Who are your Top Ten wineries in the world?

WINE TALK
21

Paolo Bea
Overnoy/Houillon
Larmandier-Bernier
FX Pichler
Puffeney
Joly
Clape
Weinbach
Dirler
COS

22

I’d be happy to house sit next vacation . . .
alan

23

Very interesting Ken. Can’t say I’m surprised except maybe to see Littorai rather than Kistler.

Staying on the original question, so while not my absolute faves, that I buy and afford but trying to keep a cross-section:

I’d put my list at in no particular order (I always turn it up to 11)

JJ Prum
Huet
Baumard
Giacosa
G Conterno
Rousseau
Hudelot-Noellat
Roulot
Dujac
Jamet
Chave

Tempier, Egon Muller, Angelus would all be on the cusp.

24

Only wines that I have every year are…

Angelus
Pichon Baron
Pichon Lalande
Leoville Las Cases
Leoville Poyferre
Montrose
Cos
Beaucastel
Pegau
La Chapelle

To my all time favorite list, I would certainly add and subtract wines from this list.

25

I like the ‘must actually drink’ concept, don’t care for the one per country concept and will happily ignore it. In no particular order:

G Conterno
G Mascarello
Clavelier
Fourrier
d’Angerville
Roulot
Vinhos Barbeito
Salon
Conti Costanti
Paolo Bea

a few that I’d like to include if the list could grow are Baumard, Ramonet, G Rinaldi, Cappellano, Giacosa, Trimbach…

26

Charvin
Donnhoff
Vietti
Vajra
Giacosa
Produttori
Paitin
Felsina
Uccelliera
Quintarelli

27

No problems, but unfortunately most of my better stuff is safely away in longer term storage… neener

I do actually buy other stuff, (and lots outside of Burgundy), but these are the ones I have bought every year for the last 10 years, although
some are getting harder and harder to source, and allocations continue to shrink as the prices go up… Leroy is on the way out, except for
the odd bottle, same really with Coche (in '04 I bought nearly the whole local suppliers allocation, this year, 1 bottle), but anyway the excellent
substitutions in Boillot and Rouget are waiting to move off the bench…

28

You are a true Berserker.
[berserker.gif]

29

One per country? That’s a stupid rule and wrecks my list. There aren’t ten countries that make good wine much less great wine.

30

If I had to choose…

Le Vieux Donjon
Château de Beaucastel
Clos des Papes
Cos D’Estournel
Mouton
JJ Prüm
Domaine Dujac
Domaine de Montille
Rhys
Channing Daughters

31
  1. Mas de Boislauzon – it’s no secret I love this producer. Usually love their CdR, always love their CdP and “Quet” cuvee CdP
  2. Tablas Creek – love the variety of what they offer; imo, they make the most elegant and age-worthy wines of one of my favorite wine regions.
  3. J.J. Prum – my favorite MSR producer
  4. Arcadian – the best pinots made in this country, imo. Love the Chard. too.
  5. August Kesseler – pretty much embodies exactly what I want out of a Rheingau riesling.
  6. Josef Leitz – another Rheingau producer that I like a lot.
  7. Clos des Papes – how can you like CdP and not like this producer!?!
  8. Royal Tokaji Wine Co. – I love tokaji, and this is the best producer I’ve found yet.
  9. Doisy Vedrines – I’d love to put a better producer in this slot, but Doisy is the one I currently have in the cellar that I also drink year in and year out. Great QPR.
  10. Waterford – this S. African producer makes this list solely on the strength of their 2003 Shiraz, which I absolutely adore, and have been drinking over the past 4 years.

well, I managed to get 5 countries on there - and that was ignoring the “one per country requirement”!

Great thread idea, Mary! the qualifiers make your question especially interesting, imo.

32

OK!

OK

Not possible - because this would limit me to only 2 wines/wineries since I concentrated on France and Austria!

Austria-STYRIA:
Sauvignon blanc “JOSEPH” / Stefan Potzinger

  • after 2001/02 the “coming” young producer in this region, great juicy intense lively stuff, and the big four (Tement, Gross, Polz, Sattler …) lost a bit individuality and raised prices …
    SGAMINEGG / Sepp Muster (50:50 Sauvignon bl+Chardonnay) - the most individualistic idiosyncratic but really great wine of the region

Austria-WACHAU: there is no wine I buy “every” year, but
F.X.Pichler (Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd) and F.Hirtzberger (Riesling Singerriedel Smaragd) are my favs.
Nearby in the Kamptal: Schloss GOBELSBURG Grüner Veltliner “Ried LAMM”

FRANCE/Southern Rhone:
Chateauneuf-du-Pape:
Domaine du PEGAU: the essence of great traditional CdP, more regular than Bonneau, always fine to drink, even in smaller vintages
Chateau RAYAS: greatest Grenache wine on earth … the perfect combination of intensity and elegance …

FRANCE/Northern Rhone:
Hermitage J.L.Chave: this is what great Hermitage is about … simply great wine-making true to terroir and vintage - in red AND white

Cote-Rotie René Rostaing: always a joy to drink, from youthful to aged … (the LaLas / Guigal are simply too expensive now)

FRANCE/Burgundy:
this is hard, because there are so many interesting and fine producers … of course if money is no issue I´d choose RC or La Tache …
but unfortunately I´m not wealthy, so

JJ CONFURON: Romanée-St-Vivant and Nuits-St-Georges “Aux Boudots”: very consistent quality since 1995/96, often the best producer in my annual tastings, still affordable
Robert ARNOUX(-Lascaux): Vosne-Romanee “Suchots” (always grand cru quality)
Louis-Michel LIGER-BELAIR: great wines since 2001/02 when he took over: La Romanée can always compete with DRC … and the 1er Crus are some of the best (Reignots, Suchots, Petits Monts) - unfortunately no real bargain …

So I´ve got already 12 names - and Bordeaux still left
(and I haven´t bought almost anything after 2000):
OK - left bank Ch.Margaux and Haut-Brion,
right bank Angelus and Lafleur

Good thread!

Gerhard

33

D’Oliveira
Niepoort
Taylor Fladgate
Trimbach
Ridge
Hirtzberger
JJ Prum
Donnhoff
Chave
Huet

34

Ignoring the “per country” part:

Two Hands - consistently good usually sub $50 wine
Donnhoff - because I love Spatlese and these are consistenly top notch without breaking the bank
Bodegas El Nido - because I love big, bad reds and oak doesn’t bother me!
JJ Christoffel - because I get a high QPR (usually sub $20) for a very quaffable Spatlese/Auslese
Pride Mountain - consistently pleasing wines across multiple varietals
Shirvington - consistent high quality without breaking the bank
Kracher - because I’ve never found anything better at 3 times the price
Tercero -because Larry makes some of the highest QPR Rhone varietals and is a helluva good guy
Elderton (“Command”) - because I fell in love with this wine many years ago and it rarely disappoints
Tie - Kapcsandy - Amongst my favorite Cab producers and my absolute favorite Merlot producer
Tie - Anderson Conn Valley - another consistent Cab/Cab blend producer

35

Jamet
Copain
Scherrer
Dehlinger
Bize
Cameron
Siduri
Bocquenet
Jadot
Chevillon

David [drinkers.gif]

36

I don’t have wine from 10 different countries in order to participate…only one producer per country…this is going to be hard.

France

Beaucastel because this is the one wine from my cellar currently that I could not part with. I can’t have champagne… [head-bang.gif]

Italy

Giacosa…what to say other than I want Conterno (both), Ceretto, Mascarello (both), too.

Germany

Donnhoff for the stickies but I need one sweet wine in the cellar.

Portugal

Fonseca because I think it is my favorite port house

Spain and Aussie

I am not sure if I have any Spanish or Aussie wines. I sent them all back to a retailer in Westchester county.

USA (rarely drink US wines)

Peay because I’d get excellent whites, dynamite syrah, and good PN

37

Can’t do the one from each country, but the 10 producers I would have in my cellar, using my own funds are:

Anderson Conn Valley
Larkmead
Robert Keenan
Rhys
William Selyem
Tablas Creek
Beaucastel
Vincent Girardin
Continuum
Pavie

38

JJ Prum; light aromatic, great quality!
Grace Wineries Japan; for something querky and out there.
Ben Glaetzer for my big wines.
Ataraxia for a new/old world half way house.
Salvioni; because they make great Brunello!
Drouhin-Laroze because great up and coming burg prod whose wines remind me of the best.
Chateau Montelena; for the story and the fact that the wines are excellent and very BX in stlye.
Chatea Langoa-Barton; value and excellence all the time.
Mount Edward for good old not very well known NZ Pinot!
DRC because they have given me the best drinking experiences of my life (caveat) I have never tried any Jayer’s yet!

39

Great list…

40

Mine looks different than most here, if only because as a grad student my per bottle expenditure is much lower (though I do tend to liberate bottles from my dad’s cellar, so some of those will make this list)

Sassicaia (Just really like it)
Antinori (I have a soft spot for the 1997 Tig)
Beaucastel (I can pony up for the odd bottle of Coudoulet)
Boekenhoutskloof (Visited this winery in SA and loved the entire lineup, most of which is actually affordable)
Ridge (My favorite Zinfandels)
Domaine Serene
Alvaro Palacios (I love the entire lineup, from the Camins up to the one bottle of L’Ermita I was allowed a glass from)
Pesquera
Loosen Bros.
Kopke

Someday I hope that my top 10 list can change drastically!