2009 Wines of the Year

[Scanlon]

[b]Sweetie/Fortified:
Chateau Coutet Barsac 1983

I have one! I'm excited! perhaps the next offline (that finally has a decent dessert) will be the winner to open it

[Brucer]

Disappointment of the year
2003 Rockford BP

Funny,
I am drinking this up now, and think its great.
B

[Brucer]

REDs

97 Greenock Creek cabernet
03 Standish shiraz
05 Castagna Genesis shiraz
04 Kaesler Old Bastard shiraz
90 Galah shiraz


WHITE

05 Tyrrells Vat 1 semillon

SPARKLING RED

94 Seppelt Show Reserve sparkling shiraz "Long Lees" version

[Attila]

I've been putting together my Top 10 for this year but then I thought I would only like to list only one wine instead, the best bottle I've drunk this year.
From memory this is the best rosé I've drunk since the great 1978-79 Dom Perignon combo.

1998 BILLECART SALMON Cuvée Elisabeth Brut Rosé

Deeply flavoured, perfectly balanced with creamy smoothness and amazing complexity. Wow! Truly grand Champagne.
97 points AUD $350+
Cheers,
Attila

[michel]

Best Restaurant- Guy Savoy Paris (Rockpool Bar and Grill Sydney)

Monghead.

Tell me about Guy Savoy- the website doesnt tell me what you can tell me if you went there.
I am booking restaurants now for early next year
cheers

michel and tia

[redwine]

We had a lot of good wines, so it was a tough choice:

Wine of the Year: Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone 1995

Red Wine: Henschke Mount Edelstone 1983 / Runner-up: Rockford Hoffmann Shiraz 1998

White Wine: Laville Haut-Brion 1987 / Runner-up: Sine Qua Non Tarantella White Blend 1999

Sweet: Dönnhoff Riesling Eiswein Oberhäuser Brücke 1997 / Runner-up: Egon Müller-Scharzhof Wiltinger Braune Kupp AL GK 2007

Fortified: Scholtz Hermanos Malaga Solera 1885 / Runner-up: Barros Vintage Port 1941

Surprise of the Year: Acacia Pinot Noir 1986

Cheers, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

[Mike Hawkins]

Red Wine: Henschke Mount Edelstone 1983 / Runner-up: Rockford Hoffmann Shiraz 1998

Nice one! The 83 Mt Ed is one of the only vintages of this wine in the past 30 years I've never tried. I think I need to track down a bottle ! Thanks for the heads up.

Cheers

Mike

[dlo]

It's that time of the year again and apart from a tentatively planned offline in Melbourne between Christmas and new year, I doubt whether anything tasted in that period will get a guernsey in my WOTY ratings.

For a year where I've, again, cut my alcohol intake, there's been the usual culprits who've made their presence felt with stellar performances during 2009. The highest rated wine (97 points) that passed my lips was a rare Seabrook bottling of vintage port from 1971. I bought this at auction for the princely sum of $14! When you think of what needs to be paid these days for top Portuguese examples of a similar age, this has to be one of my luckiest bargains of all time. Another wine that rated as highly for a few nanoseconds was the 2005 mesh Riesling. Disappointingly, subsequent bottles have not performed anywhere as brilliantly as my first bottle and I have downgraded the wine's rating (to 92, averaged), but, boy, was that first bottle a ripsnorter.

The SA Prum Beerenauslese Riesling LGK 1976 was similarly exceptional and thoroughly deserved its 96 points. I've had correspondence with Prum, himself, who rates this wine as one of the great Wehlener-Sonnenuhr's from their family's long history in the M-S-R. For a wine to display such freshness, line, length and riveting aplomb on a decadently rich and complex frame is simply, as I mentioned in my report on this wine, a work of art. Trimbach's magnificent 1990 Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling Vendanges Tardives appears regularly in my WOTY lists over the last several years. Unfortunately, I'm down to my last few bottles.

97 Points

Seabrook Vintage Port 1971

96 Points

S.A. Prum Wehlener-Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese Long Gold Kapsul 1976
Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 1990 Vendanges Tardives

95 Points

Chambers Special Liqueur Tokay (Old Bottling)
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 1983
Domaine D'Ambinos Clos des Mulonnierres Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu 1982
Houghton Jack Mann 1995
Seppelt GR113 Rare Muscat
St Huberts Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

and close behind these exceptional wines ......

94 Points

Penfolds Grange 1983
Jean-Marc Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru "La Dominode" 1999
Francois Raveneau Chablis 1er cru "Montee de Tonnerre" 2002
Pierro Chardonnay 2003
Chateau Talbot 1986
Hermann Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese 1998
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

[monghead]

Best Restaurant- Guy Savoy Paris (Rockpool Bar and Grill Sydney)

Monghead.

Tell me about Guy Savoy- the website doesnt tell me what you can tell me if you went there.
I am booking restaurants now for early next year
cheers

michel and tia

Michel,

You will not regret a dinner at Guy Savoy Paris. Go ahead and book it now. It's not cheap though. Entrees 60-100 Euros, Mains 120-190 Euros, Degustations from 300 Euros per head. The wine list is substantial, and comes to you in a tome that requires it's own stand, and of course the prices are up there. A bottle of the 2002 Rousseau Mazy Chambertin set us back 260 Euro from memory. So do not get any misconceptions of the price...

However, could you put a price on perfection? If you could get past the price, this is sheer dining nirvana.

We dined here on a weeknight, and the restaurant was full. The decor modern contemporary, the spacing between tables generous. The restaurant is also segmented into various dining areas, so each only has 4-5 tables. Your table is generously big, and the chairs are plush. Service of course was flawless. That warm professionalism, not over-bearing, yet able to sense you needed attention, almost before you realised it yourself.

Unlike some fancier places, the staff and kitchen were also flexible to your demands, and we were able to share 2 entrees and 2 mains split between the 2 of us, so almost having a degustation style meal, each course brought out freshly prepared and divided on two serving plates. On to the food...

Oysters- Fresh, plump, absolutely singing with sweet mineral zinginess, lifted by the saltwater and seaweed jelly.

Artichoke and truffle soup- OMG If you are going to pay 95 Euro for soup, it better bloody well taste this good! Unquestionably the most delicious soup I have ever had. Served with a truffled brioche, the depth of flavour, and textural mouthfeel was sublime. It's flavours persist for minutes, and to this day, I am still haunted by memories of it's complexity.

Duck- Never before have I had duck so beautifully done. Breasts of duck, he meat so tender, yet texturally "meaty", infused with amazing gaminess, accentuated by the sweetness of the glaze.

Veal- Again, a melt in your mouth taste bonanza. Beautiful truffles here again.

Cheese- Don’t know what, but all 5 were simply delicious

Sorry, didn’t exactly take notes, so details not so clear on the intricacies of the dishes, but all were sublime, most though, were extraordinary.

The best soup and duck we have ever had...

Have a great one.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[michel]

That's a great recco- I dont take notes- but good restaurant experiences you can recall what you ate
I love the sound of the textures and flavours you had.
much appreciated.
michel

[TiggerK]

Never did Guy Savoy while in Paris but I can identify with the service aspect of monghead's comments from our Tallievent experience. It's just another level of service far above even the best that I've had so far in Oz (some do come close but mostly without the 'warm' feeling). And the taste sensation of those 3 star Michelin places just needs to be experienced to be believed. Think of what many of us spend on wine in a month... Travel expenses aside, put that into a 3 Michelin Star meal and you will remember it forever, and that's what matters in life. They really are that good.

Of course though, YMMV, as they say in the airline forums....

Cheers
TiggerK

[michel]

Never did Guy Savoy while in Paris but I can identify with the service aspect of monghead's comments from our Tallievent experience. It's just another level of service far above even the best that I've had so far in Oz (some do come close but mostly without the 'warm' feeling). And the taste sensation of those 3 star Michelin places just needs to be experienced to be believed. Think of what many of us spend on wine in a month... Travel expenses aside, put that into a 3 Michelin Star meal and you will remember it forever, and that's what matters in life. They really are that good.

Of course though, YMMV, as they say in the airline forums....

Cheers
TiggerK

interesting....
a mate of mine has set me a benchmark. He did 6 Michelin stars in 9 days in Japan

[GrahamB]

A Rockford 2000 SVS Hoffman - One of the best Rockfords to pass my lips.

[monghead]

Never did Guy Savoy while in Paris but I can identify with the service aspect of monghead's comments from our Tallievent experience. It's just another level of service far above even the best that I've had so far in Oz (some do come close but mostly without the 'warm' feeling). And the taste sensation of those 3 star Michelin places just needs to be experienced to be believed. Think of what many of us spend on wine in a month... Travel expenses aside, put that into a 3 Michelin Star meal and you will remember it forever, and that's what matters in life. They really are that good.

Of course though, YMMV, as they say in the airline forums....

Cheers
TiggerK

interesting....
a mate of mine has set me a benchmark. He did 6 Michelin stars in 9 days in Japan

Hmmm,

We did 6 stars in 3 days. Would have been 7 if Taillevent didn't lose a star to be 2 now...

Go on Michel, go for broke- Guy Savuy, Plaza Athenee, Arpege, Astrance, Bristol, l'Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire- 21 stars, 7 days...

Cheers,

Monghead.

[monghead]

YMMV

???

[griff]

YMMV

???

Your milage may vary I think

cheers

Carl

[rooman]

Think of what many of us spend on wine in a month... Travel expenses aside, put that into a 3 Michelin Star meal and you will remember it forever, and that's what matters in life. They really are that good.

Cheers
TiggerK

TiggerK what amazed me during the period I lived in Paris was the Parisian's dedication to great food. The lowliest street sweeper would save like mad all year just to have one great night a year at a restaurant like Guy Savoy. They totally bought into the concept of sacrifice in order to enjoy a life long memory.

[Michael R]

I've never had the pleasure of eating in those fine establishments, but i saw Rockpool Bar & Grill mentioned in the intial blog (Monghead i think) and i thought i'd offer a different opinion.
I went with 2 friends, we all had steaks, the rump was over $100 and was v average, cooked well but poor flavour, the sirloin ($90) was so tough it should have had tattoos, the fillet ($65) was excellent but given the price you'd expect that.
The calamari starter was luke warm and rubbery.
The wine list was magnifique, we had a Domain A Pinot and a La Pleaide Shiraz, and neither were over 100% mark-up. The service was good (food) and bad (wine).
I'm certainly not a hard marker, and we had a great night but would give it 6/10 overall, especially given the cost.
When i consider the incredible degustation with wines at Marque that cost less, my advice would be to eat a burger in the bar section next door and use your money for wine from the amazing restaurant list.

[Matt]

WOTY - Bowen Estate Cab Sav Mer / Cab Franc 1996
Also really enjoyed Morris's Premium Old Liquer Tokay.

[Sharkey]

Red Wine of the year
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 (magnum) – opened for my daughter’s 18th birthday

White wine of the year
Tyrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay 2000

Fortified of the year
Seppelts Para Liqueur Port 1939 – opened for my father’s 70th birthday

Bargain of the year
Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2004 (the unreleased one) for $45 a dozen

Surprise of the year
Oakvale Gold Rock Verdelho 2003 – I didn’t think verdelho would age but this bottle proved that idea to be wrong.

[winepunter]

A tough but good topic

To me nominating a wine as the 'best' means it gave me a memorable experience or made me a better person. 2009 included a couple of 'better person' moments. The following wines made me question my prejudices or opened my eyes to new possibilities:

05 Elmslie cab sav (Tamar Valley) - Tassie can make a proper full flavoured cab with no sour grassy backend... no really!!

08 Glaetzer Dickson 'Mon Pere' shiraz - I will always love the 'big' shiraz but it was a bit of a revelation to see what can be done in Tassie with locally grown shiraz. The Velo (Tamar Valley) is also very good.

Tyrrels HVD and Belford aged semillon - Do you mean that semillon doesn't have to be that thin, acidic, tasteless vinegar er I mean wine I have always experienced in the past? Praise the lord and pass me another bottle!

Cheers
PJ

[ck]

Its a bit late compared to other posts but on the last day of 2009 I've been thinking about the wine highlights of the year.
For fortifieds, two rate a mention, a 1975 Reynella vintage port that had been carried from house to house in cardboard boxes for close on thirty years came good. In the wine rack it had a weeping cork but the drops tasted great and the ullage was down to the shoulder as a result but when opened at an offline it was a marvellous combination of richness, intensity and not a bit tired. I had some notes that said Geoff Merrill was the winemaker in which case the old reynella ports are a real testament to his skill and the reynella vineyards.
My wife gave me a birthday trip to Seppeltsfield including a taste of the Para 100 yr. old port. It was a funny kachi /brown /black colour with the viscosity of runny honey. I highly recommend both the tour and the fine old fortified wine tasting to any enthusiast. Not just great value but a real insight into a special bit of SA. I couldn't stop sniffing the unwashed glass on the way home, and when I went to wash the glass a day later the brown residue in the glass was like a coat of watercolour paint that didn't want to dissolve. Is there any other Australian wines like this one?

The red wine that stood out was the 1991 Wynns Centenary CabShiraz. The black label of this year was an all time favorite and the Riddock is very classy but this one had a such wide range of secondary characrteristics and depth as well as rich fruit that I thought it was quite majestic.

Cleanskin of the year. I've only bought one cleanskin in my life and it was the 2005 Reynella shiraz. What a bit of luck, a deep, brooding but balanced wine worh lots more then the bargain price.

Aussie sparkling wine of the year. Going by the number of bottles and tastes I've had recently it would have to be the Sir James 2000 Tumbarrumba. This got a top gold at the Adelaide wine show a couple of years ago and stood out at the public tasting. I'm really glad it turned up on special just before Xmas. Great mouthfeel, some intense fruit flavours, nice yeast characteristics and a long length that had friends commenting favorably.

White wine of the year, nothing that really caught my imagination. At the same show tasting mentioned above the top wine of the show was an Earth's Portrait Eden Valley Reisling that had fantastic intensity but when I purchased some a few weeks later it dissapointed, not sure whether this is me or variation in the wine.

Thanks to everyone who writes their comments they are much appreciated and may steer me towards a really memorable white in 2010
cheers chris.

[rooman]

The SA Prum Beerenauslese Riesling LGK 1976 was similarly exceptional and thoroughly deserved its 96 points. I've had correspondence with Prum, himself, who rates this wine as one of the great Wehlener-Sonnenuhr's from their family's long history in the M-S-R. For a wine to display such freshness, line, length and riveting aplomb on a decadently rich and complex frame is simply, as I mentioned in my report on this wine, a work of art. Trimbach's magnificent 1990 Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling Vendanges Tardives appears regularly in my WOTY lists over the last several years. Unfortunately, I'm down to my last few bottles.

Hermann Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese 1998

David

Great write up as usual. Tying in with my earlier post on rieslings, one of the great aspects of these forums is their ability to expose the participants to news areas of wine. I was not surprised to see the German rieslings featuring heavily in your top wines for the year. For me, this yea has very much revolved around rediscovering German rieslings after a long period of time. It is hard to truly describe just how impressive these wines are, especially with age. I remember nearly 20 years ago, an older friend, who had a fantastic cellar, brought an old German riesling riesling to dinner. Even after all this wine I can recall just how blown away I was with the wine. The depth of colour, the complexity of the flavours casading across the palate, matching the roast chicken I had cooked that even. Sadly I didn't follow that experience up in my own cellar until now. Still better late than never.

Merry New year
Mark

[Wizz]

Now I reckon I've drunk all of this years wines, time to reflect while midnight comes on my wines of the year. I don't point score anymoe so this is really an impressions list.

Best Red: 2001 Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques. Somehow this bottle was transcendent. Unbelievably good. Runner up is a tough one, but I'll give it to the 2004 Bilancia La Collina Syrah. Dead sexy.

Best (Non-dessert) White: 2007 Beaucastel Blanc Vielles Vignes. Runner up was the 2004 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne - outstanding every time.

Best Sweet: 2006 Schloss Lieser Niederberger Helden LGK. 2006 Donnhoff Oberhauser Neidersheimer Hermannsholle was a close second. I'm jealous of Redwine's Egon Muller LGK - that would have been fricken awesome.

If I had to pick just one: The Schloss Lieser. This wine has impressed so many people in so many different settings.

Best Experience: my time in Central Otago in may 2009, where I was generously hosted by Max Marriott. To give an idea of how the overall experience matters, every wine named above was consumed that week - with the exception of the Beaucastel. Runner up: swilling Bouchard le Montrachet like it was Jacobs creek at the 2007 Bouchard dinner in Brisbane.

Biggest disappointment: A 1999 Bouchard la Romanee, which was known to have been exposed to heat. Rooted. Tragic.

Happy new year everyone,

Andrew

[KevinT]

Two absolute standout reds for me.

1998 Tenuta dell Ornellaia "Masseto"
2004 Tenuta dell Ornellaia "Masseto"

Drank both at the same time, side by side. Sensational!

[n4sir]

Best wine of the year: 1991 Wynn's Coonawarra Estate Centenary magnum (thanks Mike)

Best white wine of the year: 2005 Penfolds Yattarna

Best new release of the year: 2004 Penfolds Grange

Best fortified of the year: 2007 Coates The VP Fortified Touriga Nacional

Bargain of the year: really hard to look past the 2005 Reynella Shiraz & 2006 Seppeltsfield VP cleanskins.

Honourable mentions: 1991 Wynn's Black Label, 1986 Wynn's John Riddoch, 1996 Ridge Monte Bello, 1998 Camus Père & Fils Grand Cru Chambertin, 1999 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, 2005 Chateau du Domaine de L'Eglise, 2004 Tenuta San Guardo Sassacaica DOC, 1998 Reynell Basket Pressed Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge, 1992 Clarendon Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, 1984 Peter Lehmann ALS Shiraz, 2007 Some Young Punks Drink ‘n Stick, 1975 Chateau Reynella VP, 1972 Wolf Blass Bilyara VP, 2005 Winter Creek Fortified Shiraz.

Quote of the year: "You want to know how this wine will age? Right now, at this point in time it's f*cked. In a few years time, it will be completely f*ucked."

Cheers,
Ian

[michel]

Now I reckon I've drunk all of this years wines, time to reflect while midnight comes on my wines of the year. I don't point score anymoe so this is really an impressions list.

Best Red: 2001 Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques. Somehow this bottle was transcendent. Unbelievably good. Runner up is a tough one, but I'll give it to the 2004 Bilancia La Collina Syrah. Dead sexy.

Best (Non-dessert) White: 2007 Beaucastel Blanc Vielles Vignes. Runner up was the 2004 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne - outstanding every time.

Best Sweet: 2006 Schloss Lieser Niederberger Helden LGK. 2006 Donnhoff Oberhauser Neidersheimer Hermannsholle was a close second. I'm jealous of Redwine's Egon Muller LGK - that would have been fricken awesome.

If I had to pick just one: The Schloss Lieser. This wine has impressed so many people in so many different settings.

Best Experience: my time in Central Otago in may 2009, where I was generously hosted by Max Marriott. To give an idea of how the overall experience matters, every wine named above was consumed that week - with the exception of the Beaucastel. Runner up: swilling Bouchard le Montrachet like it was Jacobs creek at the 2007 Bouchard dinner in Brisbane.

Biggest disappointment: A 1999 Bouchard la Romanee, which was known to have been exposed to heat. Rooted. Tragic.

Happy new year everyone,

Andrew

You scare me- but you scare me more than usual

I missed these two I know but have some 2001 Rousseau across the board in the cellar


2001 Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques[/b]. Somehow this bottle was transcendent. Unbelievably good. Runner up is a tough one, but I'll give it to the 2004 Bilancia La Collina Syrah

I have had both of these last year and they were awesome and dont know if we had the same bottles

Best (Non-dessert) White: 2007 Beaucastel Blanc Vielles Vignes. Runner up was the 2004 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne - outstanding every time.

I reckon we had the same bottle and I seriously rate Schloss Lieser and the winemaker is thoroughly decent guy as well
Best Sweet: 2006 Schloss Lieser Niederberger Helden LGK.
I
yes I tried this but also had the 2006 twice last year and cant believe how good this wine can be

=]Biggest disappointment:[/b] A 1999 Bouchard la Romanee, which was known to have been exposed to heat. Rooted. Tragic.



I dont know who you are but you must start following the court order

[Wizz]

You scare me- but you scare me more than usual

I missed these two I know but have some 2001 Rousseau across the board in the cellar


2001 Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques[/b]. Somehow this bottle was transcendent. Unbelievably good. Runner up is a tough one, but I'll give it to the 2004 Bilancia La Collina Syrah

I have had both of these last year and they were awesome and dont know if we had the same bottles

Best (Non-dessert) White: 2007 Beaucastel Blanc Vielles Vignes. Runner up was the 2004 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne - outstanding every time.

I reckon we had the same bottle and I seriously rate Schloss Lieser and the winemaker is thoroughly decent guy as well
Best Sweet: 2006 Schloss Lieser Niederberger Helden LGK.
I
yes I tried this but also had the 2006 twice last year and cant believe how good this wine can be

=]Biggest disappointment:[/b] A 1999 Bouchard la Romanee, which was known to have been exposed to heat. Rooted. Tragic.

I dont know who you are but you must start following the court order

I'm through nearly a dozen of the Lieser and have more on hold. Your bottle of the 04 Bouchard was responsible for me buying more.

I reckon I have drunk 5 of these 6 with you. If you were there, I told the guy who tabled the la Collina I refuse to drink it until Michel turns up.

[AndrewCowley]

Mine:

1996 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz

Barossa at its best. Was gorgeous. Probably still has a few years left in it, but to me it seemed perfect.

[Mahmoud Ali]

It's never easy, at least for me, to pick the one best wine of the year. Often there are several wines vying for top spot on the list. Usually the difficulty is in picking from among the older red wines but this year I also had problems with the desert wines. Anyway, here they are.

BEST SPARKLING: 1982 Gosset Brut Reserve (Magnum), Champagne, France

BEST WHITE: 1983 Marques de Murrietta, Reserva, Rioja, Spain
(I would have listed the 1991 Houghtons White Burgundy but I think that was had in late 2008)

BEST RED: 1970 Chateau Musar, Bekaa, Lebanon

Runner Ups: 1993 Maurice O'Shea, Hunter Vally, Australia
1978 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, Italy.
1998 Collosorbo Brunello di Montalcino Reserva, Italy
1976 Leoville Poyferre, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
1975 C.V.N.E Vina Real Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain

BEST FORTIFIED WINE: Yalumba, Old Show Amontillado Sherry 20 Years of Age, Australia

BEST DESERT WINE: JM de Fonseca, Moscatel de Setubal, 20 Years Old, Portugal (Bottled 1989)

Runner Ups: 1999 Oremus, 5 Putts, Tokaji, Hungary
1971 Kiedreicher Sandgrup, Riesling Auslese, Rheingau, Germany
1990 Peter Lehmann Semillon Sauternes, Barossa, Australia
N/V Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximinez, Montilla Moriles, Spain
Deutschke 'The Muscat' (Bottled 2003), Barossa, Australia

BEST PORT: 1963 Graham's Vintage Port, Portugal


These memorable old wines are a testament of the joys to be had from cellaring though a couple of younger puppies sneaked onto the list. Hopefully, many of the other good but younger wines I tasted (or cellared) will "grow up"to resemble the wines listed above.

Cheers, Happy New Year and all the best for another year of drinking and tasting...............Mahmoud