WOTYs--2017 Edition---TABULATIONS COMPLETE

Everything old is new again. Last year the 96 Salon and 06 Comtes de Champagne shared the winning position with 01 D’Yquem just behind. This year, after a two year vacation, 2001 D’Yquem is the board’s WOTY with five votes. I had 500 entries to examine.

96 Salon slides into 2nd place with 4 votes and at 3 votes we see 96 Krug, 06 Comtes and, somewhat to my mild surprise, 2003 D’Yquem.

With that, it doesn’t take much guesswork to figure out that D’Yquem also scored top rating for most-mentioned house with 20 votes overall

SQN with 12 votes (lots of fun with that as there was not a SINGLE double-up among those 12) and Krug with 10 were the only other two producers to break double figures. The other top-ranking wineries were:

Haut Brion - 8 (a nice comeback for them)
Montrose - 7
Huet - 7 (nice to see that!)
Taittinger - 7
Dom Perignon - 6 (I think of them as their own house. :slight_smile: )
Pichon-Comtesse - 6
Cheval Blanc - 6
Maybach - 6
Ridge - 6
Clos Roche - 6 (Jay Miller rocks on!)

Surprises? How about DRC with only 4 total votes? Bedrock with one. Ramonet with 3. Mouton and Lafite? One lonely vote each. And, in the ultimate condemnation perhaps of their recent pox troubles, no votes for Leflaive and no votes for Lafon. OTOH Jacky Truchot had a very nice showing with 5 votes. Coche did OK with 4 and Roulot had 5. On this side of the ocean it was nice to see Dirty & Rowdy rustle up 3 votes. Aubert managed 5 votes overall.

As always, thanks for playing everyone. Let’s get started on our lists for 2018!



I will keep my OP below.

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What? I waited…all the way to the beginning of November! [grin.gif]

As in past years, if anyone knows of any “halfway through the year” threads that I have missed, please post the links and I will be happy to incorporate those threads/wines into the final tabulations.

It was even harder this year to cut down to 21 choices. I have been so lucky to share so many great bottles with so many great people.

DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR: A tie between the Fernando de Castilla Antica PX which showed me the wondrous side of PX (thanks Count!) and 2007 Muller Proven Ries Spatlese which completed my conversion to enjoying German Riesling.

WOTY LIST (scores beside the wines where the description moved me to score)

1988 Chateau D’Yquem (99+)
1998 Boxler Sommerberg Ries (92)
2014 Chateau Pape Clement Blanc (94)
1995 Leonetti Cab Sauv
2012 Littorai Savoy PN
1995 Huet Cuvee Constance (95+)
1979 Chateau Pichon-Comtesse
2001 Zind-Humbrecht Herrenweg de Turckheim Gewurtz (94)
1998 Arcadian Bien Nacido PN
1989 Chateau D’Yquem
2012 Jadot Duc de Magenta Chassagne Morgeots Clos de la Chappelle (94)
2012 Coche Dury Meursault
1982 Chateau Canon (94)
2015 Marchand-Tawse Chambertin Clos de Beze (96++)
2010 Prager Wachstum Bodenstein Ries
2010 Domaine Weinbach Altenbourg Gewurtz (93)
Fernando De Castilla Antique PX (93-94)
1990 Eyrie Pinot
2015 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurtz
2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
2002 Robert Chevillon NSG Les Chaignots

Discuss!

Mike

1970, 1996 and 1998 Haut Brion
90 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
Krug 1995
1986, 1996, 1999 and 2003 d’Yquem
1986 Ponsot Clos de la Roche
2003 Truchot Clos de la Roche, Charmes Chambertin and GC Combottes
2001 Truchot Clos de la Roche
1982, 1985, 1986 and 1996 Leoville las Cases
1982 and 2016 Pichon Lalande
1978 Ridge Geyserville
1996 La Pousse d’Or Volnay Clos des 60 Ouvrées
2012 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes
2014 Château Climens
1970 Château Lynch-Bages
2005 and 2010 Montrose

Value White and Red of the Year:

2014 Van Canneyt Bourgogne Blanc
2015 Dublere Bourgogne Rouge
2014 Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne Rouge

Mine are…
2012 Copain Combe de Gres PN
2008 Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles
2014 Carlisle Pagani Ranch Zin
2007 Rhys Alpine Hillside PN
NV Pierre Gerbais Prestige BdB EB

As for discovery, I am jazzed to keep exploring grower/producer bubbly. Some great finds this year and many more to come, I am sure.

Keeping my thinking to newer releases…

I killed a Pott Original Ganster Grenache and immediately regretted it - it was my only one! (Man, it’s really good.)

So, while I wait for another chance, it is in my group of wines of the year.

I also opened one of my Roy Piper wines and didn’t regret it because I have another! It’s so good, I hesitate to say it in order to greedily hope more people don’t seek it out!

Also tried a 2012 Point Rouge from Peter Michael and it gave me a great sensation - that water was not a constituent of this wine. Oily, ‘thick,’ perfect.

Lastly, we opened a 1-2 year-ago release of 3 Aubert chards and 3 pinots for my bro-in-law’s visit to town last month and I couldn’t pick a favorite amongst them, but know I can’t live without that winery in my life.

I count this as 4 ‘wines.’ [cheers.gif]

Very excited to see 1982 Canon on your list

Nearly impossible to narrow. Here are the most memorable, with surprisingly little Burgundy on the list for 2017. But I don’t really seek it out anymore (although I have a vague memory of tasting amazing thimblefuls of 1993 DRC RSV and 1993 Coche CC at a Paulee pre-party I crashed).

1949 Calon Segur
1967 Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec
1970 Lafon Rochet
1970 Domaine de Chevalier
1971 Huet Le Haut Lieu Demi-Sec
1971 Cheval Blanc
1971 Montrose
1971 Haut Brion
1979 Haut Brion
1985 La Lagune
1993 Roulot Meursault Meix Chavaux
1995 Calon Segur
1995 Roederer Brut
1996 Breton Chinon Picasses
1998 Muller Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken
1999 Verset Cornas
2004 and 2008 Francois Cotat Monts Damnes and Culs de Beaujeu
2007 Drouhin Musigny
2008 Pol Roger Rose
2008 Roederer Brut
2010 Juge Cornas
2014 Juge Cornas
2015 von Schubert M-G Abtsberg Spatlese
2015 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spatlese #5

DOTY - how much I like Calon Segur.

Ha. I won’t post for a while, but just took a look at my notes. Besides a 96 Salon BdB, it seems to be all California. I guess that means I need to look on the other side of the cellar for some representation in these last couple of months. Luckily, I tend to open my best bottles in the last 6 weeks of the year.

No need on the discovery. The wines from the Gredos area west of Madrid, Spain. Never even heard of it until we visited there in June. Really cool old vine Garnacha and a white called Abillo.

I’m expecting more great wine the last two months of the year, so a full list is probably a bit premature. I doubt anything will break into my top three though:

2000 Jacques Prieur Musigny - Just one of those perfect bottles that reminds you why chasing Grand Cru Burgundy is worth it.

1981 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco - amazing array of flavors that was constantly developing/shifting over 3 hours. We enjoyed this at Alinea and the food pairing made it twice as fun - each new bite brought a different aspect to the forefront of the wine.

1990 Chave Hermitage - everything I love about Syrah in one wine, and then some. Served alongside the 1988, which let the '90 show off how much more elevated it was - somehow both more elegant and more concentrated.

2014 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa
2012 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
2007 Lillian Winery Syrah Blue Label
2013 G.B. Crane El Coco
2007 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium
2012 Outpost Immigrant True Vineyard
2007 Kapcsándy Family Winery Estate Cuvée State Lane Vineyard
2007 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
2001 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sorì Ginestra
2013 SENS3S Chardonnay B.A. Thieriot
2012 Aubert Chardonnay Sugar Shack

I’m with you! i have a special soft spot for Canon… a bottle of 86 a couple years ago was my epiphany wine.

2009 Georges Dubœuf Moulin-à-Vent Domaine de la Tour du Bief - Just a wonderfully soft wine that made a great impression.

Keep 'em coming, already lots of variety! The 12 Copain Combe de Gres and the 07 Rhys Alpine Pinot were both near-misses/honourable mentions for me, Frank.

Mike

2013 Realm Bard.
Any other Realm wines.

Loren, Abillo/a was also my discovery of the year… one from Manchuela (which I guess is east of Madrid as opposed to the west). I also picked up a bottle of that Bernabeleva old-vine garnacha after reading your TN… looking forward to popping it soon.

Mine was a 2013 Realm Dr Crane.

So far I’ll go with:

Equipo Navazos La Bota #48
1966 Gonzalez Byass Oloroso
1987 Gonzalez Byass Palo Cortado
2000 Valdespino Macharnudo Alto Single Cask
2004 Clos Roche Blanche Cot/Malbec
2002 Clos Roche Blanche Cot
2003 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Gamay
1971 Huet Clos de Bourg Moelleux
1998 Clos Rougeard Chace
1979 Haut Bailly
2015 Keller Morstein Auslese
1999 Verset Cornas
2001 Mugnier Musigny
1997 Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner
1990 Trimbach Frederic Emile
1958 Vallana Vino Spanna, Traversagna
1985 Chateau Canon
1970 Chateau Magdelaine
1970 Figeac

Edited to add: Grumble, grumble. Okay, I’ll pick one of each and bold them. Sherry is its own thing so I’ll choose one of them too.

My two wines of the year:

2009 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/29/2017)
This wine offers a kaleidoscope of blackberry fruit with funk, green foliage, earth, dust and a kiss of licorice. Concentrated, yet never heavy and well balanced by the acidity. Lovely texture. Tannins are noticeable, but nicely polished.

I expected to dislike the wine due to the ripe vintage and oak treatment, but I did not find the overly ripe fruit nor signs of too much wood. Color me pleasantly surprised. While this wine is nowhere near it’s peak, it also offers a lot of pleasure for current drinking. Best after 2024.

Also, it must be said that TK, who generously shared this wine with me, is a phenomenal friend. So blessed. (96 pts.)

1999 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe (8/24/2017)
Wow. Just wow. Deep yellow colored with a nose of yellow fruits (pear, peach, yellow apple). The nose is OMFG intoxicating…as in “why don’t they make an Eau de Toilette of this so I can bathe in it every morning?” I could sniff this all evening…and I darn near did. The flavors on the palate followed the nose, with a beautiful balance of sweetness and acid, appropriate for the pradikat. Superior concentration while still light on the palate. It could perhaps use a touch more acid, but that would be a quibble. This is everything that I want in an aged Spätlese and then some. Near perfect. (96 pts.)[/list]
Posted from CellarTracker

My discovery of the year/US WOTY:

2012 Briceland Vineyards Petit Verdot Ishi Pishi Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County (10/20/2017)
Deep purple color with a nose of blackberry, pencil shavings, violets and menthol.

The palate showed cool black fruit, graphite, green tobacco, oregano and violets. The palate is at once concentrated and restrained. Medium bodied and light on the tongue with fine-grained tannins and good acidity. Well balanced with a long cool menthol finish. This will continue to improve for another 10 years and has the structure to drink well 25 years from vintage.

This bears a strong resemblance to the 1986 La Mission Haut Brion. How can a 100% Petit Verdot from Humboldt County be so similar to a First Growth quality Bordeaux (that doesn’t contain PV)? Yet this Wine is also quite unique. Genuinely mind-blowing. 12 cases made from Organic grapes. 13.4%ABV. (94 pts.)

Forgot this: Benoît Déhu “Cuvée la Rue des Noyers” Extra Brut, which properly belongs in both categories. No note as it was consumed at dinner with friends but I was blown away by the 100% Pinot Meunier bubbly.

I’m surprised we didn’t have more overlap although the 1979 Haut Bailly almost made my list. That was fantastic.

The 2001 Mugnier Musigny was also outstanding but way too young.

I suspect I know who you were drinking with when you had a lot of the wines early on your list and it wasn’t me :slight_smile:

I still have a few bottles of that 1979.

2011 SQN Dark Blossom Syrah
2011 SQN Dark Blossom Grenache
2000 Leoville Barton
1999 Cos (Mag)
1999 Le Vieux Donjon
2003 Fonseca
2009 SQN Grenache Upside Down
2013 Drinkward Peschon Cab