Two thousand and ten will remain with me forever for one simple reason, it was the year I got married. But my wine choices for this year have been hard to decide. Unlike 2009, where I ventured to France twice, including an incredible trip to Champagne, I've not left the country on any wine trip and I've not had the opportunity to try any funky ancient wines. So I was initially thinking that I was about to struggle with my wines of the year.
But then I looked back at my notes and realised that I have had some staggeringly good wines this year, they have just been a bit younger! Here are my top five.
FIVE: 2006 Jones Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
This was the first wine that made me really realise that America could produce world class wines. A wine that tasted like a hotter vintage Bordeaux, despite being from the USA! Beautiful leather aromas with hints of mint, some cherry and cranberry too, with brambles, spice and white pepper on the palate. I wrote "simply, a great wine", and it really was.
FOUR: 1987 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco
The first wine I tried from this producer, and a staggering revelation to someone who actually understands how to use oak. This 23 year old wine is their current release, and has spent a decade in barrel, gently oxidising to produce a nutty, dried fruit aroma and yet a stunning, youthful, clean and fresh palate that mingles with old honey and tropical fruit pith. This will remain with me for a long time.
THREE: Sean Thackery Pleiades XVIII
A wine from a hippy without a winery, making wines under the Californian skies. The nose reminded me of my trip to Oregon five years ago, when I experienced Marionberry Salt Water Taffy, and then the palate was full of spice, cigars, berries and Mars Bars. The most fun wine I have tried all year and surely being fun is what wine should be about.
But then I looked back at my notes and realised that I have had some staggeringly good wines this year, they have just been a bit younger! Here are my top five.
FIVE: 2006 Jones Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
This was the first wine that made me really realise that America could produce world class wines. A wine that tasted like a hotter vintage Bordeaux, despite being from the USA! Beautiful leather aromas with hints of mint, some cherry and cranberry too, with brambles, spice and white pepper on the palate. I wrote "simply, a great wine", and it really was.
FOUR: 1987 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco
The first wine I tried from this producer, and a staggering revelation to someone who actually understands how to use oak. This 23 year old wine is their current release, and has spent a decade in barrel, gently oxidising to produce a nutty, dried fruit aroma and yet a stunning, youthful, clean and fresh palate that mingles with old honey and tropical fruit pith. This will remain with me for a long time.
THREE: Sean Thackery Pleiades XVIII
A wine from a hippy without a winery, making wines under the Californian skies. The nose reminded me of my trip to Oregon five years ago, when I experienced Marionberry Salt Water Taffy, and then the palate was full of spice, cigars, berries and Mars Bars. The most fun wine I have tried all year and surely being fun is what wine should be about.
TWO: 1988 Krug from magnum
I've tried this wine on numerous occasions, but this was the best it has ever tasted. Brought to my stag do by my long time drinking buddy Pete Crawford, it was sublime and was another experience of this stunning wine that has appeared throughout my wine tasting life.
ONE: 1992 Musigny Blanc Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue
I decided not to pick more than one wine from this epic tasting from this legendary producer, because it could have quite easily filled this top five wines of the year. This white Musigny was simply perfect - drunk at the right time, at the right age, and despite trying other stunning wines last night from this producer of supreme red burgundy, it was this white wine that remained with you. A fruity, savoury mouthfull with bags of youth, yet subtle reminders that it is an old wine. Bliss!
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