Wine and Spirits - December 2011 - (Page 39)

DECEMBER 2011 YEAR’S BEST 40 Champagne tasted: 204 top wines: TASTINGS 76 best buys: 23 46 American Cabernet & Blends tasted: 700 top wines: 136 best buys: 46 62 Barolo & Barbaresco tasted: 125 top wines: 39 best buys: 26 66 Rioja tasted: 263 top wines: 61 best buys: 33 70 German Riesling tasted: 342 top wines: 99 best buys: 39 NEW RELEASES 77 American tasted: 376 top wines: 32 best buys: 38 81 Imported tasted: 460 top wines: 58 best buys: 76 Total tasted: 2470 top wines: 501 best buys: 281 Cellar Picks With two great California cabernet vintages on the market—2007 and 2008—plus a slew of spectacular 2009s out of Germany and Portugal’s Douro, wine lovers are spoiled for choice when it comes to stocking our cellars. And prices are uncannily reasonable for many of these bottles: the 98-point Mount Eden ’07 Cabernet for $48—or the Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Cabernet, an eﬀortlessly elegant wine from Washington’s Columbia Valley for just $16. Of course, there are tempting splurges, too: the 1995 Brut Oenothèque from Dom Pérignon is a Champagne not to be missed: massive and mature, it shows no signs of reaching its peak; Roederer’s 2004 Cristal Rosé follows the 2002 as another impeccably balanced vintage that should last for decades. There are also top ﬂight sparklers out of California (the 2003 L’Ermitage from Roederer’s Anderson Valley vineyard, for example) and aﬀordable bubbles from Alsace (the vibrant Crémant d’Alsace from Wolfberger for $14, p. 82). If the 2009 Vintage Ports from Fonseca, Taylor-Fladgate and Ramos Pinto are out of reach, look for Warre’s 1997 Colheita, a sleek, savory Tawny Port that asks just $30 (p. 87); if Barolo seems too rich, there’s Barbera d’Alba (Ca’ Viola’s Brichet, $34, p. 84). There’s something here for everyone on your shopping list. As always, these picks come from our blind tastings, with panelists who represent some of the industry’s top talent. In San Francisco, Josiah Baldivino of Michael Mina, Ian Becker of Arlequin Wine Merchant and Absinthe, and Matthew Fitch of Quince were just a few of the tasters who joined us; our New York panels included Rebecca Banks of Balthazar, Pascaline Lepeltier of Rouge Tomate, Keri Levens of Aquavit and Mike Zima from Del Posto. For a detailed description of our tasting process, see page 69. For notes on all recommended wines and listings of all the wines tasted for this issue, go to wineandspiritsmagazine.com. W I N E & S P I R I T S D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 39 http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine and Spirits - December 2011

Wine and Spirits - December 2011
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered Luke Sykora on Napa's Latest Vintages; Wine Manga Hits Our Stores
Spirits: Winter's New Must-Haves from Lou Bustamante
Bordeaux on the Down Low
Post-Modern Barolo
Coombsville Rising
Breaking the Mold
Where’s the Beef?
Extreme Values
Tastings Overview
Champagne
American Cabernet & Blends
Barolo & Barbaresco
Rioja
German Riesling
American Wines
Imported Wines
Champagne’s Warming Trend

Wine and Spirits - December 2011