And the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year is . . .

Somewhat surprised that no one has posted on the top 10 wines of the year from the WS yet. I know it’s not ‘cool’ to say that you look at this stuff but it is interesting to see any of these lists, whether or not you agree with them.

The No. 1 wine will be announced later this morning but the rest of the Top 10 has already been announced this week - and my guess is that many on this board would not be disappointed with many of the choices thus far.

Cheers.

I was pissed to see Ramey chard on it, good luck finding that on sale again.

The ‘regular’ Ramey Chard? That sucks - it’s a very reliable, good Chardonnay that is widely available (or used to be)

I think it was the Hyde

Looks like it’s the 2016 Leoville Barton. I enjoyed the 15 quite a lot. Haven’t had this yet. Here’s the summary from WS:

“For its emblematic representation of Bordeaux, emphasis on a great price for a wine of such high quality, incredibly consistent track record and long-running family ownership, the Château Léoville Barton St.-Julien 2016 is Wine Spectator’s 2019 Wine of the Year.”

I’m on board with that.

Damn! The one 2016 Bordeaux I wanted to purchase but was hoping to see sub $100 pricing.

It is a very cab-heavy top 10 this year, with 4 of the top 10 being either Bordeaux or Cabernet wines. Only 1 white (the Ramey chard), and 1 bubbles (Roederer), the other 8 are all “big reds”. No Pinot in the top 10. For the first time since 2014, no wines from the NW in the top 10.

One of the few futures I bought at 90 per.

There is so much of it, tons in Europe, more will come in - though at higher pricing, because of tariffs, and now WOTY designation. I just watched a case of mags, and another case of 750s disappear from online stores in about 3 minutes.

I bought as well. Seems they are sold out everywhere

Same. It was really fantastic when I tasted it at the UGC event last year. Glad to have some since I’m sure the price will now skyrocket.

I tasted the 2016 Léoville Barton at the UGC event in Las Vegas last January. It is indeed a superb wine but will definitely require some patience:

1/26/2019: 94 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2016 Vintage Tasting (Las Vegas, NV): This opaque ruby/crimson wine delivers a package of black currants, dark bramble fruits, graphite, cigar box and dried herbs on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, fresh and with nicely integrated alcohol, it has outstanding mid-palate presence. The finish is long, albeit with lots of grip from its abundant tannins. This will require some time in the cellar to sort itself out, but there is no denying the potential here. A higher score may be warranted in the future. Drink 2025-2046.

Colin [cheers.gif]

I felt the '16 Carmes Haut Brion was better than this during the period I had them.

Dammit. One of a very few producers I buy in most vintages. We’ll see to what extent this impacts pricing, both on '16 and others.

I’ve watched this over many years, and other than the actual #1 wine, the top 10 doesn’t really affect pricing. Actually, what often happens is that the other top 10 (and top 100) wines, at least the ones that are still available by that time of year, really hit the retail shelves and are easier to find.

I could go dig them up when I have more time, but I’ve posted many examples to prove that in the past on here.

I think that’s right, at least from my non-rigorous observations. The WOTY has legs, the others are talked about for a while but the prices don’t move as much. However, since the vast majority of wine sold in the US is sold in Oct/Nov/Dec, the fact that the list comes out at this time tends to make the WOTY hard to get.

However, don’t lose hope!

James Suckling released his top 100. And I’m sure every other self-appointed critic will be releasing their lists, so just wait until there’s a #1 you can find and buy all of that!

Suckling really liked Italy this year. Here are his top ten:

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  1. Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2015

  2. Renieri Brunello di Montalcino 2015

  3. Muga Rioja Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2011

  4. Marchesi Antinori Umbria Cervaro Della Sala 2017

  5. Schäfer-Fröhlich Riesling Nahe Felseneck GG 2018

  6. Rippon Pinot Noir Central Otago Mature Vine 2010

  7. Château Larcis-Ducasse St.-Emilion 2016

  8. Eredi Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2015

  9. Errázuriz Pinot Noir Aconcagua Costa Las Pizarras 2018

  10. Cheval des Andes Mendoza 2016

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GregT I was looking at his whole list and couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if folks did a comparative analysis of the wines that frequently make his list and the wines that frequently make WS Top 100, and then ran a regression analysis to compare ad spending and event sponsorship from those wineries to each of the publications/critics. Lot of overlap on the eyeball test.

That said, I quite like a number of the wines on his top 10, and a good number on his top 100. So I’ll be doing some deep reflecting and may retire from wine soon.

I like the choice they made for #1, though I’m not going to pay $179 the online store is asking for it. Some of the past few years were odd to me, especially Lewis, Duckhorn and $200 Peter Michael cab.

I think I might be in the minority on this board, but I love the 2016 Almaviva (listed at #10) and look forward to trying 2017 once it’s available.

The Errazuriz that placed in number #9 is such an excellent pinot from Chile. Really love it.
Haven’t tried the 2018 but have a few bottles of the 2016 that placed top20 in 2017.