Choosing a wine of the year is a bit like voting for your favorite flavor at Ben & Jerry’s. At the highest levels of winemaking, they’re all very good.
So rather than contriving a selection process that takes into account various factors such as score, price and availability, this year I’ve determined to present my wines of the year in a straightforward fashion. They are, quite simply, the best wines I’ve tasted from the new releases of 2007, regardless of price.
I taste thousands of wines every year, most of which never result in a published recommendation. The score reflects my own personal response (think of it as an applause meter) to each wine evaluated; the tasting notes are intended to flesh out the details and reasoning behind the rating.
In 2007 I gave three wines — the 2004 Joseph Phelps Insignia, the 2004 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2004 Joseph Drouhin ‘Marquis de Laguiche’ Montrachet — a perfect score of 100 points.
If someone asked me which of the three was my top wine, I wouldn’t be able to say (though I will whittle it down for Michael Franz’s annual compilation of wines of the year from Wine Review Online contributors).
All three are spectacular. There is nothing more I could have asked of any of the three wines. They are brilliant examples of exceptional terroir, painstaking care in the vineyard, and skilled, precise winemaking.
Yet none of those three will be my ‘producer’ or ‘winery’ of the year. That distinction belongs to Patz & Hall, which had two wines among the 14 I rated 95 points or higher this year. Patz & Hall also placed two wines on my list of best wines $40 & under (posted yesterday).
Many of these wines came out early in the year and may no longer be available, or available only in limited quantities.
Wines of the Year
Joseph Drouhin 2004 ‘Marquis de Laguiche’ Montrachet, Burgundy, France ($540) – The world’s greatest white wine? It’s quite possible. 100
Joseph Phelps 2004 Insignia, Napa Valley ($200) – California’s first ‘Meritage’ is simply the finest red wine in America over the past decade. 100
Spottswoode 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($110) – Pure Cabernet perfection. 100
Penfolds 2002 Grange, South Australia ($240) – Australia’s most important Shiraz, from a superb vintage. 97
Nickel & Nickel 2004 Suscol Ranch Merlot, Napa Valley ($55) – Move over Chateau Petrus. 97
Shafer 2003 ‘Hillside Select’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($200) – The very definition of decadence. 97
Montes 2004 ‘Folly’, Apalta Valley, Chile ($93) – One of the top five red wines produced in South America, and certainly the finest Syrah. 96
Felton Road 2005 Chardonnay, Central Otago, New Zealand ($31) – One of the three most important Chardonnays from the Southern Hemisphere (Leeuwin Estate Art Series and Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard are the others). 96
Patz & Hall 2005 Chenoweth Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($55) – Oregon Pinots have nothing on this Russian River gem. 96
Far Niente 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($120) – One of the finest Far Niente Cabs ever made. Is it possible for a $100 wine to be underrated? 95
Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 ‘Georges de Latour’ Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($110) – The Napa Valley icon is back on track after a temporary loss of prestige. 95
Terrabianca 2003 ‘Campaccio Selezione’, Tuscany ($68) – A dazzling Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. 95
Dutton Goldfield 2005 McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($53) – The best this year from one of California’s most brilliant Pinot Noir producers. 95
Patz & Hall 2005 ‘Zio Tony Ranch’ Chardonnay, Russian River Valley ($60) – Right up there with the greatest Chardonnays from Kistler, Sonoma Cutrer and Nickel & Nickel. 95
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