Top 100 wines of 2011

Here is my top 100 wines of the year with brief notes for each

100. Chateau Haut Brion 1994 - the nose was extraordinary; old school
99. Paul Pernot Batard Montrachet 1989 - stalwart Batard bought at auction for under $100
98. Revello Barolo Gianchini 2001 - lush, moreish and delicious with or without pasta
97. Montevertine 2001 - a beacon in an otherwise dull Tuscan firmament
96. Chateau Margaux 1996 - a gawky teen (but will be a stunner)
95. Chateau Couvent De Jacobins 2004 - scrumptious right bank quaffer
94. Coche Dury Meursault 2008 - tight as a drum
93. Chateau Haut Brion 1998 - untamed tannins, hold off
92. Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986 - awkward and lacking elegance again; give it a few decades
91. Guigal La Turque 1987 - middle-aged wench
90. Jean Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Freimets, 2001 - gamey, smokey, tertiary, Volnay at its best
89. Dominus 1987 - earthy and green (not in a bad way), Bordeaux-(Pichon-)like
88. Chateau Pichon Lalande 1983 - espresso, cappuccino and tobacco
87. Castello Di Nieve Barbaresco Santo Stefano 2005 - Giacosa for the common man
86. Cappellano Barolo Pie Rupestris 1999 - evolving masterpiece from the late master
85. Ceritas Escarpa Pinot Noir 2009 - purity of fruit, no flab
84. Ceritas Ritchie Chardonnay 2009 - stylish, lean as a cheetah
83. Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1988 - lush, decadent, with sweet apricots
82. Chateau Lynch Bages 1985 - an institution; still sings the high notes
81. Chateau Palmer 1966 - dignified, Pall Mall club; the ultimate (Englishman's) luncheon claret?
80. Rinaldi Barolo 1970 - masculine, authoritative, a wine with gravitas
79. Maria Feyles Barolo Riserva Especiale 1978 - fully resolved, sweet cherries but abundant complexity
78. Drouhin Laguiche Chassagne Montrachet Morgeots 2008 - neat, classy
77. Penfolds Grange 1991 - unintegrated American oak; brilliant raw materials underneath
76. Chateau Vieux Chateau Certan 1998 - likewise but don't hold your breath
75. Chateau Gruaud Larose 2001 - combines the best of the old and new
74. Chateau Gruaud Larose 1982 - a legend that does not quite live up to its billing
73. Chateau Gruaud Larose 1988 - cut from the same cloth as the brilliant 1985 but more austere (no bad thing)
72. Chateau Vieux Chateau Certan 1988 - polished and fully resolved
71. Giacosa Barolo Falletto Riserva 1989 - still needs another ten years
70. Giacosa Barolo Collina Rionda Riserva 1990 - likewise
69. Chateau Pichon Lalande 1981 - perfectly resolved, better than the '83
68. Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1992 - only suffers next to the 89 (see 5 below)
67. Ponsot Clos De La Roche Vieilles Vignes 1997 - fine equilibrium and tension as it enters its drinking window
66. Dujac Chambolle Musigny Les Gruenchers 1991 - declassified grand cru, grand cru quality
65. Armand Rousseau Lavaux Saint Jacques 1999 - extraordinarily delicious
64. Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Clavoillon 2000 - likewise
63. Chateau L'Evangile 1989 - Godot, is that you?
62. Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese 2009 - terrific exotic fruits, minerality and texture; fine balancing acidity
61. Marc Morey Batard Montrachet 1985 - kinky, exotic, full-bodied and thrilling mature Batard
60. Chateau Trotanoy 2005 - formidable; at the same time modern and accessible
59. Masseto 2001 - a porn star yes, but genuinely classy and balanced
58. Ornellaia 1999 - refined, drinking beautifully
57. Chateau Leoville Barton 1978 - old church pew, wonderfully old school
56. Chateau La Tour Haut Brion 1979 - scorched earth, minerals, silky; Haut Brion-like
55. Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 2001 - foursquare, brawny but fine and accessible
54. Chateau Lagrange 1996 - pencil lead/cigar/cedar, musky, chewy, finely toned
53. Jasmin Cote Rotie 1980/84/86 – fully mature, delightful and quirky Cote Roties
52. Marchesi Di Barolo Barolo 1958 – rises like a phoenix from the ashes, regal
51. Chateau Belair 1998 – ideal glass of (affordable) St-Emilion
50. Cappellano Barolo 1979 – fine poise and structure
49. Chateau Palmer 1979 – bouquet to die for, quintessential Palmer
48. Ceritas Porter Bass Chardonnay 2007 – complex, lean and sophisticated
47. Chave Hermitage 1998 – impeccable balance and poise
46. Chateau Montrose 1996 – meaty with black fruits and tobacco. Will eclipse the ‘89
45. Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet Les Vergers 2007 - fine balance of citrus fruits and minerals with cleansing acidic backbone
44. Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio 2001 – thick, exuberant, modern. Pedal to the metal.
43. Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello 2001 – absolutely farrking delicious
42. Chateau Gruaud Larose 1985 – gorgeous nose, perfectly resolved; at the top of its game
41. Prunotto Barolo Bussia Riserva 1967 – dextrous and kaleidoscopic - magic for 90 minutes
40. Chateau Latour 1994 – shed its abrasive tannins, thrillingly pure and foursquare cabernet for aficionados
39. Chateau Margaux 1994 – ethereal, with a touch of class no other 94 can match
38. Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1987 – triumphant; easily wine of the vintage (with more than a little 1986?)
37. Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1988 – finally beginning to drink, and its been worth the wait
36. Chateau Pichon Lalande 1988 – mineral, graphite; seamless; fourth best Pichon after the 1978?
35. Chateau Pichon Lalande 1996 – the second best modern Pichon after the 1982
34. Chateau Margaux 1981 - purity, dexterity, finesse and gravitas in an understated and discreet delivery
33. Lamarche Echezeaux 1997 - sublime and ethereal red burgundy for now and for later
32. Lynch Bages 1961 – leather, attic, church pew; autumn leaves and tea; lively, with a pleasing tension and still stiff tannic spine.
31. Leroy Corton Charlemagne 2001 – tropical, exotic, full-bodied and full throttle
30. Shafer Hillside Select 2001 – hedonism with structure; a benchmark for California
29. Guigal La Landonne 1981 – for once a perfectly poised, mature and delicious La-La
28. Chateau Fortia (Chateauneuf du Pape) 1978 – incredibly delicious, funky and fully mature
27. Leflaive Bienevenues Batard Montrachet 2002 - light on its feet, refined, smooth, silky, long lingering finish
26. Haart Goldtropfchen Auslese 1994 – levitating; superb fruit and acidic cut
25. La Mission Haut Brion 1989 – full bore La Mission, but played second fiddle to Margaux 1986
24. Jamet Cote Rotie 1988 – thrilling mature cote rotie, saw off a bevy of La-Las
23. Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1980 - rich, dense and complex, gathers momentum as it opens, it comes in wave after wave
22. DRC Echezeaux 2000 - primary, resplendent, high-toned; wonderful precision, delineation and texture
21. DRC Richebourg 2000 - lazer sharp; primary; meaty, gamey notes lurking below; enthralling and riveting
20. La Conseillante 1982 – quite evolved; layered, complex; sexy without being slutty
19. Chateau Latour 1985 – entering drinking window, every glass is better; the last is spectacular
18. Leoville Lascases 1982 – dense, lead pencil, timeless and formidable
17. Chateau d’Yquem 1996 – as gorgeous and as hedonistic as you would expect
16. Rousseau Chambertin 2000 – accessible now, perfect poise - an aristocrat among burgundians
15. La Fleur De Gay 1989 – frigilicious, similar to the Angelus - slightly less exuberant
14. Angelus 1989 – a stunner; rich and mouth filling; Christmas cake, melted chocolate and saddle leather
13. Petrus 2001 – mesmerising, legend in the making, a Dali-esque experience and decades to go
12. Rinaldi Barolo 1961 - effused feminine charm, delicacy, sophistication, complexity and typicite
11. Ramonet Bienevenues Batard Montrachet 1988 – green-hued and resplendent; vibrant with perfect tension
10. Chateau Cheval Blanc 1985 – seamless and timeless, it glides over the palate
9. Rousseau Chambertin 1996 – brooding and powerful, smorgasbord of spices, strawberries, game, camphor and minerals
8. Chave Hermitage 1990 – abbatoirs attack, spices, minerals; breathtakingly good
7. Chateau Latour 1990 – drop dead delicious
6. Cappellano Barolo 1961 – indescribable; translucent with gardenia notes; perfectly poised and resolved
5. Rousseau Clos Saint Jacques 1989 – strawberries, spice, game; silky, adorable; brilliant, heavenly
4. Rousseau Chambertin Clos De Beze 1995 – brooding, bonfire, minerals, complex, luxurious
3. Chateau Margaux 1986 – hard core, takes no prisoners; long haul; about as good as it gets
2. Chateau Lafite 1995 – bewitching, sublime, power, elegance, finesse and gravitas; mesmerising equilibrium
1. Chateau Lafite 1985 – heavenly, stunning, sublime, silky, nuanced, complex, superb finish; under-stated brilliance, balance and equilibrium; perfect glass of claret.




These are notable wines that did not make my top 50...most of them will get there one day, but some were in an awkward spot, while some were simply not good enough

Mouton 1986 – it was awkward this time, not graceful or elegant
Chateau Margaux 1996 – going through puberty, and a bit superficial on the last outing
Haut Brion 1998 – abrasive tannins, so stay away for now
Gruaud Larose 1982 – shown up a bit by LLC 82
Lynch Bages 1985 – yummy but quite flawed and bretty
Lynch Bages 1989 – just not good enough to make the cut
Palmer 1966 – dignified but only a good rather than great Palmer, 79 for example is better
Pontet Canet 2010 – soulless perfection? Left me stone cold
Tertre Roteboeuf 1998 – a bit tarty
VCC 1998 – very young and modern and a bit soulless
JF Mugnier Musigny 1992 - unimpressive
JF Mugnier Musingy 1996 - awkward
Roumier Ruchottes Chambertin 1996 – very awkward, big question mark over 1996 red burgs
Guigal La Mouline 1987 – got blown away by Chave 1990
Guigal La Mouline 1996 – out of sorts, pineapple?
Guigal La Mouline 2000 – similar to the 1996
Guigal La Turque 1987 – very good but not quite good enough
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino 2000 – painfully young, but tasted modern too
Giacosa Barolo Falletto Riserva 1989 – also very young and quite oxidative initially
Giacosa Barolo Collina Rionda 1990 – needs another decade at least, but will get there
Penfolds Grange 1991 – the American oak is unintegrated, good raw materials


Wines which represented very good value for money

Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Clavoillon 2000
Cerritas Porter Bass Chardonnay 2007/09
Chateau Belair 1998
Gruaud Larose 2001
Trotanoy 2001 – only $75
Covent De Jacobins 2004
Castello Di Nieve Barbaresco Santo Stefano 2005

The world’s ten ugliest cars

These in my opinion are the ten ugliest cars in the world. They cannot not be very old models and they cannot be French because the French do not make, and never have made, ugly cars. With one exception - the Pontiac Aztec - they are all current models. However, it is impossible to exclude the Aztec because it is so breath-takingly ugly. But it is not the winner because it is not just about the aesthetic quality or lack thereof, it is about the message that the vehicle conveys. That is why the Audi Q7 makes the top ten - because of its arrogant and disdainful demeanour, not to mention the size of its carbon footprint. It is a 'fuck you' kind of car. The winner has this in spades, but it all says a lot about the calibre of the intellect and the personality of the owner.


In reverse order:

10. Porsche Cayenne – a triumph of cynical marketing over aesthetic design

9. Audi Q7 – it’s obscenely large, it’s obscenely arrogant; a German tank for a spot of annexing?

8. Mercedes R class – it looks like a hearse, and you wouldn’t want to be seen dead in it

7. BMW 1 Series – its looks like a bread van, what on earth were they thinking?

6. Chrysler 300C – appallingly conceived and executed; particularly awful in estate form

5. Chrysler PT Cruiser –not just an ugly face - it really is crap in every regard; noddy goes to toy town

4. Toyota Scion – makes a cornflake box looks charismatic

In third place...

3. Ssanyong Rodius – hilariously inept and piecemeal; looks like a dog’s dinner

The runner up is...

2. Pontiac Aztec – deliberately designed to offend, surely?

And the winner is...

1. Mini Countryman – it’s hideous, it’s crass, it’s kitsch, it’s unspeakably ghastly and it’s loathsome.

I was out for a walk this morning and I saw one parked in the street. What an eyesore. It is huge and it is tall. It is a betrayal of Sir Alec Issigonis’s original design. It is worse than an original mini on a vast quantity of steroids. It is the worst case of crass retro, and despite is exterior bulk is cramped inside. It is expensive and it rides like a bucking bronco. An irrelevant and offensive car, which says alot about the owner. The sad thing is they think they have got a cool car.

Wines of the year 2011

See above, updated

First growths for Christmas

Yesterday I had lunch with two of my American friends, one from California, one from New Jersey. These guys don't drink much Bordeaux: they generally drink stuff like Leflaive, Roumier and Chave. Even DRC. But when they do they aim high, so when they invited me for lunch I knew I had to unearth something special. The best I could come up with was La Conseillante 1982.

It was great fun comparing these wines, especially matching the Conseillante against the now almost legendary Cheval Blanc 1985.

La Conseillante 1982

Bright but evolved orangey colour. Quite evolved. Notes of wet soil and mushrooms, then some cedar/sandalwood, floral notes, tobacco, cherries, truffles; medium bodied-layered and complex, opens up and improves in the glass; absolutely delightful. Fully mature, but will easily last for quite a few more years.

Cheval Blanc 1985

A more opaque maroon, subtle notes of plums, raspberries, tobacco caress the palate. This wine is seamless as well as timeless; thicker textured than the Conseillante, absolutely silky and luxurious; it just glides over the palate. Is this the perfect glass of claret? Quite mesmerising.

Chateau Latour 1985

Younger colour, more foursquare with more prominent tannins. Leafy cabernet with notes of cedar and tobacco. Medium bodied. Starts slowly, but gathers momentum and gradually reels in the other two wines. Every glass is better than the previous one. The last one is spectacular. A very elegant and refined style of Latour. A wine which is just entering its drinking window, which I would imagine would last several decades.

It was difficult to pick a winner but if you put a gun to my head the Cheval Blanc wins. But only just.

Chateau Margaux: King of the `1994s

Nine of us sat down over some 94 Bordeaux last night. It was a fun evening: 1994 is not a great vintage but it is not a bad vintage. It could turn out to be a very useful vintage like 1978, and it is not dissimilar to 1988, though I would put it a head or two behind 1988.It will probably turn out most like 1979.

The wine of the vintage is Chateau Margaux. In my view it is head and shoulders above evrything else, just as Lafite is head and shoulders above everything else in 2004. Not everyone agrees with me, however. Last night Leoville Lascases was voted wine of the night ahead of Margaux, which came second.

I wanted to like these wines more than I did, so as to prove everyone wrong for ignoring or writing off the vintage. As Neal Martin observed some of these wines have gone a bit flat as the primary fruit has faded and not been replaced by secondary aromas. The Margaux was the exception.

Here are my notes:

Flight one

Chateau Gazin

Notes of cigarette ash and tobacco, smokey, earthy and minerally; this wine has an endearing rustic quality, it is not smooth or refined – the tannins are still quite elevated - but really works in a bumptious kind of way. It is a really delicious mature Pomerol. Like rolling around in the hay. Deservedly very popular on the table and wine of the flight for the group.

Chateau L’Eglise Clinet

I have never had a great bottle of this. It is fully mature and quite delicious, but a little wobbly. Drink up.

Chateau Angelus

A good bottle, better than the one we had the other night. Tapenade, olive, tobacco notes. Cedar and dark chocolate. Big voluminous and tannic, but lacks a bit of flamboyance and personality, compared to say the stupendous 1989. Did the wine maker try too hard? A wine with an identity crisis perhaps? Where is it going and how does it fit in?

Flight two

Chateau Cos D’Estournel

A lot of lead pencil, minerals, herbs, green pepper and leafiness. A stern tannic, metallic streak pervades this wine. It is mean and green and clearly better with food. I think it will be better in 5-10 years when it mellows, assuming the modest fruit holds up. But I doubt I could ever love this wine.

Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste

Slow out of the blocks this was initially curmudgeonly and tannic, but it put on weight and gathered momentum as it unfurled its wares. Quintessentially classic Pauillac. A super wine and voted wine of the flight.

Chateau Pontet Canet

This was delicious from the start. Still some tannic structure, and still in some sense quite stern, but in the perfect place now, and whereas the GPL can still improve this wine now needs drinking up. Delicious old style claret.

These are the wines I contributed:

Flight three

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou

Bright colour, super vibrant nose of blackcurrant, cedar, lead pencil, underbrush; chewy and herby...somewhat angular and not mouth filling on the palate but it has decent persistence. Very nice wine, still quite tannic and on the young side. Suave and refined. But tries a little bit too hard?

Chateau Leoville Barton

A nice attack and a wine which is converging on full maturity...cedar, tobacco, herbs and minerals on the attack...this wine was marred by a sour finish suggesting the grapes were picked too early.

Chateau Leoville Lascases

A very good, classic and delicious LLC, dominated by pencil lead notes, but with fine balance. This wine is absolutely ready and delicious. Unlike the Ducru it does not try too hard. For me easily the wine of the flight. For LLC fans this is a wine to seek out because it is fully mature delicious and relatively cheap. Wine of the flight, just edging out Barton.

Flight four

Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Served a little warm, this was nevertheless a very good showing for the Prince of Darkness, which just keeps on getting better and better every time I try it, even if it is incrementally so. This wine is now in its drinking window, but can still improve and will last for decades. Similar to the outstanding 1988 Mouton.

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion

This was savoury and delicious but perhaps a bit one-dimensional and disappointing for a La Mission Haut Brion? Of course it is not in the same league as the 1989, but this is a wine you can quaff with great pleasure whilst waiting for your 1989s to mature.

Neal’s mystery wine

Neal’s mystery wine was the smoothest wine of the night. It was most refined and silky and had an ethereal bouquet of violets and white flowers. It was just simply fabulous and understated. I guessed Chateau Margaux - correctly for once. It reminded me of the 1979. It had a touch of class none of the other wines could match.