A Good Night...

The 2001 Stags Leap Wine Cellars "Fay" Cabernet Sauvignon in 3L was finally showing well... the 4th 3L that we've sold, this wine is showing cedar notes and a kind of minty-softness on the nose that follows to the palate. A nice wine. The 1995 Pol Roger "Sir Winston Churchill" Brut rocks... nuts and toast, nuts and toast... a long, long finish. The 1995 Araujo "Eisele Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon was showing as well as it ever has... after 3 hours, it had finally opened enough to really show... Black plums and cedar with eucalyptus and currants. A very, very long concentrated finish. Showing beautifully at 11 years of age. The 1994 Vega Sicilia Unico is simply one of the great wines on our wine list right now. It's like eating a piece of fennel - licorice with a certain "woodiness"... or Black Truffle wrapped in fennel... anyway, you get the idea. It tastes like Tempranillo that's spent a long time in oak (which it has...) A great, great wine, but I don't think it deserves to move up in the list right now.

Well, it's time...

It's been long enough... seen a few changes in the list since I started writing about it - a few additions, moving wines around, but all in all, it's been pretty clean... So, without further delay,
My #1 and #1 Wines of the Year... but wait, you're saying, you can't have co-#1s can you? Sure, it's my blog and I can do whatever I want (it's good to be the king)...

#1 - 2001 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
#1 - 1982 Chateau Latour, Pauillac (bottle #5)

Why are they both #1? Well, I could not decide which was better - they are both completely perfect wines and they are at complete opposite ends of their development. The Harlan is there because of it's raw power and intensity - combined with unreal balance, incredible texture and amazing length. It is a complete wine and there is nothing I could either add or subtract to this (except maybe add a few bottles to my cellar...) to improve it. It is a benchmark wine and one that I'll remember the smell and taste of forever. The Latour is there because it too is perfect - perfectly balanced, has incredible texture and amazing length. Instead of just raw power and intensity (though it certainly has some of both), this wine has finesse and has a nose with aromatics I have never come across... The pure cedary/plummy/cigar-boxy quality to this wine is just the tip of the layer upon layer of developed fruit and earth... It just screams from the glass and leaves me at a loss for words. My guess is that if Mr. Levy & Mr. Harlan ran Latour and Mr. Engerer ran Harlan, their wines would not be much different - less the terroir. So take your pick - the Harlan is either a young Latour or the Latour is an older Harlan - either way, it was a joy to taste both this year.

More DRC

The last bottle of 1996 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache was, unfortunately, completely underwhelming. The nose was extraordinary with notes of cranberries, rhubarb, raspberries with clove and earth... left me nearly speechless... unfortunately, the palate left me equally speechless for all the wrong reasons... the wine had notes of volatile acidity, had no mid-palate and was all clove and very dried fruit... not spectacular. All in all, 7/10...

Echezeauxxxxxx

Must have been something in the air... the 1994 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux is bar far the best of the 94s that I've had... A wonderful deep earthy nose with strawberry and classic rhubarb and clove nose that DRCs always have... I'm glad there is another bottle in the cellar... Also was the 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux... this has an amazing nose and continues to confirm my belief that the 2001 Red Burgundies are vastly under-rated and are showing so much terroir-driven attributes, that I think these wines might outlast the highly-acclaimed 2002s, which I was never in complete love with anyway. The nose was rose petals, clove, cinnamon, rhubarb and a deep, dark earthiness that defines Echezeaux. A great wine!

Had an amazing dining experience last night... started out with the 1996 Veuve A. Deveaux Millesime Brut, which at last check is still not imported into the United States... this is one of the great Champagnes I've ever had... I have my original tasting notes around here somewhere (from when I visited the winery in January 2004)... the yeastiness combined with the length and depth of fruit on this wine made my head spin. I had been saving it for the night since I got back and it was well worth the journey...

Merry Christmas II

! I'll post when I have time... (I have time now...) The 1996 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne was a bit closed and didn't give up a lot... very nutty with honeysuckle and lemon on the moderate finish... very good, not great... The 1998 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet "Les Pucelles" on the other had was spectacular! Piercing acidity with layers and layers of minerals, pear, and Granny Smith Apple... Awesome!!! The 2002 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine I didn't want to like... I tried so hard to hate it... and in the end, though it's not my style of wine, I have to admit - this wine is great. Very thick and concentrated with wonderful length, this is a classic of the 2002 vintage. The wine of the night was the 1999 Guigal Cote-Rotie "La Mouline"... I thought it was better than the 1990, and so I will bump the 1990 down one slot to #12 and put the 1999 in at #11 for the year... The wine just bursts from the glass with raspberry, tar, black plums, asian spices, and mocha... once you were done smelling it, the real fun begins... on the palate the wine has just the most velvety texture - it just sings in your mouth... The attack is so powerful, then gives way to pretty floral notes and finally the amazing, incredible finish. It just screams of earth and plums... the wine wants to not jump out of the glass - it wants to rocket out... One of the great wines of my life... I wouldn't be suprised if this ended up much higher on the list this year than #11 when I actually have some time to think about it... Oh yeah, the 2002 Screaming Eagle finally started to open up (!) 24 hours later and was a much more complete wine...

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas! Not a great wine night, but decent. The 2003 Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay is great, not as good as the 2002, but nicely buttered and just a touch of oak. The 2004 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay is a bit more mineraly, but in the same vain as the Newton... perhaps not quite as good, but very good. The 1999 Prunotto Barolo was good, but not great. The 1995 Chateau Pichon-Baron was very good... a nice cedary Bordeaux with plums... a long life ahead. The 2004 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon was tasted again after 6 hours... fabulous, but in-your-face style. The 2002 Screaming Eagle was, well, as I always fin it, completely underwhelming. Plummy and concentrated... this wine has nothing on the 2002 Harlan or the 2002 Shafer Hillside. I would gladly drink it as it is a very good wine, but I wouldn't seek it out.

#3s

So there are 2 #3s this year... They are equally great and I could not put one in front of the other without going back and changing it... so (in no particular order)...

#3 - 2002 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley - see my notes from the other day... hard to believe it gets any better than this... but this year it did... twice. Tasted twice now with very consistant notes.

#3 - 1999 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy - yup, their entire holding is in Chassagne-Montrachet... simply one of the greatest white wines I've ever tasted (not sure if I like it more than the 1990 Latour Corton - I don't think so, but this year it seemed to be more "magical" than the LLCC). Such power with intense minerals, crushed pebbles and ripe pear. The mid-palate and the finish on this wine are incredible... goes on and on and on... worth the money.

Pre-Christmas Blahs...

pretty boring as of late, but the 1997 Tassinaia (Super-Tuscan) rocks... found two more bottles after we took it off the list. Sold one and the wine is killer... we had two corked bottles in a row but then found a good one about a month ago... great stuff... shows how overall great the 1997 Vintage in Central Italy was...

A Very Good Night

sort of... had the 2002 Casa Lapostelle Clos Apalta, Puente Alto, Chile again last night and I just can't get excited about this wine... it has all of the marks of extraction, but none of the finesse... it's a very good, but one-dimensional wine. The 2002 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is amazing... one of my all-time favorite wines and certainly one of the best California Cabernets I've ever tasted, young or old. Immense anise, black currants, gravel and plums. This is a rockstar wine with silky, smooth tannins... the concentration is amazing, but at no time is it overpowering or a burden to the wine... Elias Fernandez is a genius. Anyone who can make a wine that is this pure, this balanced, and sings like this, well... he'll always get my business...

#7, #6, and #5... plus wines from last night

The 1996 Joseph Phelps Backus Cabernet Sauvignon was completely underwhelming... It was our last bottle and it's nice to have it gone. It's got a cedary-black currant-blackberry nose that is much lighter than one would think, especially from the outstanding 1996 vintage... anyway, the 2002 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is amazing... still one of the best California Chardonnay's I've ever had, this wine is minerals, spicy oak, apples, pears, and there is an amazing purity about the wine. I wish I had bought the magnums when I had the chance...

Anyway, back to the countdown. It will be at least Friday, if not Wednesday before I get back to writing again (busy, busy few days ahead)... So we'll scratch the next three off the list.

#7 - 1990 Krug Brut, en Magnum - without question the single greatest Champagne I've ever had (better than the 85...) This is the complete opposite to the 1988 which is silky and soft. This is raw power with layers and layers of oxidized pears, brioche, autolisys, and an immense finish... It just doesn't get any better than this. So much better than the 1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil...

This is where all of the Cabernet Sauvignon based wines come out... Despite my heart being in Alsace, Germany, and Burgundy - the best wines being made are still from this grape. There is only one non-Cab based wine from here on out...

#6 - 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Premier Cru, Pauillac - one of the legends of wine, this is the single best bottle of Mouton I've ever had (still waiting for the invite on the '45 or '47...) After being decanted for 3 hours, it was just staring to show the depth and power of this wine. So silky and simply still a baby... I wouldn't open this until 2020 if I had some and they have been stored correctly... Black plums and graphite with amazing power. A stunner - was tasted next to 1982 La Mission Haut Brion and 1990 Montrose...

#5 - 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion, Premier Cru, Pessac - the only first growth not in the Haut-Medoc, this wine is bound to be different than the other 4... And while the other 4 are very different from each other (Mouton with it's silkiness, Lafite with its cedary elegance, Latour with its power, and Margaux with the sexy nose and amazing texture), it's Haut-Brion with its bacon-fat and gravel nose that makes it the most seductive. It will never be the most elegant, but wow, when its good, its really good. And when its great, almost nothing can come close. This was the first of 5 bottles I've tasted and it was the best... Tasting like a 1975, this wine was young and didn't open for about an hour and 1/2... Beautiful texture and completely envelops all of your senses... Great wine...

Ok... all that's left is the top 3 (two are tied at #3)...

Holiday

mmm great wines last night. Started with the Piper-Heidseick Brut, which is good, but unspectacular. The Pol Roger Brut NV rocks... though not the depth of the Sir Winnie, it's a great, classic champagne halfway between Louis Roederer Brut and Bollinger. Lovely... Then we opened up a bottle of 1981 Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling Belle Terre Vineyards... 11.9% ABV, 1.9% Residual Sugar harvested at 21.9 Brix... Amazing that this wine was still alive. lasted all of 10 minutes, then turned completely. Complete oil with hazelnuts and just a tiny bit of honey and apricots. A very educational wine and it just goes to show you the aging qualities of riesling... The 2005 Dr. Thannisch Bernkastler Doctor Riesling Spatlese rocks... no oil or petrol yet, just all slate and peaches, pears and apricots. Moved onto red... the 2003 Simonnet Febvre Irancy (an area just outside of Chablis in Burgundy... this is made from 100% Pinot Noir but can use Gamay and Cesar as well.) A beautiful rose-petal nose and cranberries and rhubarb... A very, very nice Pinot Noir that is not imported into the US... yet. Only in France and Canada... The 1993 Banfi Poggio all Oro Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, en Magnum - is in full maturity and is drinking so nicely. Lovely cedar and dried cherries, cranberries and plums with soft, round tannins. Shows what happens when really good Brunello is aged to maturity... The 1986 Chateau Lynch-Bages was a superstar... Though I find it really hard to get that excited about Bordeaux any more, this could be one of the best that I've had from 1986. Certainly the best 86 Lynch Bages I've had, this bottles was flawless and was stored very kindly for the last 20 years. Black plums, cedar, cassis and with still the classic Lynch-Bages power. A really amazing wine. For dessert, the 2002 Inniskillen Vidal Ice Wine is nectar... honey, apricots, pears and a pretty sweetness. Really nice dessert wine. Followed that up with some Sandeman's Amontillado Sherry which was fabulous. A lovely end to a great meal.

Well, Change Happens...

I knew this would happen - or was it hoped this would happen?

Anyway, I moved #29 and #28 back a spot to #29 and #30, respectively. In is...

#28 - 1985 Domaine Leroy Volnay 1er Cru, Cote du Beaune, Burgundy - DRC who? Not really, but sort of. I have never tasted any Pinot Noir from any producer (yup, not even DRC) that ages like Leroy. This wine is a baby - still very tight with tremendous earth and ripe blackberries. This is not even close to the maturity mark... I need to get some of her wines... even the basic village-level wines are amazing and develop incredible depth over many years. First time having this wine...

Also tasted was the 2000 Guidalberto from Magnum, Tuscany - dried black fruits and a delicious cedar note... The first vintage of this wine was a star - an excellent bottle.

And we're off

First, the 2003 Louis Jadot/Clos des Ducs Magenta Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot (got all that?) is one of the best, well balanced white White Burgundies from the 2003 vintage. A little flashy, but pretty.

Only 15 days left in the year (or is it 16... I don't know dates)... and I'm only at number 9? Well, let's do it..

#9 - 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, Burgundy - Well, it had to go somewhere. Does it deserve higher? Probably, but because of what's left, this was the only spot. Amazing wine. Simply incredible concentration and depth for a 16 year old Chardonnay without the word "Montrachet" on the label... Pure liquid honey and almonds with mind-blowing structure and completely balanced acidity and alcohol. I could drink this wine forever and I will always remember the taste. Yes, this wine has history for me, but in this year, that doesn't matter that much.

Since it might be a while, let's do #8 as well...

#8 - 1975 Chateau Petrus, Pomerol - What can one say about this wine? It is amazing Merlot. This is Petrus at its silkiest, at its most sublime. A tremendous amout of cedar with a powerful attack of blackcurrants, cocoa and black earth is amazing with a never-ending finish. This wine is mythical and lives up to the hype.

Well, only 7 to go... any guesses?

The Top 10

#10 - 1989 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti, Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy - How can Romanee-Conti only be #10?!?? As great as this wine was, and as much of a "wow" factor it had, there were 9 other wines that just left me speechless... this one left me with a ton of words (which is also a good thing!)... perhaps it was too young, but this was pure finesse mixed with power. Beautiful clove, strawberry and cherries with turned black earth, dried leaves and just an amazing finish. One of the great Burgundies I've ever had, but not the greatest.

Ok... Wine #11

Since I won't have time in the next few weeks to log on everyday or even every other day, I'm starting now...

#11 - 1990 Guigal Cote-Rotie "La Mouline", Northern Rhone Valley - tasted from 2 different bottles, one a week after the other. This wine is pure earth - this is what La Mouline is. 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier (that's the planting breakdown from the avg. 60 year old vines in the 1 hectare vineyard.) Lots of raspberries and a wonderful softness to this wine that the other La La's don't have. Very worthy of being in this spot.

Nice, not great, but nice

Treasure bath!!! The 1998 Sassicaia is so silky and pretty... what a soft, cedary, beautiful wine. One of the better Sassicaia's I've had. Lots of dried plums, black currant and clove. The 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg was, well, pretty crappy. The nose was there, but perhaps a little barnyardy. The palate? Nothing... perhaps it needs time, perhaps it already had it's time. I tend to go with the first... hopefully.

Let the Countdown begin!

Ok, we'll go through my favorite wines #11-29 first. Why 29? Why not! Seriously, these are the wines that stood out from the rest. Narrowing these down wasn't that difficult. It was figuring out the top 10. They are all so close, except I think the top 10 did stand out a little bit more than some of the others. Then I'll begin the slow countdown from 10 to 1, with the top 3 all posted on the same day. Since the year isn't over yet, it is highly probable that the list will change depending on what else I get to try from here on out, and I still have the sommelier's Christmas party to go through...

#29 - 1990 Dom Perignon Rose Champagne, en Magnum - I had to add this one at the last minute. A pretty and powerful wine. Deserved the last minute add on...
#28 - 1999 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne - clearly one of the great Champagne's I've ever tried. Say what you will about this much-hyped, over publicized Champagne, but the 1999 is the real deal. So much so that I'd love a bottle for my cellar to lay down for a few years. The length on this is simply amazing.
#27 - 1985 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne, en Magnum - I expect that in 15 years the 1999 will be better than the 1985, but this year, the 1985 was gorgeous from Magnum. Beautiful brioche and toastiness and a great freshness about this wine.
#26 - 2004 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly "Silex", Loire Valley - Sauvignon on steroids... the greatest Sauvignon behind Haut-Brion Blanc made today. So flinty with piercing adicity. Amazing wine...
#25 - 1976 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese, Rheingau, Germany - WOW! While not the greatest Riesling I've ever had, it certainly is up there... always a treat to have such great examples of wine at this age. Incredible oilyness with such stony minerality and fresh fruit, I couldn't believe it was 30 years old. I only hope the 2005s age this well...
#24 - 1990 Herm Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshole Riesling Auslese, Pfalz, Germany - From 1991 until 2004, he made good, but not great Riesling. He's back now and the 2005 will be amazing. The 1990 is just starting to mature, but was so delicious, I couldn't pass this up on the list. An amazing baby...
#23 - 1989 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-St.-Vivant Morey Monge Grand Cru, Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy - This could have easily made it into the top 10 in just about any other year for me, but not this year. Mature? Doubtful, but it was absolutely perfect the night we tried this one. Clove and subtle, soft black cherries and strawberries. The best DRC RSV I've ever had.
#22 - 1976 Domaine Leroy Romanee-St.-Vivant Grand Cru, Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy - This is the best RSV I've ever had, period. Amazing how that works... This wine was so young and fresh, it's unfortunate that we only had one good bottle of this. The other 2 were so bad, it wasn't even funny. Such wonderful earth and spice, with loads of black cherries. A bit more body than the 89 DRC RSV, and it made the difference for me.
#21 - 1996 Gaja Sperss, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy - The first bottle was by far the best. Simply stunning Nebbiolo - truffles, rose petals, dried cherries and incredible depth and length. This is serious stuff.
#20 - 1998 Penfold's Grange, South Australia - This wine has closed down a touch, which is why it isn't in the top 10. It's just beginning to show the marked raspberry note that defines Grange as it matures, coupled with an old-world style earthiness. The length is amazing, and I dont' care what RP says, this is better than the 2001.
#19 - 1982 Chateau Cheval-Blanc, Premier Grand Cru Classe "A", St.-Emilion, France - I always say this is one of the best of the 1982 Bordeaux and I still say that. Fortunately (or unfortunately for this wine) I've gotten to try what I would consider the best of the 1982's this year (less one... but I have a feeling I'll open it soon, perhaps before the end of the year) so this wine got pushed around a little bit. The classic super-cedary quality and the silky, soft texture make this an amazing wine. Not bad for Cabernet Franc and Merlot...
#18 - 1953 Chateau d'Yquem, Premier Grand Cru, Sauternes - Tasted 3 times this year, with all three of the bottles in perfect condition. Pure joy in a glass. Simply stunning that a wine this old can be this fresh and yet so developed. While not a baby anymore, this still has years to go, too bad I sold all three...
#17 - 1988 Krug Champagne, en Magnum - Thank you, Remi Krug, for making Champagne like this. This is a major celebration in a bottle here. And in magnum, well, words don't do it justice.
#16 - 2000 Bouchard La Romanee Grand Cru, Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy - When we tasted it, we described it as "Romanee-Conti, sort of." A bit more elegance than Romanee-Conti (though I'm not exactly how I can say that... ah, I know) because it has slightly less weight (there we go). Cedar and clove, I'd love to try this again in a few years...

Ok, here's where the real dividing line occurs. Each of the wines below nearly brought me to tears and their ranking is pure emotional, as they are all perfect wines in my book. Some may have tiny faults, but the entire package was more than the parts.

#15 - 1985 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux Grand Cru, Flagely-Echezeaux, Burgundy - A perfectly mature, amazing Echezeaux. Certainly the best I've ever had. So much for lowely Echezeaux, the red-headed stepchild of Grand Cru Burgundy. Such terroir.
#14 - 1994 Vega Sicilia Unico, Ribera del Duero, Spain - The best Spanish wine I've ever had, and with that, the best Vega Sicilia I've ever had. Immense and powerful, the current release (yup... just came out this year) is the stuff of legend. I think this wine still has tremendous potential and will only get better with time. Actually has the guts to be one of the top 3 this year, just not enough of "it".
#13 - 1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap Disctrict, Napa Valley - What a treat and suprise this was. Only have 2 left, but we're saving those for a while. One of the most perfectly aged California Cabs I've ever had. It's good to know that some of the more modern-styled wines are aging so well (though I've been less than impressed with several more recent vintages that aren't aging as well - ah hem... 1997). Didn't think I'd ever get to try this one again.
#12 - 1989 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage "La Chapelle", Northern Rhone Valley - This is getting serious. While I've never had the 1990 or the 1978, I can't imagine that they might be better than the 1989, though everything I've read tells me they are. A spicy wine with dried leaves, meat, graphite, black wet earth and intense black plums. Made my palate dance! (FWIW, I had #'s 24 & 25 the same night as this!)

Ok, so I changed my mind. I'm going to do my favorite 11 wines of the year, why 11? Well, as the great Nigel Tufnel says "This is a top to a, you know, what we use on stage. But it's very very special because, if you can see... the numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, 11, 11, 11, 11." Marty: "Most amps go up to ten." Nigel: "Exactly." Marty: "Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?" Nigel: "Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most, most blokes gonna be playing at ten. You're on ten, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up." Marty: "Yeah." Nigel: "You're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?" Marty: "I don't know." Nigel: "Nowhere, exactly. What we do is if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?" Marty: "Put it up to eleven." Nigel: "Eleven. Exactly. One louder." Marty: "Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a litte louder?" Nigel: "These go to eleven." So my list goes to 11.

Amazing

First, the wines, which while not "amazing", were pretty darn good. The 2003 Flor de Pingus, Ribera del Duero is pure mocha... great wine, too bad it was the last one. The 1997 Silverado Limited Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was on its way out... not a great wine, but nice to try again. 1997 = mixed quality = many dying wines = not the great vintage that it seemed to be. The 1999 Veuve Clicquot Brut was pretty with lots of brioche and nuts. A nice champagne, just not great. The 1999 Veuve Clicquot Brut Rose had a lot more substance. A stong berry note came through the slight yeastiness of the wine. Nice. The 1985 Veuve Clicquot Brut Rose showed extreme bottle variation (I tasted each of them out of three different bottles). The first was completely oxidized. Just no fun at all. The other two were similar to each other, but showed none of the freshness of the wine I had last spring... Not recommended. The 1988 Veuve Clicquot Brut on the other had was sensational. Absolutely a great Champagne... loads of toast and rich yeastiness with baked pear and apples. Would love to have one in my cellar.

The really amazing part was the set Crazy Fingers played after work last night... wow. Mr. Charlie, Cassidy, Uncle John's Band>Jam>Eyes of the World>Foolish Heart> Cumberland Blues, U.S. Blues. At almost and hour and a half, this was one hell of a show. So spacy and completely out there. They had no idea where they were going after Uncle Johns and just played to an amazing crescendo and then went full-tilt into the most mind-blowing Eyes of the World I've ever heard... great stuff!

Just a few

The 1997 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases is a beauty... without question the best of the 1997 vintage in Bordeaux. Lots of mocha, plums, black fruit and graphite. Very soft and round... gorgeous! The 1997 Tassinaia, Tuscany is awesome!!! After several corked bottles, this one finally made it worthwhile - and it's a good thing, it was the last one!!! Lots of cedar, dried plums, cranberries and cherries. Awesome stuff!

The Finalists

Ok... Here we go... I divided it into their separate categories - Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Champagne, Other, Sweet and White. I took the best of those groups and here you have the top wines in each category. They are not in any particular order... From here I'll start breaking them down by category. Just not today... I'm not quite ready yet.

Bordeaux
1955 Chateau Haut Brion
1975 Chateau Petrus
1982 Chateau Latour (Bottle #5)
1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
1982 Chateau Cheval Blanc

Burgundy
1976 Leroy Romanee-St.-Vivant
1985 DRC Echezeaux
1989 DRC Romanee-Conti
1989 DRC Romanee-Saint-Vivant Morey Monge
2000 Bouchard La Romanee

California
1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Harlan Estate
2002 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Champagne
1985 Louis Roederer Cristal (Magnum)
1988 Krug (Magnum)
1990 Krug (Magnum)
1999 Louis Roederer Cristal

Other
1989 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle
1990 Guigal “La Mouline” Cote Rotie
1994 Vega Sicilia Unico
1996 Gaja Sperss
1998 Penfold’s Grange

Sweet
1953 Chateau d’Yquem

White
1999 DRC Montrachet
1990 Herm Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshole Riesling Auslese
1976 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese
1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
2004 Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly "Silex"