Two thousand and nine has been a year where I have tried some spectacular wines from many different countries. Two wine related trips abroad brought wonders from Champagne, Burgundy and the Rhone, plus many trade tastings, wine fairs and the occasional decadent dinner with friends allowed me to try wines that were beyond most folks reach. So sorry if you get attacked by the green eyed monster, but these are my wines of the year...
FIVE: 1978 Moet & Chandon
Number 5 should probably be Krug Collection 1985 or 1995 Musigny from Jacques Frederic Mugnier, but I was born in 1978 (a year known for being crap pretty much everywhere in the wine world) and I’d never had an outstanding wine from the year I emerged into the world until I tried this champagne. It was quite a smoky wine, with toast, lost of honey and new potatoes on the nose. The palate was wonderfully mature with lime, candied fruit and spice flavours. I know I’ve tried better wines, but this was special to me.
FOUR: 1967 Chateau Suduiraut
Old sauternes develop a stinky, heather honey and tobacco smoke aroma, and this was no different. I loved it! A spice on the palate, with burnt orange skin and loads of honey. A glorious wine, that did exactly what such a wine should – it delivered the sweetness, but had the acid it needs to clean your mouth and leave you wanting more. Staggeringly good.
THREE: 1927 Martinez Vintage Port
Drunk on January 1st, so just getting into this year’s top 5! It was drunk at it’s best. This 80-odd year old port had softened with stunning quince jelly, cassis and roast beef juices on the nose, and then some coffee, toffee and blackcurrant flavours, yet still fresh. The finish was blueberry, milk chocolate and tobacco. Stunning.
TWO: 1961 Moet & Chandon
This is not only my favourite wine of the year (from a quality perspective) but my new favourite Champagne. An exquisite balance of mature champagne – mushrooms, apples, toffee etc, but with superb balance, gorgeous acidity and, despite it’s age, an amazing freshness.ONE: Moet & Chandon Esprit du Siecle
This gets the top sport, not because of it being the best wine I’ve tried this year (that is at number 2), but because when you try a unique wine that costs twenty grand per magnum (if it was available), and is a blend of umpteen different vintage champagnes from every decade in the 20th century and then fermented for a third time to get the bubbles back in, in the cellars of Moet & Chandon with some of your best friends, you HAVE to place it first!
Photo pinched from Richard W.H. Bray without permission. Hope he doesn't mind!
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