Producer of the Year: Villa Maria Winery, Auckland and Marlborough, New Zealand. Quality is rising more rapidly in New Zealand than in any other country in the world (with the 
possible exception of Spain), and Villa Maria is clearly at the forefront in the historic rise of Kiwi wine. An innovator in technical matters and an exemplar in terms of quality and price, Villa Maria consistently wins more awards in blind tasting competitions than any New Zealand producer. To cite but one example of leadership, owner and managing director George 
Fistonich has bottled all of the company’s wines under screw caps since 2004, and Villa Maria has probably done more to educate consumers on the benefits of screw caps and the perils of corks than any producer in the world.
The wines sold in North America are essentially organized on three tiers, starting with ‘Private Bin’ and ascending to ‘Cellar Selection’ and ultimately Reserve wines and single vineyard bottlings. At the Private Bin level, the Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Merlot are standouts. Among the Cellar Selection releases, Sauvignon Blanc is truly exceptional and Riesling is very strong. At the top level, Clifford Bay and Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough are among the world’s best; Keltern Vineyard Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay is fantastic, as is the Pinot Noir from Taylors Pass.
Wine of the Year: Philipponnat, Champagne Clos des Goisses 1996 ($120, ExCellars). This was the single best 
current release wine that I tasted in 2007. When my WRO colleague Michael Apstein gave it wine 97 points before I tasted it last year, I wondered whether his enthusiasm had gotten the better of him. Nevertheless, I had sufficient trust in his palate (and in this terrific producer and vineyard and in the phenomenal 1996 vintage) to buy a couple of bottles. And as it turned out, Apstein was–if anything–being stingy. Although this wine is still just a baby (and indeed it was only released for sale in 2007–at more 
than 10 years of age!), it already shows marvelous complexities that will unwind into genuine magnificence over the next 15 years. The youthful forcefulness of the acidity in this wine must be experienced to be believed; it will assure that the wine will remain fresh if well stored for two more decades. Or longer. Although opinions on the 1996 wines are not uniform in Champagne, I think that this is certainly the best vintage that I’ve ever tasted, and my colleague Ed McCarthy is similarly impressed. I think it likely that, by 2025, 1996 will be recognized as the finest vintage of the second half of the 20th century, and this rendition from the Clos des Goisses vineyard will be regarded as one of the top two or three examples, along with Krug. One last point: Whereas some consumers think or assume that Champagne isn’t real wine, a bottle like this suggests that it is arguably the world’s greatest wine.
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