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1 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | BEST OF YEAR 2012 YEAR OF BEST | ENTHUSIAST WINE | 1 PHOTO CREDIT PHOTO JON VAN GORDER even more difficult task. task. difficult more even shop is retail an favorite at your time you’re next buy to what remembering and all them I OUR FAVORITE WINES OF OF WINES FAVORITE OUR wines isn’t easy, but keeping track of around the world. Tasting that from wines 15,500 than more reviewed many n 2012, members of our tasting panel BY THE EDITORS OF EDITORS THE BY THE YEAR. THE WINE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINE ENTHUSIAST WINE keeponyour radar inthe years ahead. not be missed, and wineries to definitely months. 12 past the over viewed styles, varieties and regions we’ve re a list as possible, reflecting the range of diverse as provide to strive also We ness. ratio quality-to-price the wine’s including tors, creating tured are highly rated by our critics, in end roundup. While all of the wines fea 100. Enthusiast The now, and December), ly rated collectibles, published in early 100 Cellar Selections high (age-worthy, less, published in November), the the 100 Top Best Top Buys (wines for $15 or tinct guides for all of your wine needs: the best of the best, we offer three dis quite like an end-of-year list to sum up you covered. Knowing there’s nothing BREAKDOWN BY COUNTRY BY BREAKDOWN Washington - 10 United States - 30 - States United The result is a list of wines that should should that wines of list a is result The year- special our is 100 Enthusiast The Luckily, New Zealand - 3 - Zealand New 28 55 South Africa - 5 - Africa South Drywhite , drinkability, , availability and drinkability, unique Dryred $ wines wines Argentina - 3 - Argentina Germany - 2 - Germany Australia - 3 - Australia 49.10 Portugal - 5 France - 19 Austria - 3 - Austria Average price Average this list, we consider many fac many consider we list, this Italy - 17 - Italy Spain - 8 - Spain Chile - 2 - Chile Wine Enthusiast Rosé wine Rosé Sparkling Oregon - 3 - Oregon wines 7 1 94.2 Average rating Average WineMag.com California - 17 - California has got Fortified Sweet wines wines 3 6 - - - - - - | 2 | THE ENTHUSIAST 100 1 4 7 Casanova di Neri 2007 Tenuta Nuova Dog Point 2011 Sauvignon Blanc 97 (Brunello di Montalcino). Gorgeous, opu- 93 (Marlborough ). Complex on the nose and lent and rich, Tenuta Nuova is an unforgettable wine. richly textured in the mouth, this wine delivers it all. It has body, power, persistence and loads of plush per- Hints of struck flint and wild onion accent a grapefruit sonality. It is layered with chocolate, cherry, blackberry, aroma, while the flavors range easily from pink grape- spice, leather and savory notes. There’s a deep mineral fruit and red currant to delicate herb shadings. It’s full layer as well. Compelling and lovely. Dalla Terra Winery without being too full, with a potent yet refreshing fin- Direct. —M.L. ish that seemingly lingers forever. Vintus LLC. Editors’ abv: 14.5% Price: $79 Choice. —J.C. abv: 13.5% Price: $22 5 8 Merry Edwards 2009 Klopp Ranch Pinot Riglos 2009 Gran Corte Las Divas 98 Noir (Russian River Valley). Amazingly Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2009 Saint- 96 Vineyard (Tupungato). This wine takes you rich, this offers deep, complex layers of cherry, black 96 Émilion. Minty new-wood aromas waft on a on a trip to an outer wine world where deep, cushioned raspberry, cola, anise biscotti, pomegranate, persim- wine that shows both great tannins and sweet wood. berry aromas come with exotic perfumes, bath oils and mon, black tea, orange zest, mushroom, you name it— The fruit is still to show, but promises fresh plum flavor crushed flower petals. It’s ultrasaturated and jammy, but but don’t forget the spice: everything from cloves and that will be delicious and juicy. This is a ripe, concen- not clunky or heavy. This tastes like a storm of black- black pepper to cinnamon. It's utterly delicious, with a trated wine. —R.V. berry, espresso and Swiss chocolate, while black spice silky, briskly clean mouthfeel. But the tannins are pro- abv: NA Price: $75 and length bring up the rear. A blend of 50% Mal- nounced; they’re not so strong as to lock the wine down, bec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cab Franc; but they do suggest time in the cellar. Give it four years, drink now–2017. Paul Hobbs Wines. Editors’ Choice. and it could be wonderful after 10 or more. —S.H. —M.S. abv: 14.4% Price: $57 abv: 14.9% Price: $50 9 Scott Paul 2009 Dix Pinot Noir (Dundee 96 Hills). Wow, this is a glorious bottle of Pinot Noir. It was designed to celebrate the winery’s 10th vin- 2 6 tage (hence the name, Dix) and is a barrel selection of Maresh Vineyard grapes. Textural, lush, smooth, supple Domaine de Cause 2009 La Lande and utterly delicious, its red and black fruits are dappled 93 Cavagnac (Cahors). A bold statement of with dusty spices, dusted with coffee grounds, and they dark Malbec, it’s very rich and very concentrated. The glide into a silky finish. Yummy beyond words. Editors’ wine has considerable tannins to go with the weight of Choice. —P.G. its fruit. With excellent potential, this wine, made from abv: 13.5% Price: $40 old-vine grapes, should age for at least seven years. Bird Rock Imports. Editors’ Choice. —R.V. abv: 14% Price: $19 10 Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega 1999 97 Casta Diva Fondillón Sweet Monastrell 3 (Alicante). Fondillón represents the pinnacle of red Failla 2010 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay Rulo 2010 Chardonnay (Walla Walla Spanish dessert wines, and the 1999 vintage just might (Sonoma Coast). 99 Shows classic, full-throttle 95 Valley ). Simply astonishing for its price, this make your jaw drop. Subtle but expansive on the nose, notes of tropical and citrus fruits, pears and sweet green toasty, rich wine matches ripe flavors of peach, red ap- with a blend of baked dark-fruit and cinnamon aromas, apples, combined with strong minerality and com- ple and light tropical fruit. Thick, juicy, and seductive, it is liquid heaven in the mouth, with excellent balance plex layers of buttered toast, honey and creamy lees. it finishes with a lick of butterscotch. Editors’ Choice. and flavors of roasted plum, black cherry, nutmeg and The description alone hardly does justice to the wine’s —P.G. chocolate. This is pure, structured and outstanding beauty. The acidity is perfect, the oak deftly applied, abv: 14% Price: $20 from start to finish. Drink now or hold in a proper cellar the finish long and completely satisfying. Winemaker for another 10 or 20 years. Only 100 cases made. Clas- Ehren Jordan suggests pairing it with simple fare like sical Wines. Editors’ Choice. —M.S. roast chicken and salted fingerling potatoes. Editors’ abv: 16% Price: $88/500 ml Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.2% Price: $44 3 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | BEST OF YEAR 2012 THE ENTHUSIAST 100 away, and that’s just fine. It’s composed of the most in- tensly concentrated flavors of blueberry and blackber- 11 14 ry—dense, pure and slightly heady, with a liqueur-like alcohol. The tannins are classic Diamond Mountain, firm and minerally, while oak plays the perfect role of the buttered toast and sweetly charred supporting char- acter. Despite its immediate attraction, it’s best cellared for 6–8 years, at the very least. Fans of old Cabernets will still be loving it in 2029. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $70 Mt. Brave 2008 Merlot (Mount Veeder). 98 This represents a tremendous achievement in 17 Merlot. The vineyard, around 1,600 feet up on Mt. Veeder, is now owned by the Jackson family, and the winemaker is Chris Carpenter, who oversees Cardinale. Uvaggio 2010 Moscato Secco (Lodi). In fact, this Merlot bears an uncanny resemblance to 94 This dry Moscato Giallo from Lodi is delicious, Cardinale in the dramatically ripe, sweet fruit and with an intensely perfumed nose that follows through superb, tannin-based structure. It’s 100% Merlot, with in the taste, alongside notes of Meyer lemon, jasmine hefty yet balanced alcohol, and the wine easily handles and cantaloupe. Very unusual, incredibly well priced the 85% new French oak in which it was aged for 22 and modest in alcohol, this lush, ginger-tinged Moscato months. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. is this taster’s desert- island white. Editors’ Choice. abv: 15.2% Price: $60 —V.B. abv: 13% Price: $16 Quinta do Portal 2009 Reserva (Douro). 93 Still very youthful, this concentrated wine has structure, deep black-fruit flavors and intense acidity. Its wood aging offers an extra spice note and a polished 12 15 surface. Underneath, the wine is dense, needing aging. Give it 2–4 years. M Imports, LLC. —R.V. abv: 13.5% Price: $28 18 Pierre Gimonnet et Fils NV Sélection 94 Belles Années Blanc de Blancs Brut (Champagne). This is an impressively rich nonvintage selection, with tropical fruit as well as a mineral-driven character. It’s impressive and would certainly take more Dunham 2010 Lewis Estate Vineyard bottle aging. Michael Skurnik Wines. Editors’ Choice. Riesling (Columbia Valley). Truly stunning, 95 —R.V. the Lewis Estate Riesling from Dunham explodes with abv: 12.5% Price: $44 fragrant fruits—citrus, melon and tropical. A symphony of subtle accents, such as powdered sugar, candied cit- Finca Flichman 2009 Paisaje de rus peel and breakfast tea, this gorgeous bottle belongs Barrancas (Mendoza). This blend of Syrah, with the short list of the very best of Washington’s many 93 Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon is sultry and sexy— Rieslings.