When I look back on the wines that I’ve enjoyed during the last year - dutifully memorized by the external brain pack I call an iPhone - it always makes me pause. The breadth of amazing wines that I have access to is quite stunning. I drink more amazing wines in a year than most wine drinkers do in the lifetime. It is exciting and humbling at the same time.
Today, I recap the 8 most memorable wines that I enjoyed in 2019. This isn’t a list of the very best wines, but the most memorable.
What makes a wine memorable? Surprise. Originality. Unique character. A perfect blending of wine and food pairing. And, of course, the pure, exceptional quality of the wine itself.
Grand Polaire 2018 Yoichi Kerner
Think of Japanese wine and you’ll likely think of Sake, even though that technically isn’t wine.
This is a beautiful off-dry Kerner from the ‘Snow Country’ of Hokkaido, Japan.
I came across this wine in the neighborhood of Noge in Yokohama. It is one of the very few areas of Japan that was spared destruction in World War 2. Noge gives visitors a view of prewar Japan, full of small restaurants and interesting bars.
Marco 2018 Ramato
I went with a few close friends to Porchetta Fest at Pittsburgh’s Churchview Farm.
The team from the city’s amazing Bar Marco was there and they shared their private label Ramato which had been hidden for employee use only.
A wild and delicious wine from Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.
Mount Eden Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay
Despite living in Santa Cruz, California during 2015 and 2016, I was never able to visit one of my favorite wineries in the world - Mount Eden Vineyards until 2019.
But it wasn’t during the vineyard visit that I tasted this wine, it was the Cutting Edge Selections holiday party.
I believe Mount Eden makes America’s greatest Chardonnay and this bottle only reinforced that belief. Long and complex, moving into beautiful secondary flavors. No Chardonnay made in American ages this well.
Walsh Family Wine 2018 Plateau Pet-Nat
Walsh Family Wine is a newish winery, founded in 2014. Already there wines are showing superb quality and confidence.
Their Pet-Nat is made from single vineyard Cabernet Franc in Loudoun County, Virginia. It is fresh, acidic, and lip-smackable.
Many of the wines of Virginia are not at world-class level yet, but each time I visit, I discover more exception wineries with Walsh Family.
Cheval Blanc 2004 St. Emilion Grand Cru
Surprise! Surprise! Something the greatest wines in the world are actually worth their reputations.
This was a blind pairing selection by the Sommelier at L’Auberge Provencale in Virginia and it wowed long before we saw the label.
Lush, sexy, complex, creamy, and memorable. Everything world-class Right Bank Bordeaux should be.
Chateau Montus 1998 Madiran ‘Cuvee Prestige’
An epic 6-hour Sunday feast that we call Duck-A-Palooza finished with a last minute raid of a friend’s wine cellar.
There is no better pairing for duck than well-aged Madiran and maybe no better bottling that Montus’ Cuvee Prestige. Layers of complexity with the classic hard edges of the Tannat grape.
Guigal 2010 Cote-Rotie ‘Chateau d’Ampuis
Despite it’s current unpopularity, I love Syrah. Few make it better than Guigal in the Chateau d’Ampuis label. To make things even better, this one was singing at nearly a decade of bottle age.
Smoky bacon-fat, blueberry cream, softening tannins, and lots of complexity. A beautiful wine!
Birichino 2017 Mourvedre ‘Vignes Centenaires’
I worked with Alex Kruse, founder of Birichino, when I was at Bonny Doon Vineyards and I’ve always enjoyed the wines. It was a pleasant surprise to find that he’s now opened a Tasting Room in downtown Santa Cruz.
I tasted through the entire lineup one afternoon in September, but the 100-year-old-vine Mourvedre stood out with its pretty delicate purple fruit character.
Not surprising, since the ultra-small production historic-old-vine wines of California are some of that state’s best kept secrets.
Note: At the time of this writing, I work for a wholesale distributor that represents some of these wines in Ohio and Kentucky. Neither my representation of these wines or lack thereof, affects this list in any way.