Half Year Report – June 1, 2010 – Top 20 Wines First Half of 2010 – James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

This has been a phenomenal wine tasting season.  Many wines fly under the radar and that is both unfortunate and yet equally exciting.  There may be a seas of wine—not all of them are wines that make us take note—wines that keep a gentle reminder and keep us longing for that experience again.

The most difficult thing about getting to enjoy these wines is access.  Many consumers do understand the limitation of quantity but harder to understand is availability—i.e. “If I am willing to spend the money to make the purchase—can I?”  Those limitations are generally regulatory—not every state allows it’s citizens make a purchase crossing sate borders for shipment to their home or office.  Not every state’s distribution system has picked up each label—and on occasion a retailer can order a case from their distributor but that is not always the case.

I picked wines not just based on high rating but on a variety of reasons—outstanding quality, artistic touch and regional expression.

Here are the top 20 wines that I have tasted in the first half of this year and in no particular order:

1. Hans u Christine Nitthaus Neusiedlersee Blaufränkisch Eiswein – 9.3
2. Weinrieder Niederosterreich Grüner Veltliner  – 2008 – 9.3
3. Frick Owl Hill Dry Creek Valley Counoise – 2007 – 9.3
4. Quinta da Gaivosa Vinha De Lordelo – 2007 – 9.3
5. QdoE Bairrada – 2007 – 9.1
6. Keenan Spring Mountain District Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 2006 – 9.3
7. PB Heim Napa Valley Charbono – 2004 – 9.4
8. De Martino Single Vineyard Alto de Piedras Carménère – 2006 – 9.1
9. Koyle Calchagua Valley Royale Syrah – 2007 – 9.2
10. Feudi della Medusa Vermentino 2006 – 9.2
11. Manincor Alto Adige Castel Campan Merlot – 2005 – 9.3
12. Elena Walch Alto Adige Beyond the Clouds Chardonnay – 2007 – 9.2
13. Kenneth Volk Calleri Vineyard San Benito Negrette – 2008 – 9.1
14. Bianchi San Juan Vineyards Paso Robles Refosco – 2005 – 9.4
15. Paco y Lola Rias Baixas Albariño – 2008 – 9.3 –
16. Cederberg Cellars Cederberg Shiraz – 2005 – 9.2
17. Högl Wachau Federspiel Bruck Riesling – 2009 – 9.2
18. Witch Creek Valle de Guadalupe Nebbiolo – 2007 – 9.1
19. Cantele Amativo Salentino Rosso – 2007 – 8.9
20. Tercero Santa Barbara The Climb Red Blend – 2007 – 9.1

Perhaps this list can be utilized as a recommendation list and perhaps it can also serve as an inspiration to find other wines.

And here is more information on each wine:

1. Hans u Christine Nitthaus Neusiedlersee Blaufränkisch Eiswein – 9.3

http://www.nittnaus.net/en/weine.php?id=3

2. Weinrieder Niederösterreich Alte Reben Grüner Veltliner  – 2008 – 9.3

http://www.weinrieder.at/eng/sortiment.htm

http://www.bluedanubewine.com/winery/weinrieder/

3. Frick Owl Hill Dry Creek Valley Counoise – 2007 – 9.3

http://www.frickwinery.com/wines/counoise_2007.asp

4. Quinta da Gaivosa Vinha De Lordelo – 2007 – 9.3

http://www.alvesdesousa.com/

5. QdoE Bairrada – 2007 – 9.1

http://www.daosul.com/en/catalogo/red-wine/bairrada-encontro-2007

6. Keenan Spring Mountain District Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 2006 – 9.3

http://www.keenanwinery.com/

7. PB Heim Napa Valley Charbono – 2004 – 9.4

http://www.pbheinvineyards.com/wines.html

8. De Martino Single Vineyard Alto de Piedras Carménère – 2006 – 9.1

http://www.demartino.cl/web/EN/single_vineyard_carmenere.phpj

9. Koyle Calchagua Valley Royale Syrah – 2007 – 9.2

http://www.koyle.cl/

10. Feudi della Medusa Vermentino – 2006 – 9.2

http://www.feudidellamedusa.it/ing/vini.asp

11. Manincor Alto Adige Castel Campan Merlot – 2005 – 9.3

http://www.manincor.com/en/wines

12. Elena Walch Alto Adige Beyond the Clouds Chardonnay – 2007 – 9.2

http://www.elenawalch.com/weine_cuvee_en.php?wein=beyond

13. Kenneth Volk Calleri Vineyard San Benito Negrette – 2008 – 9.1

http://www.volkwines.com/wines/heirloom.php

14.Bianchi San Juan Vineyards Paso Robles Refosco – 2005 – 9.4

http://www.bianchiwine.com/wines/signature-reds.php

15.Paco y Lola Rias Baixas Albariño – 2008 – 9.3

http://www.pacolola.com/enghome/thewine.html

16. Cederberg Cellars Cederberg Shiraz – 2005 – 9.2

http://www.cederbergwine.com/shiraz.htm

17. Högl Wachau Federspiel Bruck Riesling – 2009 – 9.2

http://www.weingut-hoegl.at/en/weinsortiment/weinsortiment.php

18. Witch Creek Valle de Guadalupe Nebbiolo – 2007 – 9.1

http://witchcreekwinery.com/

19. Cantele Amativo Salentino Rosso – 2007 – 8.9

http://www.cantele.it

20. Tercero Santa Barbara The Climb Red Blend – 2007 – 9.1

http://www.tercerowines.com/

**

¡Salud!

James the Wine Guy

http://jamesthewineguy.com/

***

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