Our Top Ten from 2009

Wine Spectator has their Top 100 Wines, so why not a Musings Top Ten? The following are ten wines that we tasted over the last year that we thought were worth buying more of and putting away, for a little while at least…

2007 Vieux Telegraph, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
Simply stated – a near perfect wine with at least 25 years of aging potential.

2007 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
If you don’t like Port, then you should, because this wine is a knock-out.

2004 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Reserva, Italy
With all the great vintages coming out of Europe these days, sometimes special wines get lost in the shuffle. A wonderfully robust Chianti from an absolutely solid producer.

2007 M. Chapoutier Belleruche. Côtes du Rhone, France
There could easily be another ten Côtes du Rhone wines listed here, but of all the stand outs, Chapoutier has really created a something to write about – you may want to sit down when we tell you the price… $9.99 pre discount.

2005 Chateau Saintayme, Saint-Émilion
Sometimes a wine shows up that reminds you why you fell in love with a certain region so many years ago and the Saintayme is just one of those wines.

2007 Villa Pozzi Nero d’Avola, Sicilia IGT
People should be drinking more Nero d’Avola – the wine is often seductive, without pretense and evokes the rustic beauty of its country of origin – oh, and they’re often very reasonably priced.

2007 Charles Smith Winery Boom Boom Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington State
The wine makers in Washington State get it and the wines they are producing are often times overlooked, but don’t pass by this full-throttle Syrah.

2007 Domaine Le Sangs de Cailloux Cuvée Floureto, Vaqueyras, France
The 2007 vintage in the Rhone is set to eclipse the storied 1998 vintage and this offering, like the previously mentioned Vieux Telegrpah and Chapoutier is not to be missed.

2005 La Cova dels Vins Ombra, Montsant, Spain
There would be a few more Spanish wines in this list if it weren’t limited to ten, but of all the Spanish lovelies enjoyed last year, the Ombra came out on top.

2005 Chateau Teynac, Saint-Julien, France
Like the Saintayme, this Teynac is a reminder of just how wonderful Bordeaux can be and why they sell close to 60 million cases a year.

Click here to view The Wine Reviews of the Month.