Each of our regular WRO contributors has selected a Wine of the Year and a Wine Producer of the Year for 2007. We will feature one of their write-ups each day in this space through the end of the year, and if you’d like to nominate a wine or winery , email your choices to [email protected] –Ed.
Producer of the Year: Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Italy. 2007 was the year of ‘green’. The use and overuse of the word made be both sad and hopeful. Used on a soapbox for getting 
votes, press and advertising, it made me sad. On the other hand, the overexposure of the word brought more eco-related terms–such as carbon footprint and sustainable farming–into the mainstream. That gave me hope. And as a result of the über green year, another term entered our vocabulary: biodynamic farming. Rudolf Steiner’s treatises became reference books for more winemakers than ever before. The trickle down effect? Wine lovers took note. 
Even skeptics began to listen to the logic of growing grapes according to the basic forces of nature. Although I’ve come across many biodynamic grape growers and winemakers in the past few years, I will never forget Alois Lageder, the man who introduced me to biodynamics. In his home in Alto Adige, he of the long, lanky frame and piercing, husky-colored eyes, explained the ‘why’ of herbs in the vineyards and the ‘how’ of manure in cow horns. His commitment and determination blew me away, as did his wines. Lageder’s plans for 2008 are to continue the biodynamic method, which is not only good for the land, but good for wine aficionados, too.
Wine of the Year: If there was ever a reason to build or buy a wine cellar–even a small one–it’s to stash away bottles of 
Concha y Toro Don Melchor 2004 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Considered a benchmark for great Chilean reds, winemaker Enrique Tirado makes a private reserve annually; the ’04 (about $45) is the vintage available now. Like all wine writers, when I taste, I take copious notes. But there are some wines I remember without the help of notes; tasting the Don Melchor 
Private Reserve was one of those experiences. The deep, ruby-colored elixir had a nose that exploded with aromas of dead-ripe raspberries balanced by hints of tobacco. On the palate, mature tannins were tempered by cool flavors of blueberries and plums. A blockbuster, yes; a fruit bomb, no. This is the wine to put away for sipping with rare steaks, venison tenderloin, and bison rib eye in the years to come. Winemaker Tirado suggests waiting five to ten years to taste the Don’s full potential. Made in Maipo’s Puente Alto area from the San Jose de Tocornal Vineyard, the Private Reserve is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc with 14 months in French oak. My Don Melchor is cellared in very basic shelving in my garage in perfect cellar temperature. It’s a rudimentary storage system, but it works, and I rest easy knowing my Don Melchor is there resting and mellowing for special dinners to come.
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