Our personal top wines of 2014?

Happy New Year everyone! What were your personal top wines of 2014? Use any criteria you like and list as many as you care to.

The best wines I tasted in 2014:

5 Stars
Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes 1998
Opus One, Napa Valley 2008

4.5 Stars
Chateau La Tour Blanche, Sauternes 1998
Chateau Coutet, Barsac 1998
Luigi Pura, Serralunga, Barolo 2008
Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port, Porto 2007
Charles Heidsieck, Rose Reserve, Champagne NV

4 Star Honorable Mentions
Chateau Calon Segur, St. Estephe 1998
Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 2003
-- Notes on the Haut-Brion coming soon. 4.5 Star potential, and I think we caught it in an inexpressive phase.

These are ones I rated more than 92 pts. on CellarTracker and are ones I had a full bottle or at least a glass (not just a taste):
2011 Alvear Montille-Moriles Pedro Ximenez de Anada, Spain
2009 Alysian Wines Pinot Noir Rochioli Vineyard Edgewater, Russian River Valley, CA (had twice and rated 94 and 93 pts. and Gary Farrell is leaving winemaking--sigh!)
1999 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, The Montelena Estate, Napa Valley, CA
2007 Larkmead Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA
2005 ZD Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa Valley, CA
2008 Maison Alex Gambal Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers les Dents de Chien (my only white wine on the list)

I had a number tied at 92 points including a 1994 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux; a Pommard 1er Cru, a CdP, a Calera Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan, San Benito County, CA, a Torii Mor Reserve Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR), 2006 Chateau Pavie Macquin, St. Emilion, Bordeaux; a Beaujolais Cru and a Cote Rotie.

One standout this year, Hawkes Pyramid Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon '06 on Christmas Eve.
Second or third best Cab I can remember.
Of course the dry-aged standing rib roast didn't hurt a bit.

Lots of great wines.
89 Monprivato is probably WOTY for me. Followed closely by 85 Haut Brion on 2 separate nights.
Other contenders without actually searching: 67 Marcarini Brunate, 99 Truchot Combottes, 82 Certain de May, 90 Mascarello Monprivato, 71 F. Rinaldi, 85 L'Evangile, 88 Grunhauser Abt. Auslese, 89 Pichon Lalande, 93 Ampeau M-Perrieres,

Overachievers: 70/71 Sterling Cabs

Lots of great wines.
89 Monprivato...67 Marcarini Brunate...71 F. Rinaldi...

I guess I drink mainly 'very good' wines and not enough 'great' wines, because I never do well with these lists.

Last year I had high hopes for a 67 Oddero (even if others might not consider it great) but I don't think I gave it enough air. After almost 10 hours it was still getting better and deeper but also still volatile and I had to go to bed. You live and learn!!

After almost 10 hours it was still getting better and deeper but also still volatile and I had to go to bed. You live and learn!!

Auuugh! This qualifies for the "Top Sad Wine Tales" of 2014!

Most memorable for us (those which we immediately recall)

1983 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile Vendange
1985 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre
2008 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph Vignes de L'Hospice
1999 Huxelrebe Beerenauslese Weingut hinter der Kirche, Pfeddersheim

Win_fried

[David M. Bueker]

Impressed to see a Huxelrebe mention.

I posted to Tom Camavan's wines of the year poll a couple of weeks ago. Here's my selections:

Red: 2009 Clos Saron 'Heart of Stone' Syrah
White: 1989 Dönnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese
Sparkling: 1990 Roederer Cristal
Sweet: 2002 J. J. Christoffel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese****
Rosé: 2013 Matthiasson Rosé
Fortified: 2011 Dow

John Treder,
I had to look up where Hawkes Pyramid Vineyard is located. I thought it might be a Napa County Cab, but no, it is from Alexander Valley in Sonoma County.

Here are mine (no particular order)

Broadbent Madeira Terrantez Old Reserve NV

Chateau Rieussec 2006

Clos Erasmus 1994

Marcassin Chardonnay 2006

Dom Perignon 2002

Leoville Las Cases 1975

Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvigon 1983

Avignonesi Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo di Montepulciano 1999

Random order>
2012 Mas Granier Blanc, C de Languedoc.
2006 Q do Vale Meao Meandro.
Tahbilk 2007 Museum Marsanne.
N/V Henri Billiot Brut Reserve
2012 Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose.
Keith Tulloch Botrytis Semillon
2002 JJ Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese.

Dud. Anything from Burrowing Owl Okanagan Valley.

[Jenise]

Dud. Anything from Burrowing Owl Okanagan Valley.

Second to last trip thru that valley, stopped there for a tasting. Didn't get any further than the whites, had to leave to get put out of my misery. I have good memories of the years when, oh what's his name, something like Bill Dyson, was the winemaker on hire. But the apparently talentless Heir-to-the-fortune on the job now is running it into the ground.

That's right, JC. It's on a hilltop between Knights Valley and Chalk Hill, but not in either of those designations. Very thin stony soil.

CT mightily eases this sort of exercise.

Outstanding -
Château Pichon-Longueville Lalande 1966

Excellent +
Vouvray demi-sec Foreau 2002
Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva CVNE 1988
Châteauneuf du Pape Clos des Papes 1999

Excellent
Barbaresco Bruno Giacosa 1995
Vouvray Bretonnière Taille aux Loups 2008
Tignanello 2001
Bandol Dom.de la Bégude 1998
Meursault Genevrières Mikulski 2001
Cot.du Languedoc Mas Jullien 2000
Fontalloro Fèlsina 1995
Jasnières Les Rosiers Bellivière 2007
Cornas Clape 1997
Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux-St.Jacques G.Séguin 1996

Last year I had high hopes for a 67 Oddero (even if others might not consider it great) but I don't think I gave it enough air. After almost 10 hours it was still getting better and deeper but also still volatile and I had to go to bed. You live and learn!!

It's hard to believe how much air these older Nebbiolo do well with. I get nervous with idea of hours of air with old wines, but they invariably do better (67 Marcarini showed great after 8+ hour of double-decant couple weeks ago). This was response I got from a question about some lesser 60s era wines from Jamie at Chambers, who knows these wines well:

I’ve get far better results with extended decant times. It’s true that the wine will move up and down / open and close a bit if you follow it over the time of an extended period in the decanter (or double-decanted), but the payoff really comes after 6-8 hours minimum; this applies to 1960s or older – a fact which still requires me to build up some nerve but which consistently yields the best wine in your glass.

For Jenise's benefit:

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Tobin James, “5”

2009 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Lagrein

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Primitivo

2006 Tobin James, Black Magic, Petite Sirah

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Petit Verdot

2009 Tobin James, French Camp, Zinfandel

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Syrah

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Cabernet Franc

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Refosco

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Cabernet/Sauvignon/Syrah

2009 Tobin James, Dusi Vineyard, Zinfandel

For 2015 we're going to reform!

[Jenise]

For Jenise's benefit...For 2015 we're going to reform!

LOL Carl, I deserve that!!!

For Jenise's benefit:

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Tobin James, “5”

2009 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Lagrein

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Primitivo

2006 Tobin James, Black Magic, Petite Sirah

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Petit Verdot

2009 Tobin James, French Camp, Zinfandel

2008 Tobin James, Silver Reserve, Syrah

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Cabernet Franc

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Refosco

2009 Tobin James, James Gang Reserve, Cabernet/Sauvignon/Syrah

2009 Tobin James, Dusi Vineyard, Zinfandel

For 2015 we're going to reform!

Who's Tobin James?

Who's Tobin James?

He is your neighbor!

[Jenise]

Tobin James is a Paso Robles producer of potently ripe wines that Carl is a big fan of.

Tobin James is a Paso Robles producer of potently ripe wines that Carl is a big fan of.

Even when Hoke lived in Sonoma we considered them wannabees. Now Hoke would disagree with my description, but when Hoke moved to Oregon the IQ of all of Sonoma dropped an average of 20 points. "With faint praise".

Most memorable for me: 1995 Roumier Bonnes Mares, served with coq au vin on Christmas day.

-Paul W.

Ooh, lucky you and fellow diners.

There are so very, very many, and I don't know why but I don't use Cellartracker.


So maybe I am biased a bit towards the end of the year.
And, my list may be weird because my memory is playing tricks on me!

My high points (probably)had to be:

2005 Stags Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23. What a wonderful maturing cabernet!

2008 Archery Summit Pinot Noir. Big and powerful but so very silky.

1986 Schloss Schonborg (sp?) Auslese. My first truly aged riesling, and I loved it. Even if I understand this is not a great estate!

2008 Wind Gap "Armagh Vineyard" Syrah. What a beautiful cooler climate Syrah from such an odd location!

2012 Preston Family Organic Syrah. (poor memory about the exact name, but this was the organic bottling with the odd artsy label). Wow. Just wow. Obviously not a cool climate syrah, but still so very syrahish.