As both of you know, I'm not a "rankings" sort of person. I'm a both-and drinker. Let's try all of them. In different orders. With different foods. Maybe dimming the lights will help. Or sitting outside.
But one reader, he expressed a desire for a digest, and in the interests of democracy and shit, here we go: of the wines I've reviewed on this blog in the last year, what are my top ten? (Okay, actually, I'm doing this because I tend not to express a strong opinion in my reviews, and some folks who trust my palate don't have time to close-read all my bla bla bla about the wines.)
- Prieure Roch Vosne-Romanee Les Clous
- Sinskey Merlot
- Gary Farrell Merlot
- Shafer Merlot
- San Román Toro
- Saint Jean du Barroux L'Ogliocene
- Eyrie Chardonnay
- Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir
- Frank Family Chardonnay
- Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz
I'll do my best to post a new version of this list annually. One thought on the list (other than the obvious infatuation with Merlot): I've had a number of wines that would be in this top ten, displacing those at the bottom, that I didn't review (some 2007 Chateauneufs come to mind, and a Terlato Chardonnay that I think is super). And there are some old favorites (the V. Sattui Suzanne's Vineyard 2002) to which I returned that I'm not including. So this approach to ranking will be structured a bit by novelty. When the volume of reviews warrants it, I'll do an ALL-TIME list.
Note, 4/15/2011: I just noticed that there are no Cabernets and no Champagnes on this list. Awesome, or no?
