Wine Producer of the Year: Navarro Vineyards
The first purchase I made on credit was a receiver, turntable and speakers from a Pacific Stereo store in Southern California. The price was only $199, yet I was in college and unable to pay cash. Pacific Stereo financed my purchase, and while the interest was crazy in relation to the cost of the system, it was worth every cent, as it blasted Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac in my apartment, as well as the unfortunates who lived above and below me.
The wines of Navarro Vineyards, from Mendocino County’s chilly Anderson Valley, are also worth every penny — refreshingly dry
Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Muscats, a la Alsace; crisp, nuanced Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and late-harvest wines that are sublimely rich yet nervy in their acidity. Their prices are remarkably low compared to their outstanding quality — $19 for Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat; $19 for the Mendocino County Pinot Noir and $29 for the Methode a l’Ancienne Anderson Valley Pinot Noir; $16 for a pretty blended rosé, and $29 for the outrageously rich and racy Cluster Select Late Harvest Riesling, as good as Napa Valley’s Dolce ($85) and Beringer Nightingale ($40) dessert wines, and less expensive.
And did I mention that Ted Bennett, a founder of Pacific Stereo, and his wife, Deborah Cahn, own Navarro Vineyards? It’s a nice little coincidence, as I fell in love with their wines long before I learned that, by extension, it was Ted who made it possible for me to have a sound system when I really couldn’t afford one. Thank you, sir.
Navarro’s wines, made by long-time winemaker Jim Klein, show precise varietal character, plenty of natural acidity, moderate alcohol levels and superb balance. You won’t find them in stores, although they’re on numerous restaurant lists, particularly those featuring Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and other spice-driven dishes, for which Navarro’s Alsace-style white wines are very complementary. Also buy the wines at Navarro’s friendly, unpretentious Philo tasting room, or order them direct from the winery. Get on the mailing list, and receive discounts, pre-release shipments, and what just might be the best winery newsletter in the business.
Wine of the Year: Tierce Dry Riesling Seneca Lake
It took a trip to New York’s Finger Lakes region for me to discover 
Tierce Dry Riesling Seneca Lake ($24), a collaboration of the petrol and wet slate on the nose, and the palate is startlingly brisk, with grapefruit, lime, candied lime peel and red currant notes. Very dry and bracing, with wonderful balance, it should age beautifully for a decade or more, yet it’s also delicious now, for those (like me) who adore assertive, high-acid wines. The Finger Lakes’ cold climate doesn’t agree with me, yet its wines certainly do, particularly its Rieslings. I wish more of them found their way to the West Coast.
Close second: The Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen 2008 Eroica Riesling ($20) from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. It’s slightly sweeter than the Tierce, with 1.77 percent residual sugar, yet it’s still vibrant and mouthwatering. It’s the best Eroica yet; could Wendy Stuckey, former Riesling maker at Wolf Blass in Australia and now the white winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle, have added an extra note or two to Eroica?
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