With all the wines tasted over time, this page is an attempt to single out those that stood out from the great gray (well, really "red" and "white") middle. These selected wines have been grouped under the categories "Eye-Openers" (Highly recommended) Just Very Good (Recommended) Disappointments (Not recommended) Yes, there's a category for under-achievers as well. After all, "not recommended" is a kind of recommendation too.

Under Construction

There are some wines that strike me as "eye-openers", where the wine makes one take notice from the first sip. That's seldom because of raw power, like the Parker fruit bombs, but rather from a complexity that integrates all components and lets one find and explore subtleties. Or the attraction will come from a long and lingering taste that evolves and presents new facets as it does.

Here then, is a collection of those wines which gave me the greatest pleasure over the past year or so. It's not a comprehensive list, and other wine lovers may disagree, but here they are, the latest one first:

White Wines:

1999 Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillons", Vieilles Vignes des Minots, Verget, France

2004 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

The best New Zealand sauvignon blanc I've ever tasted, and sold at what can only be a mis-priced $9.

2001 Morey-St-Denis, Les Larrets, Frédéric Magnien, France

2000 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, Reserve, Napa Valley

Yes, it is possible for California chardonnay to be made in the elegant, balanced French style!

2001 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Reuscher-Haart, M-S-R

2001 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Kabinett, Schloss Schönborn, Rheingau

1997 Neefer Frauenberg Riesling Auslese, Weingut Alfons Nelius, M-S-R
2002 Bremmer Calmont Riesling Spätlese, Weingut Michael Franzen, M-S-R

Who knows whether these will taste as good as they did on the Mosel itself, but I have a bottle of each through personal import, and will find out at an appropriate occasion.

Red Wines:

2000 Sanford Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County

2003 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand

The best New Zealand pinot noir I've tasted so far, and a good argument for New Zealand becoming the next region for fine pinot noirs.

1997 Marietta Cellars Syrah, Geyserville, California

Organizations: There were some wine-related organizations that distinguished themselves:

North Berkeley Imports

Their Barrel Selections have become, for me, a guarantee of very good white Burgundies (and probably are for red ones as well).

Locals

A store in Geyserville that offers tastings of wines from six small Russian River valley vintners, too small for wide distribution. The hosts are knowledgeable and generous, and the tastings are free.

J Vineyards & Winery

A new concept in tasting: appetizer-sized portions of food with a flight of wines, for a nominal charge.

Maybe they weren't quite special enough to qualify as "eye-openers", but these wines gave a lot of tasting pleasure.

White Wines:

2001 Bourgogne Blanc, Reserve, non filtrée, Yves Boyer-Martenot, France

2000 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Kabinett, Josef Leitz, Rheingau

Red Wines:

2001 Foley Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley

1999 Rabbit Ridge Pinot Noir, "Frank Johnson Vineyard", Russian River Valley

1999 Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir, José S. Ferrer Selection, Carneros

2002 Pernand-Vergelesses "Les Boutières" Reserve, Vieilles Vignes, Vin non filtré, Domaine Marius Delarche, France

There were wines that promised, by way of price or reputation, to be more than they actually were, in other words, underachievers.

2000 Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese, Dönnhoff, Nahe

From one of the finest vineyards on the Nahe by one of the top producers, at a price to match. It should have been an "eye-opener", but wasn't.

2000 Chablis Premier Cru, Fourchaume, Château de Maligny, France

Atypical, it was relatively fat, and almost more like a California chardonnay than a flinty, elegant chablis.