BWE Top Ten 2019

[sdr]

Well, along with WOTY, we need our annual Top 10 List, as hinted by David G.

Rules: must have been consumed in 2019, a decent pour, not just a thimble full at a trade tasting. Candidates are your most memorable wines, not necessarily the ones you scored the highest.

My list, sadly, numerous trophy wines -

10. 2012 Georges Laval Champagne Les Hautes Chevres
Blancs de Noir, how can it be so good already?

9. 2014 Sauzet Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet
More proof that 2014 is an amazing vintage for white Burgundy.

8. 1970 Montrose
Not all ‘70 Bordeaux is in the grave, this bottle was simply wonderful.

7. 1996 Cristal Rosé
Stunning Rosé in the delicate Cristal style.

6. 1996 Krug Ambonnay
Surely one of the very greatest champagnes of a vintage that is becoming increasingly erratic.

5. 2003 Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto
Phenomenal Syrah where it grows the best.

4. 1989 Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vielles Vignes
One of those wines which changes your perception of the whole genre.

3. 1982 Gruaud Larose
Finally, a fabulous bottle, now one of the top five of the vintage.

2. 1989 Pétrus
At BWE Denver, arguably the youngest tasting wine of all the ‘89s.

1. 1947 Cheval Blanc
A legend that actually lived up to its reputation, an obvious hundred-pointer.

Stu

[DavidG]

Wow, Stu, some real legends in there! I think I'd be in heaven drinking your rejects LOL.

Which 1996 Champagnes have let you down? I've been happy with Krug (regular bottling, the Ambonnay and Mesnil are above my pay grade), Salon, and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses consumed this year.

I can't really rank them, but here are my top ten drunk in 2019. Seven from Bordeaux, appropriate for a BWE:
1989 Pichon Baron
2000 Pichon Baron
1989 Montrose
1982 Gruaud Larose
1989 Conseillante
2015 Canon
2000 Canon La Gaffeliere
1988 Krug
1996 Salon
1988 Dal Forno Romano Recioto del Valpolicella

[brodway]

David

The 1989 Conseillante i had this summer was out of this world good. Its up there in the top 3 of this year for me as well.

[sdr]

Which 1996 Champagnes have let you down? I've been happy with Krug (regular bottling, the Ambonnay and Mesnil are above my pay grade), Salon, and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses consumed this year.

The ‘96 Salon tasted like lemon water, something wrong with it. Bollinger GA weak,‘96 Krug shockingly dull, ‘96 Billecart-Samon Hilaire just okay.

For some of these, previous bottles of the same thing were excellent, so maybe a one off. But Salon consistently bad, yet others rave.

And yes, the bottles were in fine condition and properly stored. I think you can tell the provenance for champagne by the bubbles; if it’s pinpoint and vigorous for age, that’s a good sign.

Stu

[Racer Chris]

I haven't opened any real special bottles yet this year, although I drank plenty of excellent wine. My top ten at this point is no big deal so I'm only posting the top five:
2015 Ch Prieuré-Lichine
2014 Merryvale Cabernet Franc
2010 Château d'Armailhac
2014 Ch Talbot
2014 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou

However I have had a few other interesting bottles along the way:
1988 Ch Haut-Marbuzet
1989 Ch Haut-Marbuzet
1988 Ch L'Arrosée
1989 Ch Gombode-Guillot
1988 Ch de Fieuzal

Around the year end holidays I expect to open a few special bottles including:
1986 Ch Talbot
2009 Merryvale Profile

[JimHow]

I didn't go wild this year other than at BWE Denver, whether the '89 Petrus and '89 Lynch shined, as well as that miraculous d'Yquem that Stuart brought.

[DavidG]

Which 1996 Champagnes have let you down? I've been happy with Krug (regular bottling, the Ambonnay and Mesnil are above my pay grade), Salon, and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses consumed this year.

The ‘96 Salon tasted like lemon water, something wrong with it. Bollinger GA weak,‘96 Krug shockingly dull, ‘96 Billecart-Samon Hilaire just okay.

For some of these, previous bottles of the same thing were excellent, so maybe a one off. But Salon consistently bad, yet others rave.

And yes, the bottles were in fine condition and properly stored. I think you can tell the provenance for champagne by the bubbles; if it’s pinpoint and vigorous for age, that’s a good sign.

Stu

Interesting. My experiences with 96 have been uniformly outstanding. I think (hope) the Krug may have shut down.

[jal]

I have to think hard:

Selosse Rosé NV (probably the best pink Champagne I have ever had)
2014 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet Chaumees Clos de la Truffiere
2012 Jacques Carillon Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
2012 Raveneau Montée du Tonnerre
2007 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano (white label not riserva)
2006 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape
2012 Jamet Cote Rôtie
1985 Lynch Bages (Thanks JCKBA)
1989 La Mission Haut Brion
1990 Château Haut-Brion


Not easy at all. I had to sit some very high performers on the bench, but not everyone can be part of the starting lineup

[Nicklasss]

Let say I have to split 5 choices from BWE Denver/DC and 5 others.

From Denver/DC:
1989 Petrus
1989 La Mission Haut Brion
1989 Lynch Bages
1982 Cos d'Estournel
2005 Bouchard Corton

From others:
2014 Mikulski Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots
2000 Les Carmes Haut Brion
2004 L'Église-Clinet
1990 Pape Clément
2006 Pascal Doquet Le Mesnil

Very hard choice.

Nic

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks Stu, for starting this thread. I need more time to go through the wines we have drunk this year, but I had enormous pleasure going through the BWE threads on the incredible Colorado convention.

There are several including one I started with some interesting other contributions.

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... f=4&t=8358

Your 89 Petrus probably excludes me from including it given it went around so many, but the pour I had convinced me it is destined for greatness.

Four amazing nights in Denver in March.

[jckba]

Here are my top 10 favorites from this year and as you can probably clearly deduce, I love the wines from Bdx first and foremost and for me the wines from the 1985 vintage are really tough to beat when on. Wishing everyone a happy holidays!

1989 Haut Brion
1996 Lafite Rothschild
1985 Leoville Las Cases
1985 Lynch Bages
1985 Beychevelle
1997 Chave Hermitage
2001 Henri Bonneau Reserve des Celestins
1974 Conn Creek ‘Eisele Vineyard’
1961 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia
1996 Vega Sicilia

Special Mention - 1975 La Mission Haut Brion MAG from Parker’s cellar which was much better than the 1975 Latour (also from his cellar) that it was served alongside
Future Legend - 2005 Montrose at a Montrose vertical and it fully stood up to a semi tired btl of the 1989 and IMHO will eventually surpass it

[SF Ed]

I have had some ridiculous wines this year:

10 -1996 Dom Perignon
9 - 1990 Leroy Aux Beaux Monts
8 - 2015 Pepe Trebbiano
7 - 1999 Clape Cornas
6 - 1982 Lafite
5 - 1959 Yquem
4 - 1964 Canon
3 - 1983 Gentaz Cote Rotie
2 - 1989 LMHB
1 - 2002 Mugnier Musigny

4 of those wines were mine - the others were from the kindness of others. I'm trying to get better at opening the good stuff - what am I saving anything for?

SF Ed

[Blanquito]

You guys me mentioned some of my favorites already... the ‘59 d’Yquem, the ‘85 Beychevelle (shhhhhh), the 99 Clape Cornas, the ‘89 LMHB, Pichon Baron and Petrus, 2014 grand cru white burgundy in general, and plus so many more in BWE Denver: the ‘85 Percarlo, the ‘66 Haut Bailly, the ‘90 Cos, the ‘82 Talbot, and the ‘89 Palmer. I need to think on this one.

[Blanquito]

I need a top 10 Bordeaux and top 10 non-bordeaux list, really.

[Comte Flaneur]

The four way quadrella in descending order (if that word does not exist I just made it up):

Denver Bordeaux

Magdelaine 2000
Gruaud-Larose 1983
Lynch-Bages 1996
Palmer 1989 + others (LLC, Baron, Lynch, LMHB)
Yquem 1959
Petrus 1989

Denver non-Bordeaux

Krug 164
Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva 1996
Gordiano Barolo 1961
Louis Jadot Latricieres-Chambertin 2002
Percarlo 1985
Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 1958
Jamet Côte Rotie 1999
Clape Cornas 1999
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Reserve 1974
Jacques Prieur Musigny 1998

While we celebrated the 30th anniversary of 1989 Bordeaux, it became clear in 2019 that 1982 is the greatest vintage of the 1980s.

Other Bordeaux

Branaire Ducru 1982
Gruaud-Larose 1982
Pichon Lalande 1982
Mouton 1970 (it beat the 1961 which tastes like a South Australian Coonawarra cab)
Latour 1982
Haut-Brion 1995
Mouton 1983 (d-mag)
Montrose 2016
Leoville-Lascases 1982
Cheval Blanc 1989
Cheval Blanc 1982 (d-mag)
Lafite 53 (wine of the year)

Other non-Bordeaux

Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino 1990 (mag)
Lamarche Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots 2002
DRC La Tache 1983 (d-mag)
Tignanello 1995
Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero 2015
Mark Aubert Chardonnay Lauren 2009
Brovia Barolo Villero 1997
Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin 1993
Ceritas Ritchie Chardonnay 2009
Cappellano Barolo Pie Rupestris 2001
Dujac Vosne-Romanée Beaux Monts 1993

[dstgolf]

We've been blessed this year with enjoying a boat load of stellar wines and tough to choose a top 10 as so many bottles are influenced by the company that you are sharing with but wines too many to choose from is a good and bad thing. Some high expectations turned into duds and those with lower expectations turned out to be some of the best wines ever.

A line up of 82s and 61s were definite hilights of the year with the latter courtesy of our great south Florida friend Stu,

82 Mouton a repeat from my 60th Bday bottle two years before was every bit as memorable
82 Pichon Lalonde is still going strong and simply stellar
82 & 83 Margaux incredible giving a nod to the 83 by a hair
82 Certan de May revisited but a declining shadow of what it was 5-10 years ago...still fabulous but this was amazing before
82 Latour still strutting its power in comparison to Moutons and Margaux's elegance

61 Pichon Baron was simply a knockout in south Florida but faded after 3-4 hours
61 Latour Still going strong and simply an amazing wine outclassing the PB in the end continuing to improve in the glass at 58 yrs young..simply amazing.
61 Margaux One of the most incredible noses that didn't quite mix with a more muted fading wine one the palate. 10/10 nose & 6/10 on the palate but a great experience
61 Domaine de Chevalier exceeded expectations in any way shape or form

WOTY 56 Lafite was absolutely beyond description exceeding all expectations. Low neck fill and beautiful floral nose singing violets and soft refined fruit and tannins that had more layers of complexity eveolving over unanticipated hours! We expected a quick death but this was one of those lifetime wine experiences that everyone has had or wishes to have when a bottle just blows everyone away. Never would have expected a wine of this age and low neck fill be able to give so much.

Non Bordeaux wines were at a premium and I must say they are not in our regular repertoire but a few great white Burgs and Italians worth mentioning.

2015 exceeded 2013 Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet Clos du Caillert and both showing the crisp fresh melowed smooth notes of well crafted wine.
76 & 93 Y'Quem tipping my hat to the former but but incredible and a treat....I know Bordeaux but who really thinks of them as such.
97 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate c/w 98 brothers Gianni Voerzio Barolo la Serra were both outstanding and a contrast of styles tried up against 92 RV Barolo Cerequio and 98 Ascheri Barolo Sorano were my hilight Italians of the year.

Boy we have been slumming it in 2019 especially with consumption way down. The best is still sharing incredible bottles with great friends and the memories of the get togethers usually are stronger than the memories of the individual wines. Maybe having 12 bottles amongst 6-8 people may have some issues with our memories!!

[DavidG]

Some terrific wines all. The only one that shocked me was 56 Lafite, an annus horribilus for Bordeaux and most other wine producing regions.

[marcs]

Wow, Stu, some real legends in there! I think I'd be in heaven drinking your rejects LOL.

Which 1996 Champagnes have let you down? I've been happy with Krug (regular bottling, the Ambonnay and Mesnil are above my pay grade), Salon, and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses consumed this year.

I can't really rank them, but here are my top ten drunk in 2019. Seven from Bordeaux, appropriate for a BWE:
1989 Pichon Baron
2000 Pichon Baron
1989 Montrose
1982 Gruaud Larose
1989 Conseillante
2015 Canon
2000 Canon La Gaffeliere
1988 Krug
1996 Salon
1988 Dal Forno Romano Recioto del Valpolicella

Two of these, the 2000 Pichon Baron and the 2000 CLG, are wines we shared, glad to see they were up there for WOTY with you!

This was a weird wine year for me, had some great experiences but not that many individual wines stand out until the last couple of months of the year. I feel like there were some great wines I drank earlier in the year that I've forgotten. But if I forgot them they really don't qualify for WOTY, do they? Being memorable is the key.

I might have had more memories had I attended the Denver convention, can't believe I missed out on legends like the 89 MHB, not to mention the company!

So here is my list:

2000 Pichon Baron -- Best of our PB vertical of 1989, 2000, 2001, 2003 and also stood out at our June BWE event. Both times, practically glowing with beautiful vivid fruit just emerging from slumber. Great wine. I have six bottles of this left but since prices have gone up I don't know if I'm going to be able to get more.

2000 Canon La Gaffeliere -- So hedonistic and chocolatey while still having a great structural backbone, cut, complexity, and lift. I have had many vintages of CLG but this is the best. Great experience splitting this with Dave after dinner after the Zachys mass tasting, really highlighted how great it is to explore a single bottle over an extended period vs getting quick sips of many. We kept ohhh-ing and ahhh-ing over it over the entire dinner, even after we had had so many good wines previous in the night, which is the sign of a great wine.

2015 Grivot Vougeot (sample at mass Zachys tasting) -- I know we are not supposed to include small tastes at mass events in our WOTY listings, but this one really impacted me, to the point of leading me to invest in some 2015 Grivots. This is not your dad's Burgundy, or even what you thought was your Burgundy from a decade or two ago. Red-fruited but lush, young but not stern or strict, incredibly impactful fruit but not heavy, sweet but mixed with extraordinarily complex flavors. We'll see if the other 2015s I have live up to this taste.

2009 La Conseillante -- another gorgeously hedonistic right banker which also has lightness of touch so it's layered and not heavy or cloying. This one is really a beauty and based on my trying it this year may be a wine that never shuts down. Unfortunately prices have skyrocketed on this one as well.

1986 Talbot -- had twice and both times I was riveted with my nose stuck in the glass. Wines generally start to fall off in appeal for me after about the 30 year mark, but this was just such a perfect example of aged Bordeaux and why you pursue it. Perfect mix of dirt/earth and gentle supporting fruit rippling through it.

2001 Philip Togni Cabernet -- from a fantastic pre-Thanksgiving tasting that I should write up separately on here. This is probably the only time in my life I have had a California cab on the table with multiple high-level Bordeaux and had the California wine be clearly and obviously superior and the best of the bunch. Togni is one of the world's great wines and is still under-appreciated for its quality, probably because it absolutely demands significant age and has an unusual flavor profile. What Togni does is put California fruit intensity behind a flavor profile that is intensely savory and complex, which makes it almost unique.

2013 Hudelot-Noellat Les Beaumonts -- another wine that changed my buying trajectory for the year as it led me to want to load up on Hudelot-Noellat if I could find it for decent prices (unfortunately not easy to do). Drinking beautifully, this wine combines bright, punchy, tart cranberry-ish red fruit with deeper layers of supporting darker, richer blackberry/black cherry type flavors in a way that I have never experienced before and absolutely love.

1999 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque / Fleur de Champagne -- totally random entry here, Eric brought it to our DC dinner with Ian, not generally considered one of the best champagnes, but I LOVED it. I've never really been a champagne guy but this had a ton of pure deliciousness. It was thicker, sweeter, and less mineral/tart/acidic than a lot of champagnes so I guess I have bad taste, but I just found it super yummy. It changed my Champagne trajectory as it led to me actually buying some bottles of Perrier-Jouet to cellar, first high end champagne I've bought in 15 years or so.

[DavidG]

Yeah that 2015 Grivot Vougeot was a stunner.
And thank you for that 2000 Canon La Gaffeliere.

[dstgolf]

David

The 56 Lafite stunned us all. Low neck ullage and with vintage not leaving us much hope we were amazed around the table with this sleeping beauty. I have no idea about other reports on this wine but this bottle was stunning. A performance of the ages that all that shared will never forget. One of life's true great wine moments for me.

[DavidG]

That is amazing Danny. When I first read it I thought typo? Or bungling counterfeiter put a 59 or 61 in a 56 bottle? But no, it’s an unexpected testament to the "no great wines, just great bottles" mantra. And a reminder that every time we open a bottle there’s the possibility of a beautiful surprise.

[OrlandoRobert]

That is amazing Danny. When I first read it I thought typo? Or bungling counterfeiter put a 59 or 61 in a 56 bottle? But no, it’s an unexpected testament to the "no great wines, just great bottles" mantra. And a reminder that every time we open a bottle there’s the possibility of a beautiful surprise.

Ain’t that the truth! This year had a killer 1973 Latour, and a couple years earlier, a lovely 1965 Mouton. By conventional orthodoxy, these wines should have sucked. Testament to the materials these First Growths possess. The 1993 Mouton was a very solid performed in another lame year.

[OrlandoRobert]

My favorite wines this year were:

1985 Chateau Magdelaine
2006 Gonon St Joseph Vielle Vignes
2001 Chateau Sociando Mallet Cuvee Jean Gautreau
2005 Clos Rougeard Les Poyeaux
1995 Chateau Sociando Mallet Cuvee Jean Gautreau
1969 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
1996 Verset Cornas
2008 Roulot Mei Chavaux
2003 Chateau Lafite
1989 Olga Raffault Les Picasses

[DavidG]

Robert your enthusiasm for the 89 Picasses prompted me to grab a 6 pack. Not quite in my top 10 this year but close. Excellent enablement.

[dstgolf]

Marcs

Your list was capturing my attention until I reached the Philp Togni. Never had it until 2 years and bought a bottle in Florida on the recommendation of a sales guy at Total Wines in Bradenton. Man was I shocked. I have lost my palate for most Californian styles but I found this too over the top. Hot, over extracted, heavily oaked and out of balance. I found no redeeming characteristics and find myself avoiding Cali Cabs for the most part. Yes Montelena, Insignia, Dunn, Harlan, Chapellet and a few others I've found wonderful but the pricing has become ridiculous and there are much better QPRs in Bordeaux and more especially Spain.

David,

56 Lafite a true aberration but very happy to have experienced it. A real treat.

[marcs]

Marcs

Your list was capturing my attention until I reached the Philp Togni. Never had it until 2 years and bought a bottle in Florida on the recommendation of a sales guy at Total Wines in Bradenton. Man was I shocked. I have lost my palate for most Californian styles but I found this too over the top. Hot, over extracted, heavily oaked and out of balance. I found no redeeming characteristics and find myself avoiding Cali Cabs for the most part. Yes Montelena, Insignia, Dunn, Harlan, Chapellet and a few others I've found wonderful but the pricing has become ridiculous and there are much better QPRs in Bordeaux and more especially Spain.

I wonder how old it was, Togni is not really meant to be touched in the first 5 to 10 years and I try to hold for at least 15 before cracking a bottle. But in any case, it is not to everyone's taste -- it does have California intensity powering a savory profile which often features black olive, licorice, brine, and lots of herbal notes. However, it is definitely not hot, heavily oaked, etc. It's consistently one of the lowest alcohol major Cabernets coming from Napa, and he uses only 40-50% new oak. It is really totally different than the stereotypical oak+alcohol monster from Napa. Now it is true that they make a highly structured wine intended to age for decades, and that does involve extraction. But that's explicitly about tannin and acidity, not "bigness".

Again, based on my experience, with sufficient age and in the right vintages Togni is one of the world's great wines.

BTW you mention Chappelet -- Philip Togni got his start as the winemaker there.

[dstgolf]

Marc,
I had heard about Togni for years and yes it was young but we ended up pouring most of the bottle out as neither of could drink it. maybe too young or more probably not to our style.

Danny

[hautbrionlover]

My personal top ten of the year, in no particular order:


1989 Pichon Baron
1999 Palmer
1986 Pape Clement
1992 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet
1986 Gruaud Larose
2000 La Fleur Petrus
1988 Lynch Bages
1993 Haut Brion
1991 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet
2004 Ciacci Piccolomino Brunello “Pianrosso”

[Jay Winton]

Actually, Togni trained at Lascombes before moving to California. Top notch wine but real patience is required. We visited the winery years ago and he helped guide the tour with his wife. It was tremendous to be able to ask the winemaker about his approach. The Tanbark Hill line which is declassified juice can be a real value and drinks sooner than the regular bottling.

[marcs]

Actually, Togni trained at Lascombes before moving to California. Top notch wine but real patience is required. We visited the winery years ago and he helped guide the tour with his wife. It was tremendous to be able to ask the winemaker about his approach. The Tanbark Hill line which is declassified juice can be a real value and drinks sooner than the regular bottling.

Yeah, I shouldn't have said "got his start" he was at a number of places. You're right that the first was Lascombes, in like the 1955 or 1956 vintage. In interviews he often mentions Margaux as an inspiration. I guess he is 90 years old now and still walking the slopes! Anyway, carry on!