In a year turned upside down by a still-virulent pandemic, social lockdowns, economic dislocations, wars and crazy populist politics in the USA and elsewhere, refuge sought in a good bottle of wine was never more appreciated nor more necessary. Here then, in no particular order of preference, are my most memorable top ten wines of the past year. Each one of these wines helped me take my mind off all the bad news pummelling us, and renewed my faith in human creativity and grace.
Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne NV, France
This elegant Champagne just squeaks in as we opened it to celebrate the new year’s arrival on December 31st 2019 into January 1st 2020. OK, it’s not Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, but just like that prestige cuvee (which sells at five times the price), it’s made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from the Grand Cru vineyards of the Cote de Blancs. A great acidic backbone supports a classy, bone-dry blanc de blancs with both yeast autolysis and emerging tertiary notes.
Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo 2010, Italy
A delicious, fragrant, complex, elegant and perfectly balanced expression of the best of Sangiovese and this single vineyard Chianti Classico terroir, from a great vintage. The 13% abv was a refreshing break from so many higher alcohol wines in these days of global warming.
Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 1 Hunter Valley Semillon 2007, NSW, Australia
Australia’s unique gift to the wine world – unoaked, bottle-aged Semillon from the humid Hunter Valley in New South Wales – which develops extraordinary complexity, a nutty bouquet and a waxy, lanolin, creamy texture as it ages in bottle. Unmistakable for any other mature white wine. Delicious. I remember tasting this with Bruce Tyrrell many years ago in his Hunter Valley winery.
Wynns John Riddoch Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1994, Australia
A wine for the ages: beautifully mature classic Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon with incredible flavour intensity (eucalyptus, mint, cassis, blackberry and savoury cured meats), balance, length and silky complexity, yet still remarkably alive at 26 years of age. A truly great Aussie red.
Celler Burgos Porta Mas Sinén Coster 2009, Priorat, Catalunya, Spain
Drinking this wine brought back such wonderful memories of our visit with the eccentric Salvador Burgos in his steeply terraced Llicorella (slate) vineyard in the heart of Priorat, and his infectious enthusiasm for this unique terroir. This wine was mostly Garnacha and Carignan, and the perfect expression of its place. Irreplicable.
Meerlust Rubicon 2010, Stellenbosch, South Africa
A Cape classic, perfectly balanced and refined at ten years maturity, and a reminder that sometimes the best wines don’t need to shout, but rather sing softly and sweetly. Meerlust’s late owner Nico Myburgh’s Rubicon was the first Cape Bordeaux red blend, and is still one of the best in my book.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles Savigny-Les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Lavières 2012, Burgundy, France
A nicely evolving, complex, elegant, mineral and pure Pinot Noir from this very traditional yet pioneering biodynamic Burgundy house, from +50 year-old vines, which proved the perfect match for our grilled rib-eye steak dinner. Oui, c’est incontestable, there’s nothing quite like Burgundy at its nuanced best.
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Hunter Valley Semillon 2005, NSW, Australia
Yes I know this is the second Hunter Valley Semillon on the list, so call me limited if you wish. But this wine was just so extraordinary (like the Tyrrell’s Vat 1) that I had to include it. Yet another exemplar of classic bottle-aged un-oaked Hunter Valley Semillon, this from an old-vine single vineyard, that takes on layers of waxy lanolin, chalky, creamy, earthiness and nutty spices, all wrapped up in a tangy acidic velvet glove. Amazing vitality at 15 years young.
Chateau Troplong Mondot 1990, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, France
One of the best estates in Bordeaux’s Right Bank Saint-Emilion appellation, and from the great 1990 vintage. If ever a wine rewarded the virtues of patience, this was it: at 30 years the fully integrated fruit, oak, acidity and tannins all combined into a sublime, pure expression of place and time: earth, charcuterie, violets, black fruits and leather, with a smooth, velvety mouth-feel and a long, elegant finish. It brought back wonderful memories of our visit to this great chateau. Amen.
Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles Bouzy Grand Cru XV, Champagne, France
This extra-brut Champagne made from fruit off 100% Grand Cru vineyards in the village of Bouzy located on the southern side of the Montagne de Reims was simply delicious. Perfectly balanced between bruised apple and citrus fruits, emerging brioche and yeasty biscuit notes, and a clear line of bracing acidity, the wine was exemplary of the balletic effortlessness that great Champagne can sometimes deliver. Superb.
And to throw in a bonus favourite:
La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent 2014, Burgundy, France A long-time favourite that has appeared on previous best-of lists, this is classic Chablis from the only Premier Cru vineyard that shares the same favoured hillside as the seven Grand Cru sites, and is almost as concentrated. It’s from the top-rated 2014 Chablis vintage and has benefited from the necessary bottle age that lends the wine its rich intensity and complexity. Chardonnay perfection.
