Waving Goodbye to 2008

Since we're waving goodbye to 2008, and I'm a historically minded wine blogger, I decided to dip into CellarTracker! and see what it told me about my year in wine. (photo /wave by striatic)

I tasted more than 400 wines this year, and was pleased to discover that my average cost for a bottle was $15.17--up only .86 since last year. The most valuable wine I drank was a 2003 Vincent Girardin Echezeaux. Mercifully, it was a gift. Even better, it was AMAZING. In the same seven day period that I sipped my Echezeaux, I also had my least expensive bottle of wine: the NV Zonin Primo Amore Juliet. At under $5, it was a pleasant, bubbly treat. That juxtaposition of a fabulous Burgundy and a fun, frothy wine somehow captures exactly what GWU$20 is all about.

I bought wine all over the place this year, but I was happy to see that my favorite wine retailer (no surprise here, really) was my local online wine retailer, domaine547. This was followed by my favorite local wine store, Pasadena's Chronicle Wine Cellar. Rounding out my top three--and a departure from previous spending habits--was direct purchases from wineries. In retrospect, I feel good about my decisions to support local businesses and wineries. In a touch-and-go economy, it's all the more important.

Finally, I looked at what it was that I drank in 2008. I was astonished to see that I tasted more Chardonnay than any other wine. CHARDONNAY? I'm not even aware that I'm all that excited about Chardonnay, but I guess the proof is in the numbers. I'm drinking it without even realizing it! Pinot Noir came in #2, followed by Sauvignon Blanc (I really would have thought that was #1), White Blends, and finally (my weakness) Red Rhone Blends.

Have you taken time to review your 2008 wine habits? Tune in tomorrow for my 2009 wine resolutions.

2008 Top Twenty Wines Under $20

It's time once again for the annual GWU$20 "Top Twenty Wines Under $20." (photo from peopleconnectors.org)

Each year I go through my tasting notes and gather together the most memorable and exciting wines I tasted. Then I hit the internet and make sure that they're available--for under $20. Who wants to get excited about a wine only to discover you can't get it anymore?

The world is awash with year end, top (fill in the blank) wine lists. Here's my contribution. You won't find many of these wines on other lists--I can promise you that!

What was the best wine you tasted this year? Share your favorite in the comments below, and of course if you've had any of these wines and agree with me, tell the world that, too.

Here they are, in reverse order. Click on any of the wine names to search for a retailer near you who might stock the wine.

20. 2006 Domaine Vissoux/Pierre Chermette Cuvée Traditionelle Gamay ($13-$18). Shy aromas of cherry, berry, and some chalk. The flavors are pure, juicy Bing cherry with an earthy undertow and some mineral notes in the aftertaste. Drinkable now, and should still have a few years left in it, too.

19. 2006 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($12-22). Very, very good Pinot Noir for the price. High toned cherry and raspberry fruit aromas, with a touch of allspice. Silky texture, and flavors of cherry, raspberry, allspice, and cobbler.

18. 2004 Domaine de la Noblaie Les Chiens-Chiens (around $20). The best Cabernet Franc I've ever had. Smoky, vegetable, and red fruit aromas combine nicely on the palate with a long, smoky aftertaste. Medium body, nice texture in the mouth.

17. 2003 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes ($13-$36/375 ml). A honey-colored wine, with aromas of pineapple, coconut, and honey. Good acidity on the palate, which tasted of pineapple dipped in honey and deepened and gained weight as the wine opened up.

16. 2006 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc ($13-$15). One of the best domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've had in a long time. Fresh and grassy, but not assertive with warmer melon, Meyer lemon, and clementine flavors.

15. 2006 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Rosé ($12-$16). A lovely, relatively full-bodied rose with aromas and flavors of strawberry and mineral. Delicious.

14. 2005 La Sibilla Piedirosso ($11-$15) An Italian red for Burgundy lovers. Light, true garnet in color, very clear and bright. Aromas of bacon fat and smoke, with a bit of high-toned black cherry underneath and flavors of leather, tar, and black cherry.

13. NV Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley ($15-$20) Pale straw in color, with abundant mousse and a small bead. Aromas of brioche and Meyer lemon and flavors of apples, toast, and a firm, nutty edge. Just terrific.

12. 2005 Arnaldo-Caprai Grechetto ($9-$24) Yummy, distinctive wine. Truly golden in color, with aromas of pears, herbs, and honeycomb. Slightly frizzante upon first opening, which dissipates quickly. Flavors run to orchard fruits--pears, a hint of white peach--with a zingy flash of lemon pith at the finish.

11. 2004 Di Majo Norante Aglianico Contado ($11-$20) Aromas of blackberry, tea, and a whiff of roses. Flavors of blackberry tending towards blueberry, tea, sassafras, and a little minty lift in the aftertaste.

10. 2004 La Rochelle Pinot Noir ($20) Beautiful, bright ruby color. Aromas of cherry and spice give way to flavors of cherry, pepper, and allspice with a spicy finish. Nicely made, with great acidity at the core.

9. 2006 Spann Vineyards Betsy's Backacher Bottle Blond ($14-$20) Contender for all around house white with its blend of Viognier, Semillon, and Chardonnay. Expect aromas of yellow apple, pear, and a touch of peach from the Viognier and flavors that are soft and round nectarine, peach, and apple.

8. 2007 Vignerons des Terres Secretes Chateau du Charnay ($18.60) Aromas of creme fraiche and pear and flavors of pear, apple, sour cream, and grapefruit pith. Very fresh and subtle, this is a wine for those who don't like the big California style. Excellent value.

7. 2007 James David Cellars Dry Muscat (price N/A, will be available directly from winery soon) A first offering, and a great dry muscat. Clear pale straw in color. Honeysuckle and mandarin orange peel aromas. Dry flavors of beeswax, Meyer lemon, and grapefruit pith.

6. 2002 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres ($11-$24) Aromas of lime, chalk, and almonds and flavors that were nutty, mineral, and citrus (somewhere between lime and lemon). Chalky finish. Piercing quality to the flavors, not sharp but very intense.

5. 2005 Veramonte Primus ($11-$26) Mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. Heady aromas and flavors of plum, blackberry, spice, and plum blossom. Satiny texture, integrated tannins, and a cedar-spice finish. Nicely made, well-balanced.

4. 2006 Adelsheim Pinot Gris ($14-$20) Delicious aromas of peach, honey, and a kiss of carmelized sugar. Lots of acidity to keep the peach and apple flavors in balance. Long, luscious aftertaste.

3. 2005 Preston of Dry Creek Valley Old Vines (I paid $20, but the price has risen) Amazing wine that's full-bodied and restrained at the same time. Aromas of plums and berries, yields to a silky-textured wine full of blackberry, dark chocolate, and roast coffee notes with a peppery aftertaste.

2. NV Osborne 1827 Sweet Sherry ($11-$18) Made with Pedro Ximenez grapes, this coffee-colored wine has molasses and cherry cola aromas and flavors. It's so syrupy that I believe those who told me that they serve it over vanilla ice cream. Delicious, affordable, memorable dessert wine.

1. 2006 Brooks Riesling Willamette Valley ($14-$20) Aromas of lime, apple, meyer lemon, petrol, and stone. Flavors of lime, honey, slate, and currants. Exceptionally complex for a wine at this price point. Well worth seeking out.

WSJ Picks Their Top Wines Under $10.99

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, otherwise known as the Wall Street Journal's husband-and-wife wine reviewing team, have just posted their top value wines of 2007. They went over their blind tasting notes for wines that were $10.99 or less and got top marks. It's an interesting list, with a pair of sweet wines, three roses, and some reds to round it out. The wines come from California, Australia, Spain, and France, providing good evidence that good value wine can be found in any corner of the world--if you look for it. (image from Columbia University)

At least one of these wines will be familiar to GWU$20 readers (the Toad Hollow Eye of the Toad Pinot Noir Rose), but I think you will find surprises on it, too, chief among them the Muscat Canellis. These are sweet wines ideal (as Gaiter and Brecher point out) for after dinner toasting and celebrating. If you've never had one, you are in for a treat and maybe this article will encourage you to take the plunge.

2007 Top 20 Wines Under $20

If you read wine magazines or the wine columns in newspapers, you cannot move without hitting a "Top ??? Wines of 2007" list right about now. These lists are the darlings of those who generate them, sell wine because of them, and buy wine after reading them. I mean, who doesn't like to know/sell/serve the #1 wine in the galaxy? Setting aside the fact that it will cost you just under $1000 dollars to buy one bottle of each of the top 10 wines in this year's Wine Spectator list, the fact that by the time the lists are printed and shopping frenzy begins many of the wines are long gone from the market, and that these lists can manipulate the marketplace in strange ways, you need to ask just how important it is to you that you are drinking a "top" wine anyway? Erika, on her blog Strumerika, asked this question a few weeks ago, and it's worth repeating here. (image of Wine Spectator's logo for the Top 100 Wines of 2007)

What's on these lists? Tina Caputo, in an article that appeared two days ago on Wines and Vines, did a side-by-side comparison of two popular lists and discovered that there were some striking similarities between the Wine Spectator top 100 wines of 2007, and the Wine Enthusiast top 100 wines of 2007. The same five countries dominated both lists: US, France, Italy, Australia, and Spain. The average price for a bottle on either list was between $40 and $50 (WS, $42; WE, $47). And, in a testament to the variability of personal taste, the #1 wine on one list doesn't even appear among the top 100 wines on the other list.

The fine folks at both magazines taste a lot of wines--a lot more than I do--in a given year before making their assessments. Over at Spectator they taste more than 15000 wines, and at Enthusiast they taste more than 10000. At GWU$20, I've only tasted about 500 wines this year, and most of them were from the US, France, and Italy. It hardly seems like enough to make any sort of statement, but just for fun I've generated my very own "2007 Top 20 Wines Under $20."

How did I do this? I looked over all my tasting notes from the year, and figured out which ones had the right combination of excellence, value, availability and "excitement" (which is one of the criteria for both the WS and WE lists). I stuck rigorously to the under $20 mark, which meant some very good $20-$25 wines were left out. I made one exception in terms of availability and included a Portuguese red not available in the US because it was SO good and this way you can lobby your wine store for it. In true "top list" fashion, only the rank, name, and price are included here. Want more information? You can read my full review by clicking on "GWU$20 Review," or read the reviews of a wider cross-section of drinkers including me by clicking on "CellarTracker reviews." Clicking on the wine's name will take you to a list of merchants who stock the wine today, not necessarily where I bought the wine. Prices indicated here are what I paid for the wine; as ever, your costs may vary.

To add to the nuckle-biting tension, I've put them in reverse order. Can you stand it? If not, scroll down.

20. 2003 Treana White Mer Soleil Vineyard ($14.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

19. 2003 Anglim Syrah Fralich Vineyard ($20) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

18. 2005 Four Vines Chardonnay Naked ($12) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

17. 2005 Champalou Vouvray ($14.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

16. 2005 Te Karainga Sauvignon Blanc ($12.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

15. 2004 Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel Heritage ($14) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

14. 2005 Beckmen Vineyards Cuvee Le Bec ($16) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

13. 2004 Domaine Larochette-Manciat Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays ($15.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

12. 2004 Toad Hollow Merlot Reserve Richard McDowell Vineyard ($19.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

11. 2003 Herdade do Meio Alentejano Garrafeira (not available in US) No GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

10. 2004 Chateau Falfas Bordeaux ($19.99) No GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

9. NV Soligo Prosecco Brut ($15.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

8. 2006 Handley Pinot Noir Rose ($18) No GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

7. 2003 Chateau Coupe-Roses Minervois Cuvee Vignals ($16) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

6. 2005 Sineann Gewurztraminer Resonance Vineyard ($19.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

5. 2006 Bodega Renacer Malbec Punto Final ($13.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

4. 2004 Sandoval Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

3. Cameron Hughes Lot 25 Carneros Sparkling Wine ($20) GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

2. 2000 Royal Tokaji Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Red Label ($20) No GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

1. 2004 Escafeld Petit Verdot, $19.95 GWU$20 Review. Cellar Tracker Reviews.

One of the most striking things about this list is that you won't find most of them included in any other lists. Still, they are excellent, good value, and exciting wines to drink with your favorite meal. While we're at it, what was the best wine you had this year? Leave your suggestion in the comments section before you leave!

Interested in Italian Wine?

I just picked up the September 2007 issue of Food and Wine Magazine, and it is a must buy if you are interested in Italian wine and the food that goes with it. If you aren't a subscriber you should try to pick it up when you go grocery shopping next time, as nearly every recipe and wine mentioned had me running for a pen and paper to copy down the ingredients, or to jot down the name for my next wine shopping spree.

There are some great features in this month's issue for winelovers. First, for bargain hunters like you and I, Ray Isle rounds up the 25 Best Italian Wines Under $25, including the 2005 Fattoria le Pupille Morellina di Scansano ($19) and the 2005 Feudo Arancio Nero d'Avola ($9). Both of these wines are excellent values, and use varietals that are native to Italy. Ray Isle also selects six budget-friendly barberas to go with some mouth-watering recipes. For varietal fanatics (I fit in that cateogory) there is an A-Z primer of Italian wine grapes that is a superb overview of the wide range of drinking options. There's a lot more than sangiovese to sample, that's for sure, like fiano and aglianico. Lettie Teague explores whether Barolo is all that it's cracked up to be--especially the new "modern" style wines. And Chang-Rae Lee remembers a very special Italian wine that she'd swap her best brunellos for if given the chance.

I've hot-linked the highlights here, but there are loads of food and wine pairings that steer you to even more Italian wine finds so do pick up a copy and get cooking, sipping, and enjoying all that Italy has to offer. I don't know as much about Italian wine as I'd like to, and the September 07 issue has inspired me to learn more.

Love, Biodynamics, and Vino: Responsible Hedonism for Valentine's Day

Do you know what you're serving your sweetie in the wine department for the upcoming Valentine's Day festivities? Something romantic, for sure. But how about a wine that is not only romantic, but organic and biodynamic, too? One publication is urging you to consider "responsible hedonism" as the theme for your celebrations this year.

The good folks at Organic Wine Journal have just released their dozen picks from among organic and biodynamic wines. They include sparkling, rose, white, red, and dessert selections and there are even food pairing suggestions to help you pull it all together. I was particularly drawn to the Brüder Dr. Becker 2004 Scheurebe Sekt Extra Trocken from the Rheinhessen in Germany (available from Crush Wine and Spirits for $22.99 or Smith & Vine for $20) with its pink grapefruit flavors to go with lobster, as well as the Mas Amiel Maury 1990 from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France (available from Appellation Wine and Spirits for $44.99) . This is a yummy port-style dessert wine made with grenache grapes that would go perfectly with chocolate. Though more than $20, it's still cheaper than a dozen roses and probably will last longer, too!

If you don't know the Organic Wine Journal, you should swing over to their site and take a look. They've got some great articles up now about Demeter Certification for biodynamic producers, and another on the use of organic grapes in New Mexico. Clicking on their logo, above, will take you to the home page, and the links above lead directly to specific articles.

Two more annual wine lists

Two more annual top wine lists crossed my inbox today that I wanted to share with you.

Ken Hoggins runs a website that provides wine reviews that are independent of wine-seller bias. Realizing that even budget wine buyers like me often splurge on holiday wine purchases, Ken has selected holiday wines in all price ranges for you to put on your shopping list. The wines on Ken's list were chosen with the three most popular Holiday meals in mind: ham, turkey, and prime rib. They include the2005 George Duboeuf “Fleurie - Domaine des Quatre Vents” ($16) to go with ham (I suggested an earlier vintage of this wine without the vineyard designation to go with Thanksgiving turkey, so its a versatile selection), the 2005 Chehalem Pinot Gris ($19) to go with turkey, and the pricier 2003 Paul Jaboulet Aîné “Thalabert” ($33) to serve with prime rib. He also suggests a number of more expensive bottlings that would make great gifts for wine lovers. Ken is based in Boston, and has been publishing holiday wine picks since 1999. He uses an aggregate of wine ratings from all the key magazines to help guide his choices, and uses a tasting panel to confirm or contradict those findings.

Katie from AOL Food dropped me a note to let me know that their list of top wines for $5.99 or less was ready for readers. (Image from AOL's food site) Their picks include wines readily available in supermarkets and one Trader Joe label among the 5 wines. Food pairing tips are included for holiday meal planning.

Happy shopping!

Attention Whole Foods Shoppers

Catching up on my podcasts this morning, I came across a Whole Foods Top Holiday Wine Selections List. There are lots of "top" lists this time of year, but since this one is linked to a specific retail outlet, it should make for less frenzied searching and more simple purchasing.

With so many Whole Foods stores not only in LA but throughout the country, I thought I would put up links to both the podcast and the article on their website. (This is my first experience linking to a podcast, so let me know if I've messed it up). As always, if you are looking for a specific bottle on their list, it saves you lots of traffic agonies if you call ahead and make sure it's actually in your local branch.

There are 12 wines on the list, including a sparkling wine and what they call a "cellar selection." There are some interesting choices on there at many price points, including a tasty organic Tarantas Tempranillo-Cabernet blend.

Whole Foods includes cheese pairing tips on the list, as well. Happy shopping!

Wine Report 2007

If you haven't heard of this book you aren't alone. I've never heard of it either, but it's won all kinds of awards. And if you are seriously interested in wine and like finding different, unusual bottlings I think there is no better book you could get yourself (or, since the holidays are coming, put on your wish list) than this little volume of research and analysis.

Tom Stevenson's Wine Report (DK Publishing, $15) offers a refreshing overview of the world of wine that will shake up what you think you know about wine's big picture. The reason? This is a European publication, written by a team of about 40 writers, including many Masters of Wine. And it is a yearbook, designed to give you an overview of the past year's news and developments. You get pieces on Burgundy by the respected writer Clive Coates, on wine and the internet by Tom Cannavan, and on California wines by Dan Berger. Besides serving as the general editor,Stevenson is particularly known for his knowledge of champagnes which he writes about in this volume. He also contributes to Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages (Stevenson's columns can be read by clicking here).

The book is organized by region, with sections devoted to Bordeaux, Portugal, the Pacific Northwest and other major viticultural areas. Each region is covered in about 5 pages--the perfect length for when you're drinking your morning coffee, or sipping a glass of Alsatian wine before dinner, and need some light reading. You wouldn't want to read the book cover to cover, but if you handle it like a magazine you're on the right track. Each region has an overview, an opinion piece, vintage reports, and a series of top ten lists covering the best producers, the up-and-coming producers, rapidly improving producers, the best value producers, the greatest quality wines, the best bargains, and the most exciting wines.

Some idea of the different approach you will get from this annual can be seen in Dan Berger's treament of California. Following his opinion piece on misleading labeling, we have his greatest wine producers. The top three are: Joseph Phelps, Stag's Leap--and Navarro. I think Navarro wines are the unsung heroes of California wine, but when do you see big write-ups on them? And you pretty much have to buy their wines direct from the vineyard because you aren't likely to find them in your supermarket (though they can sometimes be had at Whole Foods).

Among the up-and-coming producers? Campion, Shannon Ridge, and Katherine Hall. Best value producers include Bogle, McManis, and Canyon Road. I've got wines from some of these makers in my wineracks, and will certainly keep my eye out for those I'm less familiar with.

Among the greatest quality wines in Berger's piece? the 2002 Phelps Insignia ($145), Navarro's 2004 Gewurztraminer from the Anderson Valley ($14), and Dutton Goldfield's 2003 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley's Sanchietti Vineyard ($52). How's that for range!

Best bargains include the Navarro 2004 Edelzwicker ($11), the Bonny Doon 2004 Pacific Rim Riesling ($9), and the Dry Creek 2005 Chenin Blanc ($13).

And unlike any other wine guide I've seen this year, their "most exciting finds" actually sound exciting: the 2004 Chasselas Dore Berthoud ($15), the 2004 Milat Chenin Blanc ($18), and the 2001 Heitz Grignolino ($14.25). Plus, these are exciting wines you can actually afford--how refreshing! At the back of the guide the contributors had to be ruthless in selecting just a few wines from each region to include in the 100 Most Exciting Wine Finds. These are accompanied by detailed tasting notes.

Like any annual guide, this one is meant to be read, acted on before the wines sell out, and then tossed to make room for next year's guide. But this one has more meat in it than most, and its take on wine--which seems to this reader to differ considerably from the wine magazines and to correspond much more closely with what you see in wine blogs--makes for interesting reading. With surprising twists and turns and hidden zingers in nearly every list, it is a wine book that I heartily recommend.

Budget Friendly Choices On Wine Spectator's Annual Top 100 Wines List

Over at the Wine Spectator, the wine magazine with the largest circulation in the world, they've just published their Top 100 Wines of 2006 list this week. It's always a one-two punch for me: the release of the juicy, low-cost Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday, followed shortly thereafter by the list of wines I can't find and can't afford. Even though I try not to be influenced by these annual top wines list, like most serious wine lovers I find it impossible to avoid them. So rather than sticking my head in the sand I thought I'd face the list and see what it offered.

PS. As I caught up on my wine blogging reading, I discovered that Winehiker and Tom Wark over at Fermentation have both posted some pretty hair-raising stories about the impact this little list has on the world of wine consumption and production. Really makes you pause and reconsider how we run around like crazy people after some wines and not others based on media attention. Maybe the world of beaujolais nouveau and the world of the Top 100 aren't that different??

The 2006 list seemed pleasantly different to me than those of past years. 30 of the top 100 wines were $25 or under--nearly 1/3. I haven't done the math on the last 5 years' list, but my sense was that this year there were more options for those of us who put ourselves on stricter wine budgets, and fewer bottles retailing for over $100. While the average price for a bottle on the list was $49 (up from $43 last year), many of the more budget friendly wines this year are not limited production bottlings, but wines that are readily available from makers like Kim Crawford, Jacob's Creek, and Greg Norman.

The highest ranking bottle under $25 came in at #16, and was the 2004 Langmeil Shiraz Barossa Valley Valley Floor. ($23) I got a lot of hits for this wine when I searched for it, suggesting you can still get your hands on it. The next budget friendly selection was at #36, the 2004 Hess Collection Napa Valley Chardonnay ($20). You have to shop carefully for this wine, since Hess has both "Selection" and "Collection" labels, but it was available in lots of outlets for $18.99). Other budget-friendly highlights included the 2005 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Paretai Estate Series ($17) at #37, the 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc ($17) at #40, the 2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay ($20) at #62, and the 2003 Jacob's Creek Shiraz South Australia Reserve ($13) at #64.

I even discovered I owned two of the top 100 wines: the 2005 Elk Cove Pinot Gris Willamette Valley ($18) at #77, and the 2003 Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes ($43/750 ml) at #6. I bought this sauternes last month at Beverages and More in the half bottle size for $23.99. So if you're out shopping on Black Friday, and pass a BevMo, you might want to see if they've got some bottles on the shelf to put away until Thanksgiving 2010 and beyond.

These are just the highlights, so do go over and check out the whole list, paying particular attention the wines from #50-#100, where most of the under $25 wines can be found. Even if you don't subscribe to the magazine or the online site, you can download the whole list in PDF by clicking here.