Discovery of the year - Carcavelos
A restaurant in Lisbon poured me a glass to compare and contrast with the Madeira I ordered. I immediately began searching out examples in Lisbon and continue to do so back in the SF Bay Area.
Disappointments of the year - Carcavelos
Discovered that Carcavelos is a dying appellation due to the growth of Lisbon suburbs and only one grower, supported by the local government, remains. 2004 Raveneau Montee du Tonnerre
I stopped buying when prices skyrocketed back in the oughts, so every time I open one it’s a special occasion. When the wine trades for ridiculous prices you certainly expect a fantastic wine every time, but when it’s merely a 93 it’s a letdown!
Wines of the year - I scored a few at 94 - Kinda surprised at all the 2003s… 2000 BAMA 2003 Angelus 2003 Tempier Cabassou 2003 Maume Charmes-Chambertin 2007 Donkey and Goat Chardonnay Brousseau
Had to check back on CT to verify and noticed that my highest ranking this year was lower than other years, but more wines hit that mark. Interesting if nothing else!
Heymann Lowenstein GG WU Laubach 2015
Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec 2019
Knez Demuth Chardonnay 2014
Tortochot Chambertin 2013
Porter Creek Hillside Reserve Old Vine 2013
Copying Kiser Combe de Gres 2009 (1.5l)
After that first magic bottle of Knez I drank two or three more over the year, and only that one reached the maximal display… should have marked which is which, but some of these bottles came from K&L when they bought the remaining stock from Knez. Don’t know who screwed up but basically all of those wines sold were damaged (seems heat?). So all the ones ex cellar are young and fresh and beautiful, and the KL ones are bordering on fully oxidized. Too bad but glad I got most of my collection from the people themselves
While I drank a lot of superb wine this year, I don’t think I remember the wines nearly as much as I remember the people and places. There is something special about having a couple glasses of Bouzeron with lunch in Bouzeron, talking about wine with some of my favorite winemakers over dinner and way too much really good wine, or any number of happy occasions when the wine was excellent and the company was better. I could brag about the PYCM, Lamy, Roulot, Krug, Cristal, Salon, and so forth that we drank, but the people are what’s really memorable.
I do have a Discovery of the Year though - Champagne. This year was my first visit to the region, and what struck me was how few of the 5,000 producers in the region that I know, and how many excellent wines there were from labels I’d never heard of. I’m anxious to learn more about this region, particularly outside the several dozen producers that are Board darlings.
It was a nice and complete Champagne, but it was not complex, there was little give, and for the two times that I’ve had the 2008 Cristal…it’s been outshined by other 2008s (Dom, Comtes, Rare, and Pierre Peters) every time that I’ve opened a bottle I’ve been disappointed. Seems I just need to be more patient.
Domaine de Chevalier, if I’m not mistaken? (Note to self: pick up some of the 2019, even though you already have too much young Bordeaux for your own good.)
I’m not ready yet to crown a WOTY, but my discovery of the year has to go to Clemens-Busch’s Fahrlay-Terrassen, a GG riesling that I fell madly in love with.
WOTY -
Bodegas Alonso Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Amontillado 1/15
What Zach said
DOTY -
Godello
I had a Raul Perez del Vivo last night and it managed to be delicious, food friendly, and have flavor profile entirely new to me. not something that happens often at my age.
Yep, domaine de chevalier. Really excellent young Pessac, super fresh and savory, and clocks in at 13.2% alcohol. WK mentions its stylistic kinship to the wines they made in the 70s.
WHWC had a few bottles of the 2017 and that was all it took. Ripe without being too ripe, but also intellectual. Juicy but also bone-dry at the same time. Hit a lot of sweet spots for me and I bought a bunch of the 2020 as well.
Red – 1986 Henri Jayer Bourgogne. Insane on every level, especially considering that it was such a humble bottling from a questionable vintage.
White – 2009 Coche Dury Meursault Perrieres was stunning, not something I typically associate with 2009 white burgundy.
Bubbs – Guillaume Selosse Au Dessus du Gros Mont was just impeccable, by far the most balanced champagne I’ve had with “selosse” on the label.
Discovery for me, and I was clearly late the the game, are the whites by Labet, which I drank off lists more than any other wine this year.
I went through a case of this wine, thanks to a recommendation of a late friend. Every bottle was fantastic. Laurel Glen just killed it with their Cabs in the early 90’s. I wish I had a couple left. Glad you enjoyed yours!
We had the 1995 the same night as the 1992 and it made another Berserker’s WOTY list. I was a huge fan of Patrick Campbell’s wines starting with the 1991 on its release and still have several Laurel Glen Estates and a few Counterpoints from the early to mid 1990s that have aged beautifully.
The first 5 are in order, after that it just rapid fire as they came to mind. WOTY was the 2008 Raveneau Vaillons. It was my first Raveneau and it blew me away.
2008 Raveneau Vaillons
2014 Lafon Meursault Charmes
2019 Dauvissat La Forets
2015 CLB VR La Colombiére
2010 Fourrier GC Aux Echezeaux
2013 Dujac GC Aux Combotes
2020 Antica Terra Aequorin Chardonnay
2018 Raveneau Foret
2018 Bruno Colin CM La Maltroie
2010 Ghislaine Barthod CM Les Cras
2014 Dujac CSD
2017 Dauvissat Chablis
2019 Kelley Fox Maresh Royal Ann Block
2017 Fourrier CM Les Gruenchers