Second five of Numbers Top 10 Wines of the Year:
Beckmen Vineyards 2020 Grenache: One of the better Grenaches I've had from California over the past few years. From the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara, this was much lighter than I was expecting and contrasted pretty well between a lot of the other "Rhone Ranger" wines (California wine makers who started growing GSM blends from South France in California) especially the Terre Rouge line from Bill Easton which I've tasted through several of this year. Shockingly light in color in the glass, neutral oak 130 gallon barrel, strawberry, red cherry, light earthy note to it - I would not have picked this out as Grenache in a blind taste. This is around $30 MSRP.
Heitz Cellar 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: A couple months ago I had the opportunity to taste through the most recent releases out of Heitz Cellar with one of our reps and the East Coast portfolio manager for the group Heitz Cellar is in. A little background, Heitz Cellar is one of THE classic Napa Valley wineries - involved in the Judgment of Paris - and are notable for making, unapologetically, their own wine regardless of the trends in the region. The portfolio manager shared with us that they took pride in reading Robert Parker's review every year where he gave the wines a good score but consistently lamented the lack of "oomph" in the mid-palate. Heitz takes pride in their restrained almost Old World production even in an era where "bigger, riper, bolder = better" for Napa Valley.
With that in mind, this specific bottle admittedly was not even the best bottle of the lineup (credit goes to the Heitz 2017 Martha's Vineyard) BUT sitting around $85-90 on the shelf this was the wine that stood out in my mind. For comparison, MSRP for the Martha's Vineyard (their flagship and most famous wine) is over +$300. Intensely floral on the nose, violets, black cherry, blueberry, a little boysenberry but with a little red fruit tucked in as well - cranberry maybe?- this was a medium body wine with high acidity, smooth tannins, and an extremely long finish. We took in a case after tasting and I sold through my store's allocation in two weeks. This is a perfect Christmas wine.
Lieselhof Julian 2018 Orange: From the obscure Bronner grape, grown predominantly in Northeast Italy (I had never heard of this grape before and I have not seen another wine from Bronner since), this is one of the best "orange" wines I've ever had. Apricot, orange, tangerine and an underlying baking spice, this had plenty of acidity and citrus notes on opening. As it warmed up in the glass more of the oak notes came out - aged for 18+ months in neutral oak, not that common for this style of wine. It was even better day two, better integration, not quite as tart. You could age this bottle if you can find it. I know Eataly has sold this as well in the past but it is limited production overall and even less exported. $35-40 MSRP.
Clos Cibonne Tibouron Tradition Rose 2015: 8 year old aged Tibouron and one of the classic houses of the region making age worthy roses (Domaine Tempier and their Mourvèdre probably the most famous). Orange/salmon in the glass. Full body, waxy, smelled like you’re sitting on a balcony at the beach salinity wise. Orange zest, light apricot, and an oxidative/nutty quality from spending a year under flor (normally used in sherry). Paid $55 and that's probably close to MSRP but well worth it. Has another few years age wise.
Famille Dutraive Beaujolais Villages Lantignie 2020: I am a sucker for Beaujolais with top production showcasing some of the best natural winemaking available. There can be a lot of bottle variation because of the hands off minimal intervention style a lot of top houses employ (limited SO2 added for bottling increases the likelihood of some faults occurring) but when these producers hit they REALLY hit. And that was the case with this bottle from Famille Dutraive. Not even Cru Beaujolais, but a step "below" sourcing from multiple vineyards across the region, this had watermelon, strawberry, and was absolutely translucent in the glass with fresh fruit, and a beautiful aromatic nose but not over the top with the carbonic maceration notes. VERY light. $35 or so MSRP, I've tossed this into the rotation with Yann Bertrand's wines from the region as some of my favorite.
What have y'all had this year that stood out? Always love hearing about new wines to add to my list as well!