Top 20 Wines of 2013
Another year has come
and gone. 2013 marks the 5th
year that I have written my top wines of the year list. I only hope that in
writing a list, it continues to educate people on how to approach, purchase or
collect wines. Or perhaps I continue to do
this totally as a reminder to myself just how much fun I have when getting
together with friends & family to consume the GRAPE. Every time we get
together we share stories. We give opinions. We crack jokes. We state how much we love this wine or we
state how much we hate it. That is what
makes wine tasting so much fun. This
year is no different than any other.
Several of the bottles I tasted or consumed made my list solely for
personal reasons. It didn’t matter what
anybody else thought. I made a
connection to the wine that brought about good feelings inside of me. Is this what
drinking or tasting wines all about?? For me the answer is YES. Always & forever will my goal be to have
a great wine moment. I guess that’s the reason for purchasing wines already 25
years old. So I give you my Top 20 Wines
of 2013.
Lets Roll~~~~~~
#20
1967 Chateau Grand Puy
Lacoste Bordeaux
This wine made my list
for one reason only. It is REALLY
freaking old. A French wine older than me by 1 year. That makes it one of the oldest Bordeaux that
I have ever tasted. Brought out by a
member of my Padres Panel group, the bottle seemed to have been stored very
well. The label & cork were
intact! There were some of my favorite
Bordeaux characteristics there.
Graphite, Band Aid, Pencil Shavings, and Acid! But to quote the Great Robert Parker and his
review of this wine “The wine is quite brown, with a decaying, leafy aroma, and
shallow, feeble flavors”. You the man
Robert! You nailed it. Then again, I will never forget that old bottle
of Bordeaux. That is until one even older comes along.
#19
2010 Carucci Sta. Rita
Hills Pinot Noir
When you consume and
taste as much wine as I do, half the fun is finding someone or something
new. In 2013 an email came across my
inbox describing a new wine project. It
was a project that I had never heard of before.
Now whenever a wine related email shows up, I generally will take a look
at it. It is my nature after all. So I went to the website and checked out the
purchase window. Hmmmmm, Sta. Rita Hills
Pinot Noir at a very reasonable price. SRH
Pinots will always be my favorite. I’ll
take 2 please! It can’t hurt to give an
upstart winery a try. There were only 2
problems! The first was that the wine
was really good. All of your typical SRH
characteristics were there. The wine had
nice round tannins, powerful cherry components, and great acidity. The nose is
a mix of berry and forest floor. The finish lingers on your palate for a solid
amount of time. So what was the second
problem?? I bought the last 2 bottles! I am very hopeful for this upstart
winemaker! I am betting that he has a very
bright future.
#18
2008 No Girls Grenache
Grenache is such a great
wine varietal, typically sweet with hints of tobacco. Washington is a bit
foreign to me when it comes to wine, but Christophe Baron of
Cayuse fame is changing all that. This
Grenache was bright & fresh with tons of red raspberries, hints of cedar
& tobacco. Just the way I like
it. This wine may have evolved with a
few more years of cellaring, but I only owned the 1 bottle and I couldn’t
resist popping it for my friends 65th birthday. Then again, I do
have 2009 resting in the cellar and 2010 joining in February 2014. I’ll try holding them back for 5 year this
time. Who am I kidding~~
#17
2004 Isole e Olena
Cepparello
I am always thankful
for the generosity of all my wine friends.
Making new ones that bring 2004 BADASS Sangiovese? “PRICELESS”. I will always state how my real Achilles heel
in wine is the country of Italy. There
are just too many wines & varietals from too many different areas of the
country. Perhaps someday I will ride a
motorcycle across Italy from one point to another tasting wine after wine after
wine. Then and only then will I start to
understand. Although our Wednesday Wellness group consumed this wine very
quickly! I really liked everything about
it. Deep Ruby Color in the glass. Well
integrated wood, lots of red cherry fruit and earthy notes. Loads & loads
of acidity! On the palate the wine lingered for what seemed forever. I now have a mission to thank our new wine
friend Steve for his major contributions & huge generosity to our little
wine club.
#16
1988 Tinto Pesquera
Reserva Tempranillo
2013 & 1988 have
lots in common as will be told a bit later in the program. I am glad that I picked up this bottle from
an auction house to celebrate with close friends and the staff of my favorite
pinot producer in Sta. Rita Hills. That
Pinot producer has always been so generous in allowing me and my family to come
up for visits. I thought it was about
time that I gave something back to them.
I have always thought that tasting really old Tempranillo is like
tasting Pinot Noir or Burgundy with some age.
Think acid, and lots of it. The
cork came out moist and in one piece.
Beautiful acid, dusty tannins & cherry fruit were there. The wine
had good color with just a slight amount of rust around the edges. I was very pleased with the outcome and I
believe all my friends were as well. It
definitely was a great way to start 45/25 in Wine Country.
#15
2002 Sea Smoke Botella
Speaking of that
favorite Sta. Rita Hills Pinot producer, why not finally pop the oldest bottle
that I own for a friend’s 49th birthday. Although Botella is there entry level wine I
still managed to hold onto a pair of these since there release in 2004. In 2014 Sea Smoke will release there 2012
wines. I will then pop my last bottle of
2002 right alongside the 2012 counterpart.
I am already fairly certain both of those wines make my top 20 list. I was not disappointed with this 02 Botella
at all. The wine had beautiful color and
beautiful SRH aromas from the get go.
Forest Floor and sweet red cherry fruit on the nose. As typical with SRH Pinot the wine aromas
shut down 5 minutes after opening.
Decanting is essential for SRH Pinot, but in this case the wine was
consumed rather quickly. On the palate
the oak & alcohol were very integrated which made the wine smooth and
delicious. More red cherry fruit and spice with a tiny amount of vanilla. Overall this bottle of wine delivered a very
good experience from a winery dear to my heart. I guess that is why I have been
purchasing it the last 9 years.
#14
1994 Fisher Vineyards
Merlot
A beautiful old wine
from the early days of my collection. Gifted
to me by my older brother way back when.
Why not share with him and several of my wine friends. Just another of the many great wine dinners I
had in 2013. So many good bottles get consumed
on nights like this. Medium Body with
firm tannins on this wine. Beautiful
color with no oxidation. On the palate
were simple but pleasant flavors of earth and cocoa powder. A classic
California Merlot. Never believe what
wine critics might say about the longevity of a bottle of wine. You may just be surprised with the results.
#13
2007 Buil & Giné Joan Giné Priorat
Priorat wines are starting to grow on me. Then again, what Spanish wine doesn’t? Here you have a great example of Cabernet,
Carignan and Grenache blended together at a fair and reasonable price of $35.00. A very non-typical blend. When good ole US of A attempts this, either price
and or quality go out the door. It just
seems to work best only in Spain. Big
Acid with good tannins “Carignan” followed by layers of dark chocolate
“Cabernet” with red raspberry and Menthol “Grenache”. Not weird at all! Just really different and delicious. God bless the country of Spain. They continue to produce brilliant wines at great
prices.
#12
2012 Cotes de Provence
Minuty Rosé
God bless the country
of France. Believe it or not, they too
manage to somehow produce brilliant & delicious wines as well. Especially when it comes to Rosé wines. No one and I really mean no one can seem to
make a perfectly balanced Rosé with razor like acidity, beautiful salmon color,
simple yet distinctive fruit aromas & flavors, low alcohol and a great
price. That is unless you are the
country of France. Hence the reason I
consumed several bottles of Minuty Rosé in 2013. Every other wine producing country makes Rosé
wines. Sometimes they are tasty, but
expensive. Sometimes they are horrible but
dirt cheap. Perhaps one day I will find
one that can rival France.
#11
2009 Domaine Du Grand
Tinel Alexis Establet Chateauneuf Du Pape
It took 14 months of
mourning the loss of my beloved Beagle to finally get the strength to find
another dog. My family and I wanted to
do the right thing and rescue one from a shelter this time. We searched &
visited shelters and only found that we couldn’t rescue them all. Then a fateful day searching Craigslist I came
across an add from a family that just couldn’t take care of a Jack Russell
Terrier named Milo that they rescued from a local Shelter 2 months prior near
my home. They were about to turn him back over to the shelter. Jack Russell Terrier, or Terrorist as they
are sometimes called. Highly
intelligent, high strung and very vocal.
Sounds kinda like me. I sent my
family to meet him as I was busy tasting wine on that Wednesday. Thoughts crept into my head whether getting a
dog at this time was the right move. It
didn’t matter what I thought. My family
quickly made that decision for themselves after meeting him. That night when I got home I was greeted not
by a high strung & vocal dog, but by the perfect lap dog that only craved
love and affection. He doesn’t bark
much. He does really well living inside our home. He gets along with every member of my
family. Okay! Maybe not my daughters pet
rats, but then again he is a terrier. One
week later that small working Terrier first bred by Reverend John Russell, a
Parson and hunting enthusiast back in 1795 officially became the new Rodriguez
wine dog. Let me celebrate with a glass
of Chateauneuf Du Pape. Highly
intelligent are CDP wines. A bit high
strung & young in the glass that is until they age gracefully. Very vocal aromas & flavors. Hey! sounds kinda like both of us.
#10
2003 White Hawk Syrah
The longer I collect
wines, the more I want to consume them with age. This wine was a great find at $20.00 per
bottle. Produced by a very reputable
vineyard that several high end wine makers & wineries source there fruit
from. It is nice to see wineries hold
back wines for 10 years before releasing them.
They didn’t have to take up room in my cellar and collect dust for those
10 years. Mushroom, earth, leather and
smoked meat in the glass. The wine had vibrant
fruit with a medium mouth feel. Old
world in style this wine comes off. What
a pleasant surprise for a California Rhone wine. Perhaps my State does have the ability to age
out Rhone varietals for decades. I did
buy a few bottles. I guess another 10
years of aging & dust can’t hurt.
#9
2005 Krupp Brothers
Joshua
I have always had a
fondness for Krupp Brother wines. I can
remember always stopping at their booth with my brother to taste the
wines. I have never really collected
them, but can’t recall ever tasting or drinking one that was bad or I didn’t
like. Joshua was no different. Then again how can I say that a wine with my
sons name on the label be bad? On the
nose come layers of black fruit & vanilla.
This big boy has flavors of cherry pie and pencil shavings and a mouth feel
that seems to go on & on. Krupp produces another great bottle of wine from
the great Stagecoach vineyard. Well done Mr. Stanton. Well done indeed~
#8
2004 L’Ermitage
Sparkling Wine
First time I tried
L’Ermitage was the 2002 vintage several years back at Vinatero Wine Shop. In October of 2013, that beloved little wine
shop in Whittier, California that is dear to my heart closed their doors. Why not make the last bottle of wine that I
purchase from them be 2004 L’Ermitage sparkling wine. I will never claim to be a champagne or
bubbles aficionado. I will leave that
title to my beloved wife. Where did she
learn to appreciate them? Vinatero Wine
Shop of course. Ernie & Lisa Ceja, Bad
Idea Bears indeed. Many a great bottle of
wine was purchased from Vinatero over the last 6½ years. There were some great Spanish, French,
Italian, American, German, South American, Australian, etc, etc, etc. But some of the most memorable have to be
Champagne or Sparkling wines. Perhaps it
was 1998 Cuvee Louie Ernie & Lisa brought to my home, or 1999 Vranken I
purchased for my wife’s birthday. Or maybe it was that very special non vintage
Bollinger last year. Some of my wife and
I’s greatest memories at Vinatero will always be those tiny little bubbles that
make you a bit giddy. Did I teach my wife
to step outside from only drinking sweet wines or did my friend’s wine shop and
their love for Champagne have something to do with it? On their final day of business tasting &
drinking that 2004 L’Ermitage was hard. We
barely made it back from a wine trip just before they closed their doors. The trip was planned months before and couldn’t
be changed. But my wife and I just
couldn’t miss being there even if it was only for a few hours. I really did enjoy that last glass. It brought back all the good memories that I
had over the last 6½ years. The dinners,
parties and wines we shared. From the
infamous wienerschnitzel trip, ice Cream Man, iPod night, to that concert tee shirts
that I squeezed into. The music! I will never forget the music Mr. Ceja. Always the right tune at that perfect
moment. I made some great friends that I
will never forget because I walked in that door in 2007. Thank you! Ernie &
Lisa. Thank you from the bottom of my
heart. CHEERS~
#7
2010 Paul Lato Syrah
Larner Vineyard
Wednesday wellness was started at a little wine shop
in Monrovia California back in 2007. It is there where I met several new wine
friends that share the same passion for the little fruit we call the GRAPE. 6½
years later and hundreds upon hundreds of bottles of wine consumed, our entire
wellness group owes a debt of gratitude to the proprietors of California wine and cheese
Tom & Janet Dugan. If it wasn't for Tom & Janet and there wonderful
staff, I may never have walked up to the bar, sat down, turned my head to the
left or right and met all the wonderful wine people that I know today. In 2013
one of our many wellness meetings was to visit Tom at his shop and purchase a bottle
of wine from the store then head back to Chateau Blanc our meeting place to
enjoy them. More than a dozen bottles were purchased & consumed, but the
most important one has to be the bottle that Tom Dugan brought himself to the
party. 2010 Paul Lato Syrah. The wine was delicious but to young and probably
could of used a few years of cellaring.
Then again Tom’s business does have the saying painted on the wall that
states "true wine enthusiasts don't collect wines. They collect memories
of wines shared with friends and family". Those are some famous words that
I will always stand & live by. In
November of 2013 Tom closed California Wine & Cheese for good. I lost my 2 favorite wine bars on earth in a
span of 2 weeks. I am going to miss your
business Tom, but look forward to you & Janet becoming permanent members of
our Wednesday Wellness Team~ Thank you for sharing this beautiful wine and
thank you for introducing me to so many new friends. CHEERS~
#6
2010 Peter Michael
Belle Cote Chardonnay
In San Francisco sits Zuni Café. It’s a famous restaurant with a famous chef
that I had the chance to dine at twice. The
first time was in 2001. The last time was in 2013. I will never forget either
experience. In 2001 I had to assist my older brother with moving back to Los
Angeles. He lived 3 blocks away from Zuni on Laguna. This was his hang out. He
popped the greatest bottle of red wine I have ever tasted. It was a bottle of 1986
Chateau Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux. We paired that bottle of wine with Chef Judy
Rodgers wood fired oven roast chicken. It was an emotional day for my brother as he was
saying goodbye to San Francisco moving back to LA in order to spend time with
our mother before her passing. To this day Judy's roast chicken ranks as the
greatest chicken dish to ever cross my lips. But was that bottle of Bordeaux
the best food & wine pairing? In 2013
my wife & I decided to take a road trip to visit some friends in Reno
Nevada. I packed several bottles of wine
for the trip including 2010 Peter Michael Belle Cote Chardonnay. We spent 2 days enjoying the city of Reno and
the company or our friends Robert & Don. Great food, Great Wine and Great
Friends will always be my wife & I’s motto.
We couldn’t ask for a better trip.
The weather was perfect, but the wine and company even better. My original plan was to head home south back
towards the city of Mammoth California and spend the last day or our trip
gazing at stars and sipping that 2010 Peter Michael Chardonnay. Then over brunch in Reno Nevada my thoughts
turned toward San Francisco and eating Judy Rodgers famous Roast Chicken one
more time. My wife had never been to Zuni
and this time I had the perfect bottle of wine to pair with that roast chicken. 12 years later and nothing has changed. Chef Judy Rodgers and Zuni Café delivered the
greatest roast chicken to ever cross my lips again. This time my wife was there to enjoy it with
me. This time the food & wine
pairing were perfect. The Peter Michael
Chardonnay has light oak characteristics to counterbalance the wood fired oven
flavors produced at Zuni Cafe. Great
acidity and mild butter flavors of the wine made the white meat, dark meat,
lightly salted crispy skin and the lightly dressed bread salad taste oh so
good. 3 months after visiting Zuni and eating that meal. Cancer took the life of Chef Judy
Rodgers. Although I never got to meet
her in person, I am so thankful that I have gotten the opportunity to eat her
food. Who really knows how many great
food & wine pairing moments you will get to have in a lifetime. I only wish that I could of met Mrs. Rodgers
and told her myself before she passed away.
Cheers to Zuni Café and RIP Judy Rodgers.
#5
2003 Dunn Vineyards
Cabernet Howell Mountain
Randy Dunn produces some
of the most brilliant wines in California.
Like Spottswoode or Ridge Monte Bello, I can’t recall having ever tasted
a bad bottle. Of those three wine
producers, Dunn’s wines truly have the longest shelf life. You can drink em
young. I did pop a 2007 as well in 2013. It was delicious. But when you put just a
little bit of age on these wines especially Howell Mountain, they evolve into
gorgeous expressions of what California winemaking should always be. This wine was dark and opaque. It had aromas of blackberries, vanilla and
cedar. Rich spicy flavors of leather,
mushroom and a tiny bit of graphite.
Overall this wine is still a baby and should have the ability to age for
10 more years easily. I hope that my
last bottle in 2023 doesn’t disappoint.
#4
1996 Clos Des Cortons
Faiveley Burgundy
My new Wednesday
Wellness mate does it again. This time
it’s Burgundy. We all know how bad I am
with that region of the world. I tasted
several Burgundies this year. None had
what I call the California personality.
My palate doesn’t know any better.
I am truly ashamed. Hopefully
someday money will rain down from the sky and then I will hit up every high end
wine store and auction house purchasing every high end Grand Cru I can
find. Then again I can always just go
visit France once a year and get my fill.
Then come back to good ole USA to buy the Sea Smokes and Rivers Marie’s
of the state. Gotta stick to what you
love. This wine had everything right
going for it. It produced firm Tannins,
perfect acidity, velvety texture and a long finish. Earth & forest floor were there with no
barnyard. Kinda sounds a bit like them
Cali wines I talk up so much. There is
only one problem with that. I haven’t
really tasted a lot of mid nineties California Pinot and this Grand Cru was so
polished that perhaps another 15 years might barely get her into a great
groove. A 30 year old California
Pinot?? I don’t think so. Not yet at least.
#3
1988 Chateau Latour
Bordeaux
A 25 year old first
growth Bordeaux, life is good. I have tasted
a few first growth Bordeaux. I think
they are the best wines in the world.
Nothing else I believe can compare to its quality & structure. I love the wines from my beautiful state of
California but I cherish the wines from France.
Especially Bordeaux. My wine
friends are the most generous people I know.
How can I repay them back when they gift me bottles of wine that were
not only bought at release but actually bought as futures. This wine still had the original price tag
stuck to it. Something tells me that I won’t find another bottle of 88 Chateau Latour
for the low low price of $79.99. What did $79.99 get me? Why a perfect food
& wine moment of course. Shared with
another couple at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Santa Ynez
California, the Bordeaux “sang” with grilled lamb chops. The wine had quintessential band-aid, lead
pencil & cigar box on the nose.
There were perfectly balanced hints of truffle, chocolate, aniseed and
white pepper on the palate. 1988 is
considered an off year for winemaking in France. If this is a bad year, just think what a
great year would taste like.
#2
2001 Chateau Pavie
Bordeaux
Another Bordeaux???? Why
oh why did I allow my big brother to teach me about Bordeaux so many years ago!
It is and will always be the most interesting wine on a table. It is and will always be the most talked
about wine of the night. Whether it’s Good
or Bad! It will always have the greatest aging potential. Like my #3 wine, French Bordeaux will always
create a “perfect” wine moment. How
generous of my big brother to pop his one and only bottle of 01 Chateau Pavie. This was a great wine the minute your nose
hit the glass. It offered up intense aromas of cigar box, cherries,
blackberries, mushrooms, graphite. The palate is powerful but elegant with great
length and a soft mouth feel. Even though we consumed this wine up against some
other great wines from the United States, Italy and Spain, to me this French
Bordeaux shined above them all. Thank
You! big brother for training my palate with the ability to know the difference
between a great wine and a brilliant one.
Thank you for popping this wine from your own collection. You have also taught me that “one” most
important lesson about wine. You can’t
take them with you. You might as well
enjoy them at the right time with the right food and right friends.
And my #1 Wine is????
How do you put your
life’s story into perspective over the last 25 years? Is it done while sitting at a bar in a
restaurant with friends eating a meal and sipping a glass of wine? You remember handing over the promise ring and
asking your girlfriend to marry you only to have her drop it to the ground and
roll under the stove. You remember the
drive to Las Vegas and the wedding that only 2 people attended because we had
no money for a real wedding. It didn’t matter
to either of us. You remember your first
wedding anniversary and your wife allowing you a night out with friends to
celebrate your 21st birthday.
There was no jealousy or selfishness on her part. You remember the birth of your first &
second child and the happiness on her face and yours. Seeing them both grow up
with good heads on their shoulders. You
remember the 10th, 15th, 20th anniversaries that have come and gone. You remember the family members that have
passed away but had no worries because they knew your life was in good hands
thanks to her. You remember all the
prayers to guide the surgeon’s hands, because you would be lost without
her. You remember the millions of times
she said “I love you” and you answered her or the millions of times that you didn’t. Marriage is always a work in progress. You remember that there are still the 30th,
40th, 50th anniversaries to come. Did
you remember that just last night you made sure to kiss her goodnight when you
both went to bed?
Was I thinking about
all these things while sitting in that restaurant and sipping on 1988 Chateau
de Beaucastel
Chateauneuf Du Pape for my 25th wedding anniversary? Were
my emotions getting the best of me? 1988
may have been a tough year for growing grapes in France but it sure had great
growth potential for a young couple with ambitions & dreams!
Thanx Partner
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