Bill,
What do you mean by higher end? More renowned producers, more expensive, or higher Pradikat wines?
Curious.
Producer. I have tried wines from QbA to SVD Auslese in the past year, but my comment was in reference to Donnhoff, Prum, Schaefer, Cristoffel, Molitor, etc.
Nice. What’s your favorite Prädikat? Obviously based on vintage, but nonetheless.
Bordeaux red: 2 nominations Figeac and La Conseillante 82 only.
No Latour, Lafite, …Cheval Blanc, Petrus…
Who is paying these prices for these half decent wines? Surely, these prices are not reached because of lack of supply…
What was your favorite wine of the Year? 1993 Dujac Echezeaux
What was your favorite red wine of the Year? 2000 Dujac Clos St Denis
What was your favorite white wine of the Year? 2008 Fontaine-Gagnard Criots Batard Montrachet
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year? 1988 Krug
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year? Domaine Germain
What was your favorite tasting of the year? Burgundy dinner with some Wine Locker friends
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you? None
What wine disappointed you this year? 1990 DRC Richebourg
What was your favorite QPR this year? Gouges Bourgogne
I have not had the 2008 of this but have had some older vintages and it can be really really good. ![[welldone.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/fc9709a841aa9379fd892a9cf0b535b05f473b86.gif "[welldone.gif]"){kind=small}
What was your favorite wine of the Year? 1996 Philipponat Clos de Goisse
What was your favorite red wine of the Year? 1982 Eyrie Pinot Noir South Block Reserve
What was your favorite white wine of the Year? 2007 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year? See above
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year? Matello
What was your favorite tasting of the year? Eyrie South Block Reserve Vertical tasting
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you? I rediscovered how good German and Alsatian Riesling can be
What wine disappointed you this year? I can’t think of any
What was your favorite QPR this year? Marie Courtin Resonance Extra Brut Champagne - $75 champagne for less than $40
Favorite red wine of the Year:
2008 Rousseau Clos de Beze, 1990 Pichon Lalande
Favorite white wine of the Year:
2004 Bouchard Chevalier, 2004 Drouhin Montrachet
Favorite effervescent wine of the Year:
1988 Krug, Selossse initiale
Favorite sweet wine of the year:
2001 Coutet
Biggest new producer discovery of the year:
Burguard - Beaujolais
Favorite tasting of the year?
Rousseau 2008’s horizontal
New region to get into this year:
Beaujolais
Disappointing wine/s this year:
Bordeaux 2003’s
Favorite QPR this year:
Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Spatlese
What was your favorite wine of the Year? Hermitage La Chapelle 1961
What was your favorite red wine of the Year? Ditto.
What was your favorite white wine of the Year? Leflaive Chevalier 1992
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year? a glass from a pristine magnum of DP 1990
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year? Keller. I had his wines before, but this year I had a chance to taste multiple bottles, and get a real understanding.
What was your favorite tasting of the year? A close friend’s 50th birthday. Lots of 1961s, including the La Chapelle.
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you? Brazil
What wine disappointed you this year? Too many corked wines, but the most annoying was a Monfortino 1993
What was your favorite QPR this year? Moueix Encore Merlot 2005
What was your favorite wine of the Year?
If counting bottles consumed, another 2007 Spottswoode (beginning to close down though) and a 2007 Insignia. If counting tastes as well, a pour of 2009 Kapcsandy Grand Vin at the winery (almost a perfect wine).
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?
See above.
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?
Two bottles of 2009 Rochioli SVD Chard I opened. Stunning. Their Chard is at least as, if not better than, their Pinot. Definitely NOT a hostage wine. And of course another bottle of 2001 Prum W-S Auslese.
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?
2000 Argyle Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard Julia Lee’s Block.
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?
Refuse to list one. Keating, Kristine Ashe, Peachy Canyon, Stolpman, Grand Reve.
What was your favorite tasting of the year?
Kapcsandy tasting at the winery consisting of a mind-melting flight of current and pre-release Cabs.
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?
Central Coast wines, not really “new” to me but I really started drilling down during a recent visit.
What wine disappointed you this year?
Oddly enough, the 2008 Kapcsandy Grand Vin, which prompted an invite and a visit to the winery, where I tasted perhaps the greatest Cab ever, the 2009 Kapcsandy Grand Vin. 
We’ll see how the 2008 evolves I guess.
What was your favorite QPR this year?
2010 Chronic Cellars Purple Paradise Zin for about $16, 92 points.
What was your favorite wine of the Year?
Really tough to nail down, but based on overall experience, 1973 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?
2006 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
2007 Pahlmeyer Merlot
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?
2009 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs
2008 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard
2008 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?
2004 Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Blanc de Blancs Fleur de Passion
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?
Copain, Littorai
What was your favorite tasting of the year?
CT Texas III Offline
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?
Sonoma
What wine disappointed you this year?
While very tasty, I was a bit disappointed by Sine Qua Non Fe2O3~1a,b,c. I guess I expected that the quality would make up for the fact that it’s not really my style. It didn’t.
What was your favorite QPR this year?
2008 Firriato Etna Rosso
2005 Château Doisy-Védrines
What was your favorite wine of the Year? 2000 Lynch Bages
What was your favorite red wine of the Year? 2000 Lynch Bages
What was your favorite white wine of the Year? 2009 Hanzell Chardonnay
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year? 2002 La Reve, Domaine Carneros
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year? Holdredge (haven’t tried until this year! slacking)
What was your favorite tasting of the year? Foxen (solid lineup, great people)
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you? Not exactly new, but I had more Rioja this year.
What wine disappointed you this year? 2007 Caymus SS (Cab should be Cab, not Zinfandel)
What was your favorite wine of the Year?- 1982 Pichon Lalande. Completely lived up to the hype
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?- see above
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?- 95 Ziliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spatlese #5
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?- 98 Vilmart Cuvee Creation
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?- nothing new or unexpected
What was your favorite tasting of the year?- The massively shitty 07 Oregon Fest at Patty Green Cellars
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?- no real new region(s), but certainly more champagne than before
What wine disappointed you this year?- 82 Clape, because it was DOA
What was your favorite QPR this year?- 07 Cabot Humboldt Syrah
What was your favorite wine of the Year?
1996 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?
1993 Jean Gros Richebourg
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?
That 1996 Leflaive Chevy was possibly my best white wine ever.
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?
Had many great Champagnes, including -64 and -90 DP and -90 Cristal, but I really have to choose the intellectual and emotional favorite 1999 Vilmart Cuvee Creation.
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?
Several grower Champagne producers, but if I had to pick one, it’d be Vilmart.
What was your favorite tasting of the year?
The white burg tasting I organized in october that had 12 wines, all matching or exceeding expectations and none premoxed.
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?
This has to be grower champagne for me.
What wine disappointed you this year?
I was somewhat disappointed by how boring the much hyped and expensive -89 and -90 Lynch Bages were at a tasting in september.
What was your favorite QPR this year?
The 2009 Bachelet Bourgogne I finished last night.
Cool…pulled a bottle of this out the other day for Christmas eve… ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Good bottles of this are amazing…my fave vintage of Krug. Not surprised to see many agreeing…
My last note on this wine…it certainly is one that is hard to love right now, although I think it does still have good potential…
1990 DRC Richebourg:
Big, powerful wine, which initially seemed (to me) to have a touch of VA. Definately the Richebourg, and so it was. Power, structure, deep slightly high toned fruit black fruit that was solid right through. Another long lived wine here, one that will rival the GE for longevity, or maybe even pass it. Not really all that accessible today, and a wine that really needs 10 more years (this also was a pristine bottle, so that makes a difference for a wine of this age. This will I think be a great wine with more time, although within the typical DRC Richebourg style. The groups unanimous 4th placed wine.
92++pts.
What was your favorite wine of the Year?
2004 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?
2001 Ridge Home Ranch
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?
(see above)
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?
2007 Solter Riesling Brut Sekt
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?
Copain, Halcon
What was your favorite tasting of the year?
President’s Weekend: Sat: Took train/bus/bike from San Jose to Santa Rosa, beer at Russian River Brewing Co; Sun: Bike to Copain, Mauritson, and Ridge Lytton Springs, stopping at Bear Republic for lunch; Mon: Bike all the way back to San Francisco and take train back to San Jose. About 150 miles on the bike, most of it with a couple bottles of wine in the panniers.
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?
Yorkville Highlands Syrah
What wine disappointed you this year?
2009 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling QbA trocken - Except for a couple Austrian exceptions, I’ve had bad luck with dry Riesling. My hit rate on the off-dry stuff is so high that I struggle with even taking a chance on a dry one.
What was your favorite QPR this year?
2008 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
What was your favorite wine of the Year?
I have three (sorry): 2001 Suduiraut, 2001 de Fargues, 1975 Yquem
What was your favorite red wine of the Year?
For a taste (few sips): 2002 DRC Echezeaux. For a full glass: 95 Dalla Valle Maya
What was your favorite white wine of the Year?
Do sweets count? If so, see above. If not, tied between 1984 Raveneau Blanchot and 2000 Ygrec.
What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?
1990 Cristal
What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?
None
What was your favorite tasting of the year?
A superb day of drinking (brunch and dinner) with Noel and other WBers at an extravagant offline.
What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?
German Riesling
What wine disappointed you this year?
Nothing stands out right now.
What was your favorite QPR this year?
2006 Chateau de Cosse. Real sauternes for $7/half. I open this at the end of most parties and have introduced many new people (non-winos) to sauternes with this wine.
Wow… I don’t know what happened. Could a mod please delete my duplicate posts? Thanks.