Jersey Foodies 2010 TOP 10 WINE LIST!

As with every year, it is nearly impossible to compile 500-1000 wines, and whittle it down to the best 10.  There are hundreds of honorable mentions, and even many wines that in the end received higher scores than ones on this list.

This list however is not about the best score or the highest ratings that we have given.  This list is more about the most memorable wines of 2010, and why they were so memorable.  Maybe it was the actual wine.  Maybe it was the restaurant or event that this wine was consumed at, or maybe it was all about the moment.  Regardless, here we go:

10.  1975 Chateau Leoville Las Cases – this was a classic example of a perfectly stored Bordeaux that should have been well over the hill.  Needless to say, we had this on Valentine’s Day at Tastebuds in New Hope, PA, and it showed a lot better than expected.  Even our waiter truly enjoyed and appreciated having a taste of this gem that had been well stored in our cellar for years.

9.  2006 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon – this was one of the young Cali cabs that truly impressed me this year.  We ended up drinking this on a random night “on the bistro,” and it was one of those awesome moments that made me go wow!  This was a joy, and I look forward to seeing the fruit in this wine develop with time in the bottle.

8.  2000 Sine Qua Non “The Boot” – this magnum was brought to Berserkerfest at Peking Duck House in November, and for a 10 year old white, this blew me away.  Hands down my best white (non Champagne or sparkling) wine of the year.  This was gorgeous, and it was a great night with great friends!

7.  1990 Chateau Leoville Barton – this was opened at our generous friend Dee’s house, and pulled from her cellar.  Another very young, but great wine that was drinking so nice with good friends!  What a joy this bottle was on a great pre holiday night with amazing friends!

6.  1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia – another wine consumed at Berserkerfest in November, and one of my favorite Insignia’s to date!  I think this is just the second time an Insignia has found its way to our Top 10 list.  We were also blessed to attend a ’74-’07 Insignia vertical this year that was absolutely amazing.  One of these days I will get around to finishing and posting my notes.

5.  2006 Ghost Horse Shadow – what is there to say about Ghost Horse other than wow?  This wine isn’t for the faint at heart, and I’ve been hearing about “The Todd’s” wines for years.  Needless to say, this is his most affordable bottling, and as I said in my tasting note, quite possibly the best $100 wine I have ever had.  Kudos to Todd and Ghost Horse, and a HUGE thanks to Randy and Carrie at Napa Valley Wine and Cigar!  Count me in for a 6 pack of the 2007 that should be released sometime in February!

4.  2001 Chateau d’Yquem – is there really anything that needs to be said about this wine?  Well, actually, yes!  It was consumed WAY to early, but we had the chance to consume a lot of this thanks to the generosity of great wine friends!  I look forward to seeing how this wine is going to develop over the rest of my lifetime!  And I truly think that it will last that long!

3.  2006 Sine Qua Non Raven Syrah – when Paul and Stef were asked at our Stefania tasting what they liked to drink, Paul mentioned his love for syrah!  This was the second of the syrah I pulled from the cellar that night, narrowly getting edged out by a wine that could almost be called it’s cousin.  Regardless, both these wines were great, and it was the Lillian that just barely edged it out.

2.  2005 Lillian Syrah – This was the wine I was referring to above that narrowly beat out the Sine Qua Non.  I think that the extra year in the bottle truly gave this wine the edge, along with the fact that it’s not quite as high octane, and just a bit more subdued than the Sine Qua Non with more balance.  Regardless, they were both great wines, and were neck and neck.

1.  2001 Chateau Lafite Rothschild – Here is another wine served at Berserkerfest at Peking Duck House in November, and we can’t think fellow Berserker Mont enough for bringing this to share.  This was such an amazing night with great wines, and we both had the opportunity to really taste this wine throughout the evening.  By the end of the night, this wine was singing, and it is only going to get better with time.

So there you have it, and yes, I know many of you were there for some wines that were even more amazing than these, but these are the ones that I chose!  Cheers!