Top 100 Wines
2007 Argiano NC Non Confunditur (Tuscany)
2007 Argiano NC Non Confunditor (Tuscany) - 19.99
“Argiano’s 2007 NC is a Tuscan blend that shows exciting power, with the inherent sweetness of the Merlot component acting as a bridge between the firm earthiness of the Sangiovese, the spicy blackcurrant of the Cabernet and the warm red fruit of the Syrah. The result is a generous, round red wine for early to mid-term drinking with aromas of currant and generous fruit flavors, which are versatile enough to develop more depth in the bottle. It is an excellent value and was chosen as one of the top 100 wines of the year by the Wine Spectator.” (90WS)
90 Points, Steve Rayman
February 2010
New Arrival from Wolf Blass is a steal at a $13.99
2006 Wolf Blass Gold Shiraz - On sale for $14.99 at B-21 (for a limited time)
We hear “Beringer Blass” so much now we forget the first name of the modern Australian genius is Wolf, as inWolfgang. He landed Down Under more than 50 years ago, an East German sparkling winemaker who dreamed of making great reds. He blazed trails across Barossa in a green VW beetle consulting and preaching the new style of Australian wine we’ve come to love. He bought his own vineyards in 1969 and when the first wave of Australians hit the US in the ‘80s, one of the best was eagle-crested Wolf Blass. Oz shipments grew and grew; Wolf’s own label got bigger, too to join Mildarra, Beringer Wine Estates and ultimately oilcan Fosters.
As you can taste in the 2006 Gold Label Barossa Shiraz, Wolf Blass’s own brand just got better, big bold and smooth as back in the day. This is classic Shiraz, big and broad, full of berries and plums spiced with smoke, licorice, pepper and a touch of cocoa. It’s a hefty 15.5% ABV yet you won’t taste the alcohol. Tannins are invitingly soft. Put the lamb shanks on now.
The 2006 ’s also deserves the ultimate Aussie compliment “It’s good value.” An understatement worthy of Croc Dundee himself. Nowhere on the street or the internet is it a better deal than at B-21 if you can find this vintage at all. At $13.99 a bottle this is a Shiraz that ought to fill several rows of your cellar.
“This exhibits generous blackberry and raspberry fruit at the core, shading the edges with pretty white pepper, cream and floral overtones that insinuate themselves beautifully as the finish goes on and on. Drink now through 2016.” 91 Points, Wine Spectator
Don’t believe everything in the NYT: In defense of ’04 Brunello di Montalcino
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2004 Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino ($57.99) - 95 Points by Wine Spectator & #15 on WS's Top 100 of 2009
Even before the scandalous allegations that some labels violated the Sangiovese-only rules, Montalcino was a fine appellation that attracted too much show-off cult status and camp-following hustlers. And 2004 was a little dicey (Parker says 95 but inconsistent) and Brunello, like Burgundy, is expensive juice with rarely a cheap bet.
But 2004’s are mighty young to write off. And the Times cutoff of $75 proves to me the high price of drinking in New York.
There are fine 2004s under $75, at least here in little old Tarpon. Steve Rayman, our go-to on Italy, loves the 2004 from Frescobaldi’s CastelGiocondo ($57.99) and there’s more. The world-beaters at Casanova di Neri make a fine Tenuta Nuova ($69.99). Too high, you can name that Brunello tune sweetly for $40 to $60 from Ferrero, Argiano and Ciacci Piccolomini. Actually just pronouncing “Ciacci Piccolomini Brunello di Montalcino” in one breath tastes mighty good.
That’s the key with Brunello, do the work to find a label and merchant you trust. The rest have their own work to do until Brunello means as much as Barolo.
- Chris Sherman
The Top 100 Prisoner Has Arrived…
#47 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2009: 2007 Orin Swift the Prisoner ($34.99)
Winemaker Dave Phinney has a knack for sourcing great fruit from great vineyards and combining them in a way that offers something unexpected and unique. The 2007 Prisoner from Napa Valley ($34.99) combines five grape varietals and is the third vintage of this wine to achieve Top 100 status (2003 and 2005 were the previous two). The core of this wine is Tofanelli Vineyard Zinfandel and Charbono. Tofanelli’s vineyards are organically farmed and of significant age and provide exceptional concentrated fruit. Quantities are quite limited of 2007 so this may be a bit of a last call.
Wine Spectator scored the Prisoner 92 Points. Have you tried it? Tell us what you think.
Perrin’s Tour de Rhone by fork not bike
Mathieu Perrin of Perrin & Fils
The parade of wine superstars never stops. This week Matthieu Perrin of the new generation of Perrins took B-21 fanciers at Currents restaurant in Tarpon Springs on a grand three-course, three flight tour of the southern Rhone. It’s the home country of Perrin & Fils and the grand Beaucastel.
For starters, the group wheeled their way through the simple Cotes of 2007, CdR ($9.99) then Cotes du Rhone Villages ($10.49), and the Perrin’s Nature ($10.49) a GSM which is certified organic as well as the family’s own biodynamic principles. Best food match of the appetizers was just as earthy – bruschetta with mushrooms, thyme and goat cheese.
2007 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape ($79.99)
More exciting was the roast pork-fueled middle stage through the Perrin’s favorite villages, Vacqueyras and Gigondas (mine too) and the far northerly commune of Vinsobres. Heckuva name for a place that is #89 on the Top 100. It is a luscious blend of Syrah and Grenache, but I think the licorice and pepper of that latter show best. Maybe the name scares people off, it’s still a bargain at $19.99.
The climax was Chateau Beaucastel CDP itself from the last two fabulous vintages (2006 and 2007). Beaucastel follows the old 13-grape step because it works, making a well-structured wine that is richly complex in flavors. More so in 2006, a voluptuously thick, dense wine, and at Currents a taste of the even more sumptuous 2007; best southern Rhone year in a decade.
A surprise visit from Ferdinando Frescobaldi of Marchesi de Frescobaldi
From Italy to Tarpon Springs, Florida, Ferdinando Frescobaldi, President of Marchesi de Frescobaldi paid us a surprise visit this morning. Mr. Frescobaldi spent time chatting about wine with B-21 Proprietor, Bob Sprentall, and B-21’s Italy Correspondent, Steve Rayman. He also took the time to sign all of the Frescobaldi wines on our shelves. Yes, even the 2004 Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo which incidentally is #15 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2009. Other bottles he signed include the 2006 Frescobaldi Giramonte Super Tuscan ($99.99), 2006 Frescobaldi Mormoreto Toscana ($59.99) and the 2006 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($19.99).
The Frescobaldi family has a 700-year history as wine merchants and growers in Tuscany. Thirty generations have dedicated themselves to the production of great Tuscan wines, with over 1,000 hectares of estate vineyards and nine estates and an unwavering commitment to quality. As one would suspect a wide range of wines are available from an estate of this size. Nippozzano is one of my favorites, what is one of yours?
BTW – 1st come, 1st serve on the bottles he signed today! To make sure you get the signed bottles, give us a call to order, or stop on by the store! (1-888-221-9463)
#24 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 is Here
2005 Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz ($54.99) - #24 on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2009
Heads Up! Many of the Top 100 Wines are here at B-21, and even more are arriving. #24 just came in.
For 50 years, Penfold’s has set the standard for Australian wine with more than Grange. A second iconic wine, St. Henri, shapes Shiraz in a way that is stunningly different, and perhaps, more luscious and sexy. This luxury red was long overshadowed and often just called Penfold’s Claret. That didn’t do it justice; it’s not close to a bland 15-pound red in a Brit wine bar.
The St. Henri style stands alone. It is an exceptional Shiraz with a slender Cabernet-like backbone, matured in large old barrels for smooth silky, early drinking without a hint of oak. The grapes are the best from Barossa, Clare and McLaren Vale. Why not? 2005 was the best in a decade all over South Australia. It’ll take many more years and dollars before you can taste Grange this good. Only 1,000 cases came into the US but we’ve got it, and at $54.99 (ten bucks under the expected tab).
The Results are in on the Wine Spectator Top 100. Do you agree?
- Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines
I don’t get it. On Thursday wine snobs sniffed at the foolish hubbub over the world; today they are rabidly chasing the Wine Spectator’s Top 100. The 2005 Columbia Crest Columbia Valley Reserve Cab is now harder to find than a robot hamster.
Well, I take both in a tolerant “all in fun’’ attitude. All the world loves lists, me included, if only to argue and analyze. A word of caution before the Cabbage Patch scavenger hunt begins: WS lists specific vintages but their panel could have tasted vintages on their way out or just coming in. At B-21, we were into the Columbia Crest and Numanthia Termes early but have gone through the 2005s and are on to the 2006. A year can make some difference, but great vineyards remain great.
Let the battle begin — and please join in. (Don’t have the list yet? Here’s a sneak peak!)
1) Cheap, cheap, cheap. Even Marvin Shanken knows we’re in a recession. Almost a quarter of the Top 100 are at $20 or less. That’s my normal budget but some of these are softballs. Would Brancott’s NZ Sauv Blanc (No. 28) make the list in a normal year? Yet they nailed some of my faves that deserve a boost like the poorman’s Super Tuscan from Monte Antico (No.61), the great Barossa Shiraz from Peter Lehman (No. 54) and D’Arenberg’s Stump Jump (no. 82). I’m glad someone points out that some $20 wines are worth more – from those that are simply cheap wore out great bargains
2) We’re over California. Go Huskies. Twenty years ago when Bob Betz was still with Chateau Ste. Michelle he pulled me aside to say “Washington is going to be known for great reds, not just crisp whites”, and poured me the promise. Glad to see WS now agrees. Cabs, Syrahs and Merlots from Columbia Valley, Canoe Ridge, Walla Walla and Red Mountain are on the 2009 list. All told, nine WA labels are on the list. If Columbia Crest’s 2005 isn’t the absolute best, the Columbia Valley Reserve and CSM’s 2006 Horse Heaven cab (No. 38) are rich proof of the sumptuous depth Washington delivers for just $30.
3) Get behind me, Cabernet. Like the rest if us, WS is enthralled with Shiraz/Syrah and all its Rhone kinfolk. Twenty-some Syrahs from France, Australia, USA and even Italy made the list, both rustic and regal. Their favorite was the 2007 la Crau CdP from Vieux Telegraph (No.3). B-21 has it in both 375 and 750. The Bordelaise only landed a dozen or so, and that’s giving credit for Malbecs and Carménère.
4) Learn Italian. At least more than Sassicaia. I counted almost 20 Italian labels on Top 100, starting with a great 2006 Chianti Classico from Barone Ricasoli (No.5) through the rest of Tuscany, the Piedmont and beyond, from 2004 through 2007. If the Top 100 is your guide for drinking in the next few months, focus on the Italian nominations for the most thrilling education.
What do you think? Does an $8 Washington Riesling (Barnard Griffin, No. 66) cheapen the list? Is the 2006 Chappellet Signature (No. 6) the best of California? Is there a wine you expected to see make the cut, but it didn’t? You tell me.