers to digest and dissect – not something I can pass. I set out to waste spend a good amount of time to convert Top 100 lists from James Suckling, Wine Enthusiast, and Wine Spectator from all the different formats into a set of excel files which then can be compared – and now I can report on my findings.
As I already mentioned, there are multitudes of Top 100 lists available from these wine publications – for this analysis, I used the Top 100 lists from Suckling and Wine Spectator, and Top 100 Cellar Selections from Wine Enthusiast – this one is the best match for the two other lists, unlike The Enthusiast 100 or 100 best buys. All the lists are produced based on the rating of more than 20,000 wines by each publication during 2021 (25,000 by James Suckling and 22,000 by Wine Enthusiast). Some publications also considered wine production volume and availability as an important decision factor.
Wine of the Year
Let’s start with the Top wine of 2021. It is interesting that out of these 3 top wines, 2 were whites – not something you see very often, but at least both whites were Chardonnays. James Suckling’s Top wine of 2021 was the 2020 Kumeu River Chardonnay Kumeu Mate’s Vineyard New Zealand (JS100, $73). Wine Enthusiast Top wine of 2021 was the 2018 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Charodnnay Carneros (WE100, $70). Lastly, the Wine Spectator Top wine of 2021 was the 2018 Dominus Estate Napa Valley (WS97, $269). Whether you like it or not, but Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon clearly ruled the world in 2021…
Regions
In all three top lists, there was somewhat lesser diversity than in the lists from last year – 4 countries/regions present in the 2020 lists were absent in 2021. Here is the summary for you in the form of the table:
| Region | JS | WS | WE |
| Argentina | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Australia | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Austria | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| California | 18 | 24 | 20 |
| Canada | |||
| Chile | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| France | 22 | 17 | 25 |
| Germany | 12 | 2 | 4 |
| Greece | |||
| Hungary | 1 | 1 | |
| Israel | |||
| Italy | 15 | 23 | 17 |
| New York | 1 | 1 | |
| New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Portugal | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Spain | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Uruguay | |||
| Washington | 1 | 4 | 5 |
I purposefully didn’t remove the countries from last year’s lists so it is easy to see which are missing. Overall, there were not too many surprises. The US, France, and Italy dominated all 3 lists. It is interesting to note a good number of wines from Portugal in the Wine Enthusiast list, as well as good showing by Oregon and Washington in Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator lists. The biggest surprise for me might be a relative weakness of Chile’s presence across lists and literally negligible showing by South African wines.
Wine Types
I don’t believe I paid much attention to the types of wines on the Top 100 lists last year – I built a comparison table though this year:
| Type | JS | WS | WE |
| Dessert | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Red | 72 | 65 | 72 |
| Rosé | 2 | ||
| Sparkling | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| White | 23 | 27 | 17 |
I classified all wines as dessert, red, Rosé, sparkling, and white. Port and sweet Riesling wines (BA etc.) were classified as dessert. As you can see, red wines rule the world. While the Wine Enthusiast list includes no Rosé, at least it has a good showing of dessert and sparkling wines, which makes perfect sense. I honestly believe we should see more of the Rosé wines in the Top 100 lists, but oh well… Also wondering when we are going to see skin-fermented wines on the Top 100 lists – unless I missed something this year.
Ratings
Ratings this year are radically contrasting between different lists. James Suckling’s list doesn’t have any wines with ratings less than 98. And Wine Spectator’s list has no wines with 100 ratings, only one wine with 99 rating, but 12 wines with the rating of 90:
| Rating | JS | WS | WE |
| 100 | 25 | 9 | |
| 99 | 45 | 1 | 7 |
| 98 | 30 | 3 | 10 |
| 97 | 6 | 12 | |
| 96 | 2 | 17 | |
| 95 | 18 | 12 | |
| 94 | 14 | 17 | |
| 93 | 14 | 10 | |
| 92 | 10 | 5 | |
| 91 | 20 | 1 | |
| 90 | 12 |
Both James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast lists have a substantial showing of 100-rated wines – either the wines are getting better and better, or the critics are getting more and more lenient – still, 25 wines with 100 rating is very impressive.
Prices
This might be one of the most interesting and most irrelevant parts of the top 100 wine lists information – and analysis. It is interesting because of course, wine aficionados what to know “how much”. It is irrelevant because the majority of these wines can’t be acquired due to limited availability and high demand – everyone wants to drink “best wines”. Nevertheless, let’s talk about prices.
The wines on James Suckling’s list are ranging from $1,723 per bottle (most expensive) to $24 for the least expensive. Only 45 wines are priced at less than $100. You will need to spend whopping $23,595 to acquire all 100 top wines and $2,108 on the Top 10 wines. It is important to note that prices are not included on the James Suckling Top 100 list – each wine has a link to the wine-searcher page which lists the price according to the wine-searcher’s algorithm.
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 list wines are priced from $780 to $20. 65 wines cost less than $100, and 28 wines are less than $50. You will need to spend $11,061 to acquire all Top 100 wines and $1,047 on the Top 10. Wine prices are included on the Wine Enthusiast list, but I’m not sure how they were sourced, as some of the wines are priced at $222 or $343, which can’t be MSRP pricing.
Wine Spectator’s list happens to be the least expensive overall, with only $6,194 needed to acquire all top 100 wines. Top 10 will set you back by $1,444. The wines are ranging in price from $309 to $13. 85 wines are priced at less than $100, and 68 wines are less than $50.
Conclusion
I hope you are having as much fun looking through all the data as I had compiling it. There is nothing to be concluded from this exercise, but I find it fun. If you think there is any other data you would like to see as part of this analysis – I will be happy to oblige.
Enjoy!
Retrospective: 11 Years of Top Wines
While I was working on the Top Wines list of 2020, it almost hit me – 2020 was the 11th year the list of the top wine experiences of the year was produced.
In every Top Wines post, I make an effort to explain my approach to the creation of the top wines list – it is all based on emotions solicited by the wine. The easier it is to recall the wine and relive the moment, the better it is.
I often state that the order of the wines is not so important (this is how I want it to be, but it is usually not the case – the order has meaning) – with the exception of wine #1. Wine #1, the Top Wine of the Year, is always the most memorable. For a few years, I even had difficulties deciding on just one top wine, so I had multiples of wine #1. Strange, I know – but I always have a simple excuse – this is my blog…
All of the Top Wines lists can be found via the Top Wine Ratings menu on the top of this page. However, what do you think of taking a look at the top wines from these past 11 years, just for fun? I would like to enjoy those memories again – and see if I still have them as vivid as I like to think. Let’s see:
2010:
2007 Mara Laughlin Road Ranch Pinot Noir Russian River Valley ($45) – I can attest that this was one of the best California Pinot Noirs I ever tasted. I still have a bottle each of Mara Pinot Noir 2007 and 2008 (2008 was a complete opposite to 2007, very lean and green) – should make it for an interesting evening one day.
2011:
2010 Fiction Red Wine Paso Robles by Field Recordings ($20) – this was my first discovery of the Field Recordings wines, and that Fiction was unbeatable, it offered an incredible experience. I also loved the label and the story on the back label of that wine, which, unfortunately, disappeared in the later vintages.
2012:
2010 Antica Terra Phantasi Oregon White Wine ($100, Magnum price in the restaurant) – Definitely a memorable wine, a blend of Rhone varieties – I can close my eyes and imagine the taste of this wine in my mouth. While this is one of the most memorable Top wines, the wine in the second place was not any less memorable – 1947 Rioja Imperial. Also, it appears that I didn’t even include another wine from the same dinner when we experienced the Phantasi, 1998 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon in the Top Dozen list, which is a huge oversight…
2013:
1970 Quevedo White Port – tasting 43 years old elixir together with the winemaker, in the old cellar, directly from the barrel? It rarely gets any more memorable than that.
2014:
1966 Louis M. Martini California Mountain Pinot Noir ($NA) – I found this bottle at the store in Chicago. As this is my birth year, I couldn’t resist getting this bottle for a whopping $25. To my absolute surprise, the wine was perfectly drinkable and delicious. And the label is just purely nostalgic…
2015:
2011 Emiliana Coyam Colchagua Valley Chile ($35) – ordered this wine at the restaurant without any knowledge, mostly going by the price – OMG. This is one delicious wine.
2016:
2002 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne ($230) – one of the most memorable top wines. While I loved the taste, I could smell this wine indefinitely. Really, I have no need in drinking it, but I can’t let go of the aroma…
2017:
1982 Olga Raffault “Les Picasses” Chinon Loire ($85?) – this was unquestionably great – one of my most favorite grape varieties (Cab Franc), legendary vintage (at least in Bordeaux), great producer. The sad part? This is one of the few “Wine of the Year” wines I can’t recall the sensation of taste, smell, or the setting …
2018:
2008 Zenato “Sergio Zenato” Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG ($100) – Amarone is one of my most favorite wines in general – but I have exactly the same issue here as with the Olga Raffault – no detailed memories. I’m sure it was a good wine as it made it to the alternative #1 winner.
2013 Three Wine Company Suscol Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Block 5 Napa Valley ($60) – One of the very best Cabernet Sauvignon I ever tasted. We had this wine during tasting dinner at the restaurant during one of our traditional “adult getaways”. This was round and supremely delicious.
2019:
2013 Smith-Madrone Cook’s Flat Reserve Spring Mountain ($225) – Smith-Madrone makes beautiful wines. This wine can be described in one word – Pure. Pure indulgence, and pure, unadulterated pleasure.
2016 Tara Red Wine 2 Syrah Atacama Chile ($40) – I have a sad habit of not being able to write a post after a great winemaker dinner, as was the case with Tara wines. Magnificent Syrah, coming from the vineyards which in reality shouldn’t have existed because of the incredible salinity of the soil. As I say in such cases, this is the wine to be experienced.
2017 Peju Province Winery The Experiment Napa Valley ($100) – a prolific Napa Valley jewel. Power and balance, or balance and power – whatever description suits you more.
2020:
1999 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ($NA) – Meditazione vino. The whole group meditated over this wine, as it was simply a gift from gods. Incredible. If wine is not “just another beverage” to you, you would understand. And I wish for you to experience meditazione vino at least once in your life…
Here we are – 11 years of top wines. This was definitely an interesting exercise – while I enjoyed recalling each and every one of these wines, this was also a great opportunity to think about my Top Wines process. I’m reasonably pleased with top wine selections during these years, but ideally, I would like to do better – every wine on such a list should solicit a memory and an emotion. Oh well, we should call this “the room for improvement”, right? Cheers, my friends!
Top 20 of 2020
It is that special time of the year. Time to reflect. Time to conclude. Time to decide. It is Top Wines of The Year time.
I happily engaged in this Top Wine selection process for the past 10 years. What is a better way to reflect on your year in wines than thinking about all the wine experiences of the year, and deciding on the most memorable ones? Good wine should solicit an emotion – this is the main criteria for the wine to be included in this top list. The wine should be memorable, one way or the other, even if it was not the highest-rated wine of the year. If I can easily re-live the moment of tasting the wine, then the wine belongs to the top list.
Making decisions is not my forte in general. Making decisions about wines is even worse – a real pain. When I created my very first Top List in 2010, I wanted to create a Top 10 list. I quickly realized that Top 10 is not going to happen, then the Top Dozen was born. 2010 and 2011 both had a single Top Dozen list, actually consisting of 12 wines. In 2012, I realized that I can’t fit into one dozen anymore, the two dozen lists were born. In some years, even the 2 dozens were not enough and the lists were reaching 25, 26, and even 27 wines.
2020 presented truly a unique challenge. Every year until 2020, there were many opportunities to find the wines worth inclusion into the top wines lists – dinners with friends, samples, trade tastings, dinners with winemakers, and of course, all the wines casually consumed at home. 2020 completely changed that, and outside a few of the dinners with friends and trade tastings at the beginning of the year, the only sources of the wine experiences were a few samples and wines opened at home. As the end result, I was unable to come up with two dozens of wines for the top wines list. However, I still had more than a dozen wines that I really enjoyed and which would be easy to remember. Thus a compromise was needed, so the Top 20 seemed to be just the right number for the best wine experiences of 2020.
Without further ado, let me present to you the Top 20 of 2020.
20. 2016 Shelter Winery Spätburgunder Baden ($28) – While Germany has 3rd largest plantings of Pinot Noir in the world (which was a total surprise for me), I didn’t encounter an enjoyable German Pinot Noir yet – until this wine, which was classically old world, perfectly drinkable and enjoyable.
19. 1997 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($NA) – Twenty three years is a good amount of time to render many wines non-drinkable. This, however, was a delicious California Cabernet in its prime. This wine could still evolve for a few more years, and it supported quite an enjoyable evening.
18. 2017 Shiloh Secret Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) – Israeli wines are underappreciated by wine lovers – maybe it is for the better for those of us who already discovered them? A classic Cabernet Sauvignon, with cassis and eucalyptus, just as you want your Cab to be, and perfectly balanced. Balance in the wine is a canvas for pleasure and this wine fully delivered.
17. 2006 Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera Del Duero ($25) – One of the perennial favorites. This is one of the introductory level wines from the Emilio Moro universe, showing no signs of aging at the 14 years mark. Superb fresh fruit with a dark core of herbs. Drink Ribera del Duero wines, my friends.
16. 1998 d’Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon High Trellis McLaren Vale ($19 @ BWG) – First, I have the utmost respect for d’Arenberg wines – great producer. Second, I’m always on the lookout for the wines from the 1998 vintage, as this year is special in my book (birth year of my son). Third – when you see d’Arenberg 1998 wine at $19 at the Benchmark Wine website, you just grab it instantly. Fourth – you open the bottle, say “ahh” and enjoy it. The wine was perfectly delicious, still young, fresh, and memorable.
15. 2018 Cecchi Sangiovese Toscana IGT ($12) – This wine was just a revelation. While Cecchi offers a great range of Sangiovese-based wines, with different levels of power and complexity, this simplest bottling brought literally an unexpected joy of the unadulterated beauty of Sangiovese, an open wine with the perfect balance of fruit and acidity. A memorable simplicity.
14. 2017 Alit Pinot Noir Willamette Valley ($33.64 | $18.50 Alit Collective) – Polygons. Basalts. Volcanic soils. Site-specific wines even if the whole site is only two and a half rows of vines. Alit, together with its sibling Rose and Arrow, are on the quest to discover the Oregon Grand Crus, and I’m happy I was able to join that quest. The wine is a quintessential Oregon Pinot Noir. Try it for yourself.
13. 2016 Château Vincens Prestige Cahors ($13.99) – I guess 2020 was my year of rediscovering Malbec, from both new and old worlds. This wine was simply spectacular, an unmistakable old-world jewel, magically transporting you to the old cellar, holding hundreds of years of tradition. Pure pleasure.
12. 2017 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles Paso Robles ($10) – Respect. Erich Russel bottled this wine in the spring of this year, under the first, crazy quarantine, while the world was crumbling and nobody knew what to do. He bottled the wine so people would have something to drink. This might be the best damn $10 wine the money can buy. And without any regard to price, this is simply delicious, approachable, perfectly balanced Californian wine, ready to drink from the moment you pull the cork. Thank you, Erich.
11. 2016 Campochiarenti San Nicola Chianti Colli Senesi (€11) – I tasted this wine for the first time during an amazing night of Gran Selezione Chiantis and Brunellos, so I was not impressed at all and couldn’t understand everyone’s rave. A few months later, I had a sip of this wine, and my instant reaction was “oh my god”, that is stunning. Beautiful, generous, succulent Italian wine – the price is great, but the qualities of this wine extend well past any price category.
10. 2016 Domaine Anderson Estate Chardonnay Anderson Valley California ($40) – A brilliant wine. The Chardonnay done perfectly right – just the right amount of apple and vanilla, on a beautiful core of acidity. Powerful, delicious, and utterly balanced – one of the very best California Chardonnays I ever tasted.
9. 2013 Cecchi Coevo Toscana IGT ($129.99) – I tasted this spectacular wine during lunch with Andrea and Giulia Cecchi in New York City at the beginning of the year. There was some wine left in the bottle, which I was generously offered to take home – I gladly obliged. In the evening, we went to see friends, and after a few bottles of random simple wines, mostly from California, we poured Coevo. Upon the first sip, my friend’s reaction was priceless – “huh, why you didn’t tell us that brought serious wine” was the question. The depth and complexity of this wine are simply superb.
8. 2018 Landmark Vineyards Overlook Chardonnay Sonoma County ($27) – Another perfect California Chardonnay score. It is similar to Domaine Anderson with maybe a bit more power, but still perfectly balanced and fresh. Pure pleasure.
7. 2016 Pedra Cancela Selecção do Enólogo Dão Portugal ($10) – I discovered this wine during the Dão wine dinner at the beginning of the year. Portuguese wines are famously inexpensive, but QPR on this wine is just mind-boggling. This wine is hard to find in the US, but if you will be able to find it, I guarantee you an incredible amount of pleasure per dollar.
6. 2019 Mythic Mountain Malbec Rosé Mendoza Argentina ($11.99) – another delicious discovery of this year. Fragrant, effervescent, end elegant, this Malbec Rosé definitely exceeded my expectations. Outstanding QPR, and yes, I’m repeating myself – pure pleasure.
5. 2018 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc Chile ($19.99) – Some years ago I discovered Italian Sauvignon Blanc wines from Gaja and Ornellaia, which were superb, rather unexpectedly. This Ritual Sauvignon Blanc carries a similar level of surprise. It doesn’t have any of the grapefruit or sweet lemon notes but offers instead a touch of butter, and crisp, mineral elegance. If Italian Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t work for you, think Cloudy Bay from New Zealand. Yep, that good and that different.
4. 2016 Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($40) – a California in the bottle. Imagine a powerful, fruit-forward Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, loaded with cassis, eucalyptus, mint, layered, silky smooth, and incredibly seductive, not leaving you a chance to resist its charm. Got the image? Now imagine that this California Cab is just freshly released. What are your chances of enjoying it as soon as you will open the bottle? Quite low, right? It is rather expected that after the first sip you will put it aside with the words “it needs to breath”, or you might reach out for a decanter. Now, imagine the perfectly seductive California Cab without the need to wait even a moment, just sip and enjoy. Yep, that would be this bottling of Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon. Perfect from the get-go.
3. 2008 Cantine Lonardo Coste Taurasi DOCG ($NA) – If the previous wine was quintessentially California, this wine was quintessentially Italian. I have no idea how I came in possession of this bottle, so I had no expectations when I brought this bottle to Cape Cod during summer to enjoy with the family during the visit. Wow. “Mind-blowing” doesn’t even describe it. the combination of fresh cherries, tobacco, leather, cherry pit, supremely balanced – everything you might want in Italian wine was present in this bottle. An absolute wow.
2. 2011 Cayuse Syrah En Cerise Vineyard Walla Walla Valley ($130) – Power. Raw power. Granite. I imagine this is how liquified granite tastes. The wine of impeccable finesse and pleasure, but also an incredible power. This wine is a beast, but it is a well-tamed beast. Did you see the movie “Venom”? Yep, that type of beast.
1. 1999 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ($NA) – And then there are wines which can make the whole room go quiet. Meditazione. Yes, it is an Italian word, same as the wine, but I’m sure you don’t need a translation. Once we were done sniffing this wine, which took good five minutes, everyone got quiet and lost in thoughts. A meditation wine. Wine of next level. The wine that instantly becomes an experience. Forever. There is no way I can describe it. As we are about to celebrate the New Year, I can only wish that you will be able able to experience it.
And we are done here – the presentation of the Top 20 of 2020 is now finished. What were your top highlights of the year?
Top Wines of 2019
And now, it is the time for the Talk-a-Vino Top Wines of 2019. In a bit of broken logic, most of the explanations to the Top Wines list can be found in the 2019 Second Dozen post – here we are continuing where we stopped before – from the wine #12 all the way to the wine #1 – or, maybe, it is wines?
12. 2015 Field Recordings Foeder Old Portero Vineyard Arroyo Grande Valley ($32) – we started the second dozen with the Field Recordings Cabernet Sauvignon (in the can). By the pure accident (feel free not to believe me, but I just realized what happened as I started to write this post), we open the Top list with another wine from the Field Recordings. This wine is a blend of 50% Syrah, 35% Zinfandel, and 15% Mourvèvedre. In the best traditions of the Field Recordings wines, the aromatics of this wine are simply stunning – luscious, dense and layered liquid can make one salivate just at a thought of it.
11. Channing Daughters “Orange” style wines Long Island, New York ($25 – $42) – here comes trouble – it is not one wine, it is actually 5 of them. We visited Channing Daughters Winery on the South Fork of Long Island in October, and our host, Steve, was kind enough to run our group through the most of the Channing Daughters’ portfolio. The winery makes 5 “orange” wines – Ramato, Ribolla Gialla, Research Bianco, Meditazione and The Envelope – each wine is stunning in its own right. These wines might not be crowd-pleasers, but if you are seriously into the wines, or identify as a wine geek, these are the wines to seek.
10. 2017 Knudsen Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve Dundee Hills Willamette Valley ($70) – Knudsen Vineyards is one of my most favorite producers in Oregon. I had the pleasure of tasting Knudsen wines from the last three vintages, and outside of the fact that these are textbook Oregon Pinot Noir, dark, powerful, and concentrated, I love to see the progression. As the vines are aging, the wine gains a bit more complexity, year after year. These are the wines to watch, for sure.
9. 2005 Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatory Metodo Classico Trento ($140) – One of the very best sparkling wine producers in the world, Champagne included. Giulio Ferrari is just a perfection of the vintage sparkling wines – beautifully complex and perfectly fresh and bright at the same time. No, this is not the wine for everyday consumption (unless you have an expense account and then I beg your pardon), but next time you want to celebrate something in your life, maybe skip the obvious (move over, Dom Perignon) and try to find this bottle.
8. 1995 Navarro Correas Coleccion Privada Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza ($15) – a total surprise of the tasting – an unknown (to me, at least) 24 years old red wine, showing no age and perfectly presenting itself as a varietally correct Cabernet Sauvignon. It definitely makes me want to try a current vintage.
7. 2018 Tenuta Ammiraglia Alìe Rosé Toscana IGT ($20) – delicious wine, presented in a beautiful setting (check the link). Rosé is made everywhere, but this wine definitely stands apart is perfectly memorable. Special bottle and special glass make the wine ever more enjoyable, but then the wine itself has a perfect combination of beauty and presence, and easily get stuck in your head.
6. 2006 Jermann Vintage Tunina Venezia Giulia IGT ($60) – Not all white wines can age with grace. This wine was a perfect example of white wine that can age. It only gained complexity, this bouquet of apricot, apricot pit, vanilla, and spices, all wrapped in a tight and almost a full-bodied package. I can close my eyes and imagine the taste of this wine in my mouth – not a simple fit.
5. 2015 Bodegas LAN Xtrème Ecológico Crianza Rioja DOC ($15) – I love Rioja. At the same time, I’m very particular about the Rioja and what I like and what I don’t like – the word “Rioja” on the label doesn’t mean anything to me unless I know the producer – or I’m willing to give a new wine a try. While I know of Bodegas LAN, I never heard of Xtrème, and I never tasted before Rioja made with organic grapes. This wine was almost a revelation, it had everything I like about Rioja, with the lip-smacking acidity, fresh cherries, and cigar box, but it also had layers and layers of delight. Great wine, and at a price you will be really challenged to find something which would taste better.
4. 2018 Regueirón Éntoma Godello Valdeorras DO ($50+) – lately, I find myself using the expression “beyond categories” more often. I can’t find a better way to present this wine, as it is truly in a league of its own. This is one of the single-vineyard wines from the new project of Victor Urrutia of CVNE fame. This tiny production Godello presents itself as a grand cru Chablis, with the gunflint, minerality and all of the classic Chardonnay characteristics – but it also has an energy of the tightly wound spring, ready to jump out of your hand. It will not be easy to find this wine, but boy, if you will, you are into lots of pleasure.
3. “This line was intentionally left void” – keep reading, you will see why.
2. “This line was intentionally left void” – see below:
This year I have a problem [again]. I can’t decide on wine #1. Below are my three top wines – interestingly enough, even those three had a “sibling” contender which could literally take their spot. At the rate the wine is evolving around the world, it might be even more difficult to decide on the top wine in the coming years. But you know what? I will gladly accept the challenge. For now – here are the three top wines of 2019:
1. 2013 Smith-Madrone Cook’s Flat Reserve Spring Mountain ($225) – this might be how you spell “phenomenal”. This wine was a pure pleasure. Pure, hedonistic, unadulterated pleasure. This is the wine at the level of magic – you take a sip, you whisper “wow”, you quietly reflect on what is happening, immersing into the moment. Then you take another sip and repeat. Yes, magic.
1. 2016 Tara Red Wine 2 Syrah Atacama Chile ($40) – this wine should be experienced to believe it. This is the wine from the place where the vine is not supposed to grow. Atacama desert. Nevermind the desert. But the salinity of the soil is such that nothing should be growing there. But these vines do. And these 6 years old vines (vineyard planted in 2010) produce the wines of complexity which requires no oak (the wine was not aged in oak) to stop you in your tracks after the first sip. A textbook (ohh, sorry, I like this word a little too much, I know… but still) Syrah – pepper, dark fruit medley, lavender. Seriously, this is one incredible wine.
1. 2017 Peju Province Winery The Experiment Napa Valley ($100) – talk about mindblowing. There is something in the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I already talked about magic in this post, and maybe it simply appears so for my palate – but the perfection of this wine is nothing short of “wow”. Again “textbook”? Yes, you can say so. Black currant, licorice, a touch of mint. The fruit is succulent, and it appears in full harmony with tannins and acidity. Balance, balance, balance. This wine is truly unique as it is 2 years old, aged in the new oak – and nevertheless, is perfectly drinkable from the get-go. Did I say “wow” already?
Here you are – the presentation of the Talk-a-Vino Top Wines of 2019 is now complete.
What were your most memorable wines of 2019? Embrace the power of happy thoughts… Cheers!
Top Wines of 2019 – Second Dozen
Ahh, the end of the year. Quiet time (I wish). Time to reflect on the year which is about to become history. Particularly, it is the time for the Top Wines of the year 2019 to be re-lived, re-enjoyed, and shared.
This is the 10th annual Talk-a-Vino Top Wines list, and I have to say that the selection process is not getting any easier – if anything, it is getting more and more difficult to decide on the top wine (hence I had two #1 wines last year).
I never attempt to count how many wines I taste throughout the year. My rough estimate is between 500 and 700 wines, considering all the wines I drink at home, all the samples, and all the tastings I manage to attend during the year. The top list represents the wines which are easily come to mind with the help of notes, label journals or just stuck in the memory as an unforgettable experience. Yes, I’m sure amazing wines will be left outside of this list, but I really have no way of helping it.
For most of the Top lists, I’m not even trying to stick with just a dozen wines – that would be mission impossible. This is the reason behind the second dozen and top dozen posts. Also, while I always say that the order of the top wines is not important, it is not exactly true, for sure in the top wines selection. I’m always happy to include a variety of wines in the Top list, in terms of countries, wine types, prices, styles and so on, but all of these come secondary to the main criteria – the wine must be memorable. And maybe even bring a smile to my face as I get to re-live the happy moment.
Okay, I’m done with all the explanations. Without further ado, let’s get to it. The second dozen of Top Wines 2019:
24. 2018 Field Recordings Cabernet Sauvignon Special Release Santa Ynez ($12, 375 ml can) – yes, you are correct – it is the wine in the can. Feel free to stop reading and pledge not to open any of my posts in the future. No, this wine is not included here to be fashionable and appeal to the can-boasting Millenials. This is simply a good wine. What makes it memorable? This wine is made using beer stout starter yeast, and as Field Recordings’ winemaker Andrew Jones explains, the wine shows “crazy good chocolate character wrapped around dark cherries and blackberries” – and I have to agree. Delicious.
23. 2011 Michel Chapoutier Tournon Mathilda Shiraz Victoria, Australia ($14.99) – the pepper is back! I fell in love with this wine after tasting beautifully clean black pepper and spices, back in 2014 (it was wine #4 on my 2014 Top Dozen list). Then pepper mysteriously disappeared, and the wine became blah. It was a joyous moment finding that pepper returned on my last bottle. I share my frustration in the post which is available via the link, but in any case – this was a perfect sip.
22. 2015 Leone de Castris 50° Vendemmia Salice Salentino Riserva DOC ($12) – Generocity of this $12 wine is beyond categories – layers and layers of silky, velvety fruit, weaved on the structure of power. While Californian wine would have a different flavor profile, the wine of the same richness and power will set you back probably ten-fold if not more. Incredible value.
21. 2015 Alfredo Dried Grape Shiraz Nugan Estate South Australia (€20) – Bring on the dried grapes! First I saw the description of this Amarone-like Shiraz, and as I love Amarone as well as any other appassimento-style wines, I had to try it – and the wine didn’t disappoint. Elegant, concentrated Syrah flavor with an additional hint of dried fruit – what’s not to like?
20. Salem Oak Vineyards Brandon Jae New Jersey ($20, Cabernet Franc) – This wine was a star of a delicious, albeit spontaneous tasting at the Salem Oak winery in New Jersey. I was looking for a simple checkmark that I visited a winery in yet another one of 50 winemaking states int he USA. What I found was humble and delicious, world-class, personable wines – at Salem Oak, every wine label tells a story. This Cabernet Franc was a pure, varietally-correct, stand out – the wine to remember.
19. 2015 Mosmieri Saperavi Kakheti Georgia ($16) – Georgian Saperavi is one of my pet peeves and all-time favorites. However, Mosmieri pushed the bar a notch above – with Rhone-like, spicy, earthy and dense rendition. Are you seeking Georgian wines yet?
18. 2017 Le Cadeau Diversité Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley ($50) – Pinot Noir supreme. Oregon Pinot Noir is in the class of its own, and Le Cadeau is clearly in front of this class. A beautiful rendition of the grape which Oregon made its star.
17. 2017 Oceano Chardonnay Spanish Springs Vineyard San Luis Obispo County ($38) – in a word, perfect. I smile just at a thought of this Chardonnay. Even the bottle itself is a pleasure to hold. An elegant and powerful rendition of the Chardonnay which doesn’t want to be shy – yes, I’m Chardonnay, I’m beautiful, and I know it. Vanilla, butter, acidity – a full, delicious package.
16. 1990 Dom Ruinart Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne (~$300) – age is just a number. Don’t take my word for it – well, I can’t suggest that you should find a bottle of this Champagne, that would be rather cruel – so unless you have one in your cellar, my word would be it. But, in a word, this was superb vintage Champagne – still fresh, elegant, beautifully balanced, fine fizz. Age is just a number, when the wine is made well.
15. 1995 Estancia Meritage Alexander Valley ($35) – another perfect example of age just being a number – a supremely delicious Bordeaux blend, showing literally no age. Sadly, this wine no longer produced (Estancia still makes Meritage, but from Paso Robles and not from Sonoma) so you need to check the sites such as Benchmark Wine Company if you would like to experience the beauty of this California made Bordeaux-style blend.
14. 2011/2015 Smith-Madrone Riesling Spring Mountain District Napa Valley ($32) – unlike wine number 16, these wines are freely available (at least the current vintage, 2016), so if you want to try the best Riesling made in the USA, go get it. Does this sound like a bold claim? Maybe it does, but if your hallmark of Riesling excellence is Grosset Polish Hill Clare Valley in Australia, then you will easily understand me. If you like Riesling, this is the wine you need to ask for by name. Yes, now.
13. 2011 L’Ecole no 41 Estate Ferguson Vineyard Walla Walla Valley ($65, 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc) – Ferguson is the newest region in the Walla Walla, producing powerful and concentrated wines, and I was unable to understand the appeal of this region until I tried this 2011 Bordeaux blend – it was layered, it was structured, and it was ready to drink. A stunning example of the power of terroir.
This now concludes the presentation of the second dozen of the Talk-a-Vino Top Wines of 2019. The first dozen post will follow shortly. Cheers!
The Curse and Mystery Of The Top 100 Wine Lists
Lists and numbers – who doesn’t like that? We, humans, are all about lists, we like to sort things out – to-do lists, shopping lists, “best” lists, “best of the best ” lists, Top 10 lists, Top 100 lists. No area of people’s interest is immune to the lists – and of course, the world of wine is no exception – come to the end of the year, and you are guaranteed to see lists and lists of the lists, ranking wines, wineries, regions, winemakers, what have you.
I don’t know how much attention you are paying to the top wine lists. Talking about myself, I like to ponder at the Top 100 lists, especially the one produced by Wine Spectator – not because it is any better or different than the others, but simply because I had been a subscriber for a long time, and it formed more into a habit. My main interest is to see what wines can I recognize, and then to play with the data a bit – countries, prices, grapes. I’m a number junkie. It is always fun to organize numbers in a few different ways, no matter if it means anything or not, and so the Top 100 lists present a good opportunity to conduct such a “research”.
Before we delve into the numbers, let’s talk about the Mystery. What is mysterious about the top 100 wine lists? I would say most everything? How the wines are chosen? How wine #1 is decided? According to the information on the James Suckling web site, they select the top 100 wines out of the 25,000 wines tasted throughout the year. How do decide on 100 out of 25,000? Do you run a separate list of potential candidates throughout the year, or do you sit down at the end of the year and try honestly recall the most memorable wines of the year? What role the ratings play?
Here is what Wine Spectator says on the subject: “Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines reviewed over the previous 12 months and select our Top 100, based on quality, value, availability and excitement”. I like the “excitement” part, this is how I decide on my top dozen wine of the year. The other two publications I studied with Top 100 lists don’t talk about their methodology, they just talk about the content of their lists.
So here are some stats we can gain from looking into the details of the Top 100 lists.
Wine Spectator:
Wine Spectator offers two lists – the regular Top 100 Wine and Top 100 Value Wines, which includes wines priced under $25 (you can find all the lists here). I didn’t spend time with the top value list, so all the numbers below are related to the Top 100 list:
- Distribution by country: France – 23, California – 22, Italy – 21, Spain – 7, Australia and Oregon – 5 each, Chile and Portugal – 3 each, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Washington – 2each, Argentina, Israel, and South Africa – 1 each
- Distribution by the wine type – 74 reds, 21 whites, 1 Rosé, and 4 Sparkling.
- Prices – most expensive – $197, least expensive – $13. 14 wines are priced above $100, 13 wines are in the $75 – $99 range, 11 wines are in the $50 to $74 range, 27 wines are priced in the $25 – $49 range, and 35 wines are in the $13 – $25 range.
- Ratings: the top score is 98, the lowest is 90. There is only one wine on the list with a rating of 98, 6 wines have a rating of 97. The ratings of 96, 95 and 94 are assigned to 14 wines each. 11 wines have a rating of 93, 10 wines each have ratings of 92 and 91, and 20 wines have a rating of 90.
- Wine Spectator’s top wine of the year 2019 was 2016 Château Léoville Barton St.-Julien with a rating of 97 and priced at $98.
Wine Enthusiast:
Wine Enthusiast produces not one, but 3 Top Wine lists – Top 100 Wines, Top 100 Best Buys, and Top 100 Cellar Selections – these links will allow you to retrieve PDFs for each list. General notes on Wine Enthusiast site say that more than 24,000 wines are tasted during the year and afterwards condensed into the 3 Top Wine lists. Note that Wine Enthusiast Best Buys list covers only wines under $15. Focusing on the Top 100, I did a limited analysis, using the data already provided in the PDF file:
- Distribution by country: California – 18, Italy – 17, France – 16, Australia, Oregon and Spain – 5 each, Argentina, Chile, Portugal and Washington – 4 each, Austria and Germany – 3 each, NY State and South Africa – 2 each, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Uruguay and Virginia – 1 each
- Prices – most expensive – $114, least expensive – $16. Only one wine is priced above $100, the majority of the wines are less than $50 with an average price of $33.
- Ratings: the top score is 99, the lowest is 90. There is only one wine on the list with a rating of 99, 3 wines are rated at 98, 5 wines have a rating of 97, 8 wines are rated at 96. Most of the rated wines fall in the 91-93 range (55 wines)
- Wine Enthusiast top wine of the year 2019 was NV Nino Franco Rustico Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore with a rating of 94 and priced at $20.
James Suckling:
This one is the most exclusive Top 100 club in a number of ways. First, you need to be a subscriber to see any wine details. Second, all the wines on the Top 100 list are rated 98-100 points. This is the only stats available from the James Suckling Top 100 Wines website: “We have 41 100-point wines in the list and another 35 with 99 points. The rest of the wines scored 98 points. All the wines were produced in quantities of 300 cases or more.”
Let’s leave James Suckling Top 100 list aside and talk about Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast lists. The makeup of both lists is quite similar when it comes to the countries – California, France, and Italy represent at least half of the Top 100 wines (2/3 in case of Wine Spectator list). Where the list differ quite a bit is in the pricing – 14 $100+ wines on the Wine Spectator list versus only 1 on the Wine Enthusiast. But the biggest difference to me is the Wine #1 – Grand Cru Classé versus Prosecco. Okay, call me a snob or whatever you want, but I’m really missing the point of the Wine Enthusiast choice. To my defense, I can only say one thing – I tasted this wine. Nino Franco Rustico is a nice Prosecco, and but it is really, really far away from the memorable, exciting wine. Here you go – another case of the wine list mystery.
I also wanted to talk about the “curse” of the Top 100 wine list, for sure when it comes to the one from the Wine Spectator. As soon as the wine makes it on that list, it instantly becomes unavailable. Adding to the mystery side, it is a mystery to me why an average wine consumer puts such a value on the Top 100 list nomination. But talking about availability, are we looking at the scalping phenomenon in the works? Buy bulk and resell for a quick buck? This is annoying, and it is a real problem for the wine retailers who can’t find enough of those top wines to offer them to consumers. It also gets worse every year – a friend of mine, who has a wine store in Stamford, was able to assemble about 40 Top 100 wines to offer to his customers last year – this year he will barely make it to 20.
There you have it my friends – a deeper look into the mystery (and curse) of the Top 100 wine lists. Do you pay attention to those? What do you think of this year’s top wines? Do you see any trends? Cheers!
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