Top 100 Wine Spectator wines of 2007: let the madness begin…
In the mail today, a newsletter from a prominent wine retailer arrived. It included, as its centerfold, predictions for the Wine Spectator’s 2007 Top 100 Wines of the Year. Of course, all 100 wines in the list are for sale by said retailer.
In perusing the list, we noticed that it included the Mollydooker Enchanted Path, but not the more highly rated Carnival of Love and Velvet Glove, or the more QPR-friendly The Boxer. And we became suspicious. Upon further investigation of the retailer’s website, it became apparent that the only one of these wines in stock there was the Enchanted Path — coincidentally the only one to make their predictions list. And, so, their sales techniques became transparent.
We all know that people use scores to sell wine. On occasion, we have noted a wine’s Parker or Speculator score in order to add weight to our slightly less proven palates. But to be so manipulative as to use Sports Book techniques to get customers to horde wine that hasn’t been flying off the shelves (the website for this store actually has a separate category in its pull-down menu for their “Top 100″ predictions)…well, can this be possibly be considered responsible selling?
It’s probably not necessary for us to answer that. You pretty much know our position. Suffice it to say, we have plenty of WOTY contenders in stock, but we don’t advertise them as such. That just ain’t our style.
That doesn’t mean predicting can’t be fun, though.
But, here’s a twist. Instead of selling you something using predictions, we propose a contest where we’ll use your predictions to give something away!
Name, in order, what you think will be the top ten wines of the year according to the Speculator, and whoever comes closest will win a six-pack of bottles we’re pretty sure won’t be on that list:
2004 Sottano Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza
2003 Rioja Vega Crianza
2006 Solorosa Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir
2005 Bodegas Luzon, Jumilla
2005 Bodegas Borao Rosado, Campo de Borja
2004 Faiveley Mercurey Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet
Why are we so sure they won’t make the cut? Because none scored more than a 79 from the Wine Spectator. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t downright awesome-tastic — or, at the very least, good-tastic.*
Oh, and yeah, we proudly sell these wines (except the Faiveley, which we brought back from our trip to France).
Now, please comment away with your guesses…
In fact, the scores from Parker were quite different for the Spanish selections: 89 for the Vega, 88 for the Luzon and 87 for the Borsao. None of the other wines have been rated by the Advocate.
52 Responses to “Top 100 Wine Spectator wines of 2007: let the madness begin…”
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2007 Ponte de Lima Vinho Verde, Portugal
Bring a little “green” to your life with the Ponte de Lima Vinho Verde from Portugal. It’s actually a white wine - the green refers to its youth and freshness. It’s slightly effervescent and zippy, giving you the sense of a warm summer’s day on a cold winter’s night. This one is very easy on the wallet to boot, at just eleven buckaroos! Buy Green Wine for Wintertime.
2007 Cortes de Cima Chaminé Red Blend
Yummy Portuguese table wine that’s a blend of Aragonez (aka Tempranillo), Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, and a smidgen of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s just asking to be paired with winter stews of braised meats. A great value at $19 a bottle.Buy Cortes de Cima Chaminé
2005 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla: #42 Wine Spectator in the Top 100 of 2008!
OK, don’t screw the WS top 100! This came in at #42 and it deserves at least that. It’s the only reasonably priced domestic cab on their list, and we love it. It’s deep and rich and generous with the oaky vanilla — but not cloyingly so. Yay for #42 - just $28.
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Cellartracker Embraces Twitter:
If you’re interested in wine and want a way to keep track of wines you’ve tasted, or bottles in your collection, a great place to do so is the site CellarTracker. Go over there and familiarize yourself with it. It’s really easy to use and offers the largest database of wines, along with a huge community of users who frequently post tasting notes.
Eric LeVine, the mastermind behind CellarTracker has recently become a Twitter user. You can follow him on Twitter here. And in a very significant feature addition to CellarTracker, Eric has just enabled Twitter functionality for all CellarTracker users, so that when you write a new tasting note, it will automatically post to Twitter with a link back to the CellarTracker data. Eric’s explanation and instructions can be found here.
This combo of two killer apps, a niche wine community with a Web 2.0 pioneer, could be a game changer.
(My apologies to Tim Elliott whose voice I seem to be parroting with this post!)
Cellartracker Embraces Twitter
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Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
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Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
Check out this blog post where they actually refer to somebody from d547 as a “wine expert.” Shocking! In any case, the Imbibe blog offers a nice recipe to go along with one of our wine recommendations. Enjoy!
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The 89 Project
October 15th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
I’m so far out of the loop on wines that are not from Iberia, I’ll have to sit this one out. But I will say that the 3 Spanish wines you are giving away are downright yummy! Though personally I could care less for the Rioja Vega, the other two catch my eye. Oh and a nice Faiveley makes me smile! I miss French wine, odd how I now live closer to France yet their wines seem further from my grasp!
October 15th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Ryan, we think you probably are being modest. I bet you could know very little about the wines themselves, and lots about how the Spectator does things, to deduce a pretty compelling entry. If you enter and get the answers correct, we’ll send you an all-French pack if you want!
October 15th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
oh, shoot. we can’t ship wine out of the country. scratch that. We’ll send you a “le nez du vin” kit or something…
October 16th, 2007 at 3:22 am
I’m a former wine merchant (put out of business when a large chain moved into town) and I just started following your website. I have access to WS Top 100, so I count myself out of the contest.
I used to have a customer who would come in just once a year looking for as many of the top 100 wines that she could find for her husband for Christmas. Last year we carried 5 of the top 100, which included an amazing Sauternes that was #6…but she didn’t want it because it was a dessert wine. What an idiot! Her loss. It was fantastic!
October 16th, 2007 at 4:51 am
I bet that the Two Buck Chuck Chardonnay, despite its recent gold medals, won’t make the Top 100.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:25 am
I anticipate:
1. At least 1 bottling from Four Vines. It will probably be their high end stuff, but the regular “old vines cuvee” is awfully good.
2. Much bordeaux that will not be in any real persons price range will fill spots from #10-#20.
3. One super Tuscan will be in the top 10.
4. Something strange will be in the bottom 10, not strange bad just strange as in “this is honestly better than the other 88 point wines this year?” I put my money on a Georges Duboeuf cru beaujolais.
5. At least 5 wines in the top 20 will have production runs of less than 500 cases.
6. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc will be on the list, somewhere south of #60.
7. Spanish wine will be under-represented.
8. Sparklers will be under-represented.
9. Cabernet will be over-represented.
10. No bottle from the top 100 will be available at BevMo within 72 hours of the release of the list.
There are my predictions!!
October 16th, 2007 at 10:15 am
My Wine Spectator 2007 Top Ten List:
2004 Harlan Estate Napa Valley
2005 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Pur Sang
2004 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage White
2005 Two Hands Ares Barossa Valley
2006 Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Velvet Glove
2003 E. Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline
2003 Henschke Shiraz Eden Valley Hill of Grace
2004 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Vally Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
2003 Armand Rousseau Chambertin
2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto
October 16th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I too will have to sit this one out (as marketing manager, I’m not on the inside track), but I’m going to be watching closely to see what people come up with and who wins!
October 16th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Richard’s post has the strange ring of truth about it…
October 16th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I agree, there are lots on Richards that seem likely candidates. I haven’t put together my guess, but I’ll work on it. I think I’d have to give a dark horse nod to the Eric Kent 2005 Stiling Pinot as a contender, along with the 2004 Ornellaia Bolgheri, and one of the following Aussies: the Duval Entity Shiraz, 2005 Two Hands (Lily’s or Bella’s Garden) or the ‘05 Schild Estate Shiraz (rather than the more expensive Ares or Velvet Glove). I think the 2004 Bodegas LAN Edicion Limitada will be there somewhere too.
So far, Richard is the front-runner since he’s the only actual top ten list entered as of yet. Debs, your comments are great but consider a real top ten entry. Others, please chime in! Don’t you want your “Under 80 point 6-pack”?
Are we going to have to add something to the mix to entice further entries? Would more people throw in their two cents if we switched out a 78 pointer for a bottle of the top wine of the list that we still have in stock when the it’s published in a few weeks?
October 16th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
It is still early. I am sure others will come up with their guesses shortly.
October 17th, 2007 at 11:05 am
1. Guinness Stout
2. Magic Hat #9
3. Brooklyn Pilsner
4. Miller L–
Oh, wait, you’re looking for the top 10 wines. Wrong website…
October 17th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
JB, I think that WS panned the Eric Kent Stiling–go figure. That’s unfathomable to me!
OK, will work on my real “top 10″ but I’ve only ever had one top 10 wine and it was a Sauternes. Can’t afford the stuff!
October 17th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Dr. Debs, you are very correct. WS gave the 04 Eric Kent Stiling a 94, but the 05 an 84! Here are the notes:
2004: A rich, opulent style that’s intense and concentrated, but also well-structured. The ripe plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit is pure, focused and long on the finish, with great acidity and ripe, firm tannins. Drink now through 2011. 250 cases made (JL)
2005: Intense and a bit muddled, with ripe stewed plum and honeyed apricot flavors. Ends with dry, leathery tannins. Drink now through 2010. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 300 cases made.(JL)
Hmmmm, I don’t get that at all on the ‘05. I guess now that leaves me out of the running for winning my own six bottles of wine (unless they can sneak a past vintage onto the list? They reviewed the ‘05 web only, and the ‘04 in May 2007, so I think it’s possible…).
October 18th, 2007 at 9:05 am
The 2006 Bodegas Luzon, Jumilla just got an 85 in WS.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:18 am
I find it interesting that the WS scores on Spanish wines have been “correcting” themselves upwards. Is this because the quality of wine in Spain is improving overall, or is it somewhat of a response to the huge discrepancies the past couple of years between Spectator and Advocate scores?
October 18th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Well, I think Spanish wines have been improving over the years. But I am not sure that is why the WS scores have been changing. Though even the Advocate scores for Spanish wines have been increasing as of late.
October 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
[…] don’t want to miss out on getting a six pack of free, under-80-scoring wines, do you? Click here and give us your best guess at the 2007 top ten from Wine Spectator and you’ll be […]
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:41 am
In the immortal words of General Zod:
“Is there no one on this planet who can challenge me?”
If so, let us see some more guesses for the Top Ten wines of the year by Wine Spectator.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 am
Richard, is that a Superman reference? You’re such a renaissance man!
Yes, folks. We can deal with Richard winning (he does have some good guesses) but not by default! Let’s see your competitive sides. Get those entries in!
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:19 am
Yes, from Superman 2. I have eclectic tastes.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:26 am
Ok I’ll think about it, I promise, but it’s sad that Richards list has not one wine on it that is easily available in Spain! A few I’ve seen at Lavinia, but at prices I wouldn’t dream of paying. Maybe I should challenge Richard with the impossible Iberian Sweep! Headlines: “Wine Spectator goes crazy in a swipe at Jay Miller’s ratings! Top Ten Wines of the year are all Spanish, with the exception of one lost Douro red, single vineyard wine by Niepoort, only available in half bottles if you live in New York or Oporto. Total production 1/2 case.”
Ok so maybe not!
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 am
Hey Ryan, I probably would not pay those high prices either for those wines. But I think those are the type of wines the Spec will choose. It certainly would be nice to see a couple Spanish wines in their top ten.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:53 am
We know Sir Rhosis has a better guess in him. But if that’s how he wants to play it…
We think the issue is set to come out in about 2.5 weeks so there’s still time to enter.
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:13 am
As Wine Spectator’s executive editor, may I say I’m enjoying this thread.
As the magazine’s lead taster on Spanish wines, I’d like to note the country has lately enjoyed some excellent vintages. Most recent releases are from 2005 and 2004, much better than 2003 and 2002 in most regions, and the Reservas and Gran Reservas are from 2001 and 2000, instead of 1999 and 1998. Better vintages, hence higher scores. Along with a general improvement in quality overall.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
Much like Ryan, I don’t think my niche-knowledge will allow me to do much here.
I can virtually guarantee that you won’t see any NY wines on the list
But we won’t get into why I think that is in this forum.
Just know that it’s not because there isn’t at least one deserving wine.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:35 am
Thomas, the problem being a lot of critics have yet to taste the 04’s and 05’s, 04 being the better of the two! As to the reservas and gran reservas, many of the 01’s will be nice, but a lot of wineries are (thankfully) eschewing this antiquated method of wine classification(or at least the rules that rule it!)
So to see some Spanish wines in the top ten would be GREAT, but even better if some of the Portuguese reds could be there too.
October 30th, 2007 at 10:59 am
While searching for a different subject, I found that Zachys has posted their own guesses for the WS Top 100. http://www.zachys.com/downloads/Top100Predictions2007.pdf
Two of the wines on their Top Ten are also on my list:
2005 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Pur Sang
2004 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage White
And Ryan will be happy that Zachys chose 1 Spanish wine for their top Ten:
2004 Lan Rioja Edicion Limitada
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
[…] of truly excellent but abysmally scoring wines. Just give us your guess as to the Top Ten in the comments of this thread, and you’ll be […]
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Just so Richard doesn’t go uncontested, here’s my top ten:
1. 2005 Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir
2. 2004 Tenuta de Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore
3. 2005 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly Fumé (NOT the Pur Sang, but the lowest level bottling)
4. 2004 Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet (I agree with Richard this will be somewhere on the list, fairly high up)
5. 2005 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vielles Vignes
6. 2006 Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz (though it should really be either the Schild Estate 2005 or the John Duval Entity 2005 on the list)
7. Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne 2000
8. 2005 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne
9. 2005 Orin Swift “The Prisoner” Napa Valley Red Wine
10. 2004 Bodegas Lan Rioja Edicion Limitada
Sorry Richard, I tried to avoid overlap but I couldn’t justify putting in any other Loire white than a Dagueneau, nor a Napa Cab other than the Schrader Beckstoffer. They have “Top 100″ written all over them.
November 5th, 2007 at 11:29 am
No problem Jill. I just wish others had submitted some entries as well.
November 5th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I stumbled upon this searching for that Top 100 prediction list put out by the unnamed retailer! My only wine claim to fame is I owned last year’s #1 (before the issue
). Here is my guess:
1. 2005 Domaine Des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
2. 2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
3. 2001 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo Ripe al Convento Riserva
4. 2005 Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wehlener Sonnenuhr
5. 2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Edición Limitada
6. 2004 Domaine Du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee
7. 2004 Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien
8. 2006 Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love
9. 2004 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
10. 2004 Antinori Toscana Tiananello
I too tried to avoid overlap.
November 5th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Richard finally has some competition! Let the games begin…please more entries people. Will I have to entice you by throwing a Mollydooker into the prize pool? We may just have a stray bottle of the Boxer lying around, and it was on last year’s top 100…
November 12th, 2007 at 7:10 am
#10: 1996 Krug Brut Champagne 1996 (No matches)
#9: 2004 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve (No matches)
Still all tied up, 0-0-0
November 12th, 2007 at 11:18 am
#1 2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Edición Limitada
#2 2005 Domaine De La Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vielles Villages
#3 2005 Markus Molitor Riesling Auslese
#4 2004 Ornellaia
#5 2004 Antinori Tignello 2004
#6 2005 Two Hands Bella’s Garden Barossa Shiraz
#7 2005 Domaine Des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
#8 2004 Cos D’Estournel
Not sure about the order but I’m feeling strongly about the LAN having a shot at being the wine of the year.
November 13th, 2007 at 7:09 am
#8: 2006 Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love
#7: 2004 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia
Jill leads with 2.
November 13th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Richard, does Hugh get extra points for Carnival of Love being in the right position at #8?
November 13th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Thats your decision Jill. It is your contest.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
#1: 2005 Clos De Papes, Chateauneuf de Pape
#2: 2005 Joh. Jos. Prum, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese
#3: 2005 Domaine des Baumard, Quarts de Chaume
#4: 2004 Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien
#5: 2004 Shea Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Shea Vineyard Estate 2004
#6: 2004 Antinori, Toscana Tignanello
#7: Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2004
#8: Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2006
#9: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004
#10: Krug Brut Champagne 1996
NOTE: #7-#10 had been announced at the writing of this post. So I’m afraid we’ll have to disqualify this entry from the contest…unless of course 1-6 are all completely correct in the right order, then maybe we’ll reconsider!
November 13th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
We should have known they would pick Mondavi all things considered. I thought they would stick to sub $100 wines. I won’t be running out to buy a $250 bottle of bubbly any time soon. I’m sure it makes a great mimosa
November 14th, 2007 at 7:07 am
#6: 2004 Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien
#5: 2005 Two Hands Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden
Tied 2-2, Jill and Hugh.
I remain scoreless. Maybe I should not have pushed so hard for some competition.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:04 am
#4: 2004 Antinori Toscana Tignanello
#3: 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
#2: 2005 Ridge Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountain Estate
Hugh now leads with 3. Only 1 wine to go.
I am definitely out of the running as I had 0.
November 15th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Wow, that leaves either no Spanish in the top ten, or LAN as #1…but it seems like there should be one more rep from the US there. Looks like Hugh is going to win the day.
Chris is doing well too, but he entered after the contest started so I think that is a DQ. Not sure really how to moderate all this. I suppose I should have created all the rules before the contest began?!
November 15th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Admin, I entered just for fun. I just want the credit for getting them right!
So I’m fine with DQ, so no worries on the wine prize for me. It looks like the LAN has a great shot at #1 as I predicted. I honestly can’t think of anything other red wine that could win unless it is a white wine upset (German Riesling or the Quarts).
November 15th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Hi Chris. You get credit! Do you know what shape the LAN is, bottlewise? We’ve yet to receive our allocation. However…the shapes of the “hidden” bottles seem to correspond to the wines selected once revealed. So I’m not sure the LAN will make it, since I assume it’s a Bordeaux style bottle and the one bottle left is a Burgundy style bottle. Which leads me to believe…Kosta Browne single vineyard.
This is a really silly game, but it’s kinda fun, right?!
November 15th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I don’t think the wine bottle shape corresponds to the selections. I think they are just placeholders.
I think it is sooo much fun. It is the Academy Awards of wine!
November 15th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
It is fun. I’m just beginning my wine journey although I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the past year. I don’t fully understand the point system since so many wines are rated 90 or better and many wines rated in the 80’s taste fine. I’ve tried to go to as many tastings as possible and I’ve had some great wines (1988 Gaja Sperrs wow! and a 2005 Sea Smoke 10 Pinot last night). Hopefully I can contribute in the future.
November 15th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I think the Oscars analogy is apt. So many wines are in there for political reasons (Mondavi…Ridge Chard???). I mean out of the thousands of wines out there, is it really even possible to determine the top 100? These are the Hollywood studio films of wine, compared to the small little indies. For me, the Ridge Chard getting spot two is sort of like Hilary Swank winning for Million Dollar Baby over Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake or Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace (though it is kind of amazing that the latter two were even nominated, come to think of it).
Hugh, as for fully understanding the point system, I think that you don’t have to be an expert to know that there is NO way to understand it! It’s totally subjective. You are as qualified to judge your top 100 as the Wine Spectator is to judge its top 100. Your criterea may be different but are certainly as valid.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Yes. Politics definitely enter into every award competition. I love your rant on the Oscars! And thanks so much for doing this competition. I’ve had a lot of fun posting guesses in forums. If the LAN turns out to be #1 that will be back-to-back years for me guessing #1 correctly. ps. I’m a killer in Oscar pools. I almost never lose.
November 16th, 2007 at 7:03 am
The #1 wine is…..
2005 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
November 16th, 2007 at 8:02 am
wow, this is a tough one to score. Any thoughts?
August 12th, 2008 at 7:48 am
[…] landed here because of such a search, please have some patience. Last year we jumped the gun, and our first post on this subject was around mid-October, a good month before the top 10 was announced. So check back […]