THE TOP 100 WINES OF 2012 #10 - 2

FULL LIST OF TOP 100—PDF COMING NOV. 19

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10

Achával-Ferrer
Malbec Mendoza Finca Bella Vista 2010

95 points / $120
1,250 cases imported
Mendoza, Argentina

One of Argentina’s top wineries, Achával-Ferrer produces a trio of flagship single-vineyard Malbec bottlings. The Finca Bella Vista comes from 100-year-old vines planted at an altitude of 3,100 feet in the prime Perdriel district in the Luján de Cuyo appellation, which features a high proportion of clay. Winemaker Roberto Cipresso keeps yields low, typically a minuscule 14 hectoliters per hectare (about 1 ton per acre), and ages the wine for 15 months in 100 percent new French oak barrels.

 

9

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona
Brunello di Montalcino 2007

94 points / $60
3,750 cases made
Tuscany, Italy

Brother and sister Paolo and Lucia Bianchini are the team behind this impressive Brunello. The family’s vines are located in the prized southwest-facing vineyards of the region, which at their highest point reach an elevation of nearly 1,200 feet. A traditional style, the wine was fermented in stainless steel and concrete vats and then aged two years in Slavonian oak. Ciacci also makes Brunello from the Pianrosso vineyard, including a riserva in top years, but this label represents the best value.

 

8

 

Beringer
Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve 2009

94 points / $45
3,602 cases made
Sonoma County, California

One of the top California Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2009 vintage, and a terrific value, this ripe, generous red hails from Knights Valley in Sonoma County, just a few miles north of Napa. Beringer is the appellation’s largest landowner, with more than 550 acres of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. Beringer was one of the first to start planting grapes there, and first used the Knights Valley designation in 1976. Beringer veteran Laurie Hook made the wine.

7

Shea
Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Shea Vineyard Estate 2009

94 points / $40
3,555 cases made
Willamette Valley, Oregon

In 1989, owner Dick Shea left a career on Wall Street to pursue his interest in wine, purchasing 200 acres of land in the Willamette Valley and planting it to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Shea sells grapes to some of Oregon’s top producers, and in 1996 started making his own wine. The 2009 Estate bottling blends Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon clones from various portions of the sprawling vineyard and is fermented in both stainless steel and wooden tanks.

6

Château Léoville Barton
St.-Julien 2009

95 points / $105
21,000 cases made
Bordeaux, France

Léoville Barton has been in the Barton family since 1836, but under Anthony Barton, who took over from his uncle in 1983, the estate significantly improved quality. Though still actively involved, Barton recently passed ownership of the property to his daughter, Lilian Barton Sartorius. The property’s technical team includes consultant Eric Boissenot and cellar master François Brehant, who ferment this Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated blend in traditional wooden vats and age the wine for 18 months in oak barrels, of which 50 percent are new.

 

5

Château Guiraud
Sauternes 2009

96 points / $60
11,000 cases made
Bordeaux, France

This blend of 65 percent Sémillon and 35 percent Sauvignon Blanc comes from 35- to 40-year-old vines on a 316-acre property co-owned since 2006 by Robert Peugeot (of Peugeot automobiles), Olivier Bernard (Domaine de Chevalier), Stephan von Neipperg (Canon-La Gaffelière and others) and Xavier Planty, the estate’s longtime general manager. Planty, who oversees winemaking, strives for low yields; the vines usually average nine-tenths of a ton per acre, about half the legal limit in Sauternes. While 2009 was a banner year for red Bordeaux, the region’s sweet wines are impressive, too—the best vintage since 2001.

 

4

Clos des Papes
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010

98 points / $128
6,000 cases made
Rhône Valley, France

Wine is in the blood of the Avril family, winegrowers in the Southern Rhône since 1600. But quality at this 80-acre estate has steadily improved since winemaker Paul Avril took over from his father, Vincent, in 1987. His massive 2010 earns the winery a spot in our Top 100 for the sixth time (including Wine of the Year in 2007). Sourced from more than 20 different plots of low-yielding vines, this red blends 80 percent Grenache with equal parts Syrah and Mourvèdre, vinified in ceramic-lined vats and aged in large wooden foudres for up to 12 months.

 

3

Two Hands
Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2010

95 points / $69
4,000 cases made
Barossa Valley, Australia

Two Hands does well with a variety of grapes but excels with Shiraz. Owner Michael Twelftree and winemaker Matt Wenk aim for a house style that emphasizes regional character with their Garden series, a collection of six different Shirazes from top growing regions in South Australia and Victoria. The Bella’s Garden bottling consistently ranks among the best, with fruit sourced from 20 vineyards throughout the Barossa Valley. Wenk uses mainly older, 300-liter French hogshead barrels to preserve the complex fruit flavors.

 

2

Château de St.-Cosme
Gigondas 2010

95 points / $41
3,330 cases made
Rhône Valley, France

This mouthwatering red is sourced from 37 acres of vines averaging 60 years old that surround the château, on a property that has been in winemaker Louis Barruol’s family since 1490. Barruol, who took over from his father in 1995, is the 14th generation. For the 2010 bottling, he blended 60 percent Grenache with equal parts Syrah and Mourvèdre. The 2010 vintage produced classic quality throughout the Southern Rhône. This Gigondas is a benchmark bottling for the appellation, which Barruol has helped elevate during his tenure.