Tough one, but the contenders are:
1994 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains
1999 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir East Block
2001 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir River Block
forgot to add the 1912 Margaux, which was amazing for a 101 year old bottle of wine. The fruit last an hour and a half!
1978 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero Riserva Speciale…so far…but the truffle season is still young…
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
1982 Pichon Baron and 1995 Gaja Sperss… both opened the same time(6 hours before dinner)… the PB was great the same day… the Sperss was still opening up at brunch the next day!
Too early.
It’s a tie . . .
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1996 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional - Portugal, Douro, Porto (3/12/2013)
Decanted at 9:30 pm the night before into a large open mouthed glass pitcher. Poured back into the bottle at 7 am the next morning. Carefully handled to removed all sediment in the double decant. Opened at the restaurant at 7 pm and drunk at about 9:30. Roy Hirsch gets credit for decanting instructions, which were spot on.
WOW. Absolutely wonderful and a candidate for wine of the decade. Still very primary in flavors but incredibly smooth and sexy with zero rough edges. The flavors are red fruit, cherry and plum, with a tiny bit of undifferentiated spice, hard to pinpoint. Occasional tiny bits of chocolate. No secondary caramel or nuttiness. Lacking complexity only because it is still a baby, but that’s what to expect. My other bottle will have to wait 10-20 years as the flavor profile morphs. Not too sweet, not syrupy in the mouth. Just a smooth, seamless taste experience.
I bought this bottle from “the Cellar” auction of Rosania bottles a few years ago. I bid because I have an original RMP book in which he said he had never seen, let alone tasted, a bottle. I got the impression he thought Nacional might be a myth so I had wanted to own one for 20+ years. This is the first bottle I have ever tasted and it was worth the price of admission. (97 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
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2007 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (10/10/2013)
WOTY thus far. Absolutely exceptional. Preparation - I was drinking it at a dinner in NYC so it was in my office. No decanter so three hours before dinner I poured out about four ounces into a glass and the poured it back, let the bottle rest open, and then recorded to bring to the restaurant. Decanted into a wide bottom decanter at the restaurant and then sat for about another hour as we had a Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet with shrimp cocktail. The color was extremely dark. Red, but almost impenetrably black. When I poured this, the nose was spicy as well as fruity. There was some cedar pn the ose as well. Dark fruit. On the palate, there were layers and layers of complexity, even though still mostly primary. Raspberry and dark red fruits, a bit of blueberry. Smooth dark smoked black pepper with the characteristic meatiness that people ascribe to the Mourvedre. Still some tannic bite to it but rough edges of youth are gone. BRAVO Justin. I have more and this could be the WOTY every year for the next five years . . . But then again I’ve got other Saxums to enjoy. (97 pts.)
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Right now a tie between 90 Krug and 90 Dom Oeno. There is still time but I don’t see any wines besting these.
I am shocked as to my choice. I did all scientific-like and jogged my CT notes from high points down and looked for the first one in 2013 and there it was, the 2011 Quivet Cellars Syrah Hulda Block Las Madres Vineyard.
To say I have had some stellar wines this year is an understatement so competition was sure tough.
Runner up: My best cab of the year was 2005 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Majories Vineyard Premiere Napa Valley
It’s quite a lucky man who can say a $38 wine was his favorite on the year. Lucky indeed. Just look at Brian’s $2000++ entries below! 
Doesn’t look like it will get better than these for the rest of the year unfortunately…so…
1996 Salon 99pts
1993 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis 97pts
2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 97pts
1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 97pts
2001 Louis Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 97pts
1998 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT 97pts
Look at my signature below.
I’m using my phone. Your signature line does not show up.
Kenney—you have to save some of that stuff to share with me next time!
Howard—I’m really looking forward to my visit now, we’re pretty much finalized for popping in, glad to say, thanks for the assist!
Rauno—love it! Thanks for sharing
Luis—mmm, I picked up a bottle of the 2010 version of the Bousse D’Or. I look forward to great things, in much time, and Chinon Blanc, sounds intriguing. Gary, ditto for your discovery!
Don, wow, I will try to find some of that Ruchottes, since it only should cost about half an arm 
Craig, I had that 86 Gruaud almost 10 years ago (much too young), remember it brimming with untapped brilliance back then. It would be near-perfect now.
Bruce, Mike Smith + Beckstoffer fruit = 
Woty was easy for me -Maison Ilan’s 2010 corbeaux cuvée Suzanne. Man that stuff was good. Very generous of Ray (and I guess Suzanne).
Tease. ![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin"){kind=small}
My barrel tasting note from way back:
From Chassin barrel. Ray’s vines are one row over from Mazis, 67 year old vines. Darker fruits in the perfume here, a bit of farmyard again, also some espresso bean, dark cocoa…lots to say. This is another pretty vibrant wine, lots of red fruits and savagery, so it will need a lot of time. A chance to be a true Gevrey.
Glad it is working out so well.
It says
2010 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Old Sparky” Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard
2008 Lewelling Cabernet Sauvignon Wight
2011 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard
Thx
'71 Eisele Vineyard, Norm Mini bottling.
Honorable mention to '79 Hanzell Chardonnay, '83 Palmer and '57 Bouchard le Corton.
But the Eisele was otherworldly amazing.
by country
1969 Prince de Merode Corton Bressandes
1982 Gonzalo Byass Palo Cortado
1999 Montevertine Pergole Torte
1973 Mayacamas Cabernet
1976 Schloss Reinhartshausen Httenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Auslese
I know I’ve had some excellent Austrian wine this year but for some reason all that comes to mind is the recent 2005 Nigl Piri Privat Riesling. I had older stuff which was drinking even better but I didn’t take notes and I don’t recall what they were.
Might have to give the nod to the 2011 Rochioli Sweetwater Pinot that I had this weekend. Really awesome stuff even fresh off the delivery truck. I did beat it up a bit (venturi and decanted) for about an hour before drinking. Could also mention a 93’ Williams-Selyem Olivet Lane as a contender.
I do have some good stuff coming up though, so there may be some competition.