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 'Tis
the season for "best of" lists, and I hate to miss out on
all the fun. My list is very brief -- in fact it contains
only two wines. I have been lucky enough to sample and enjoy
dozens of truly wonderful wines in 2006, but the two that I
have selected for recognition are ones that I have had the
pleasure to sip ten or more times in the last calendar year,
so they are quite familiar. They offer interest for the
mind, and joy for the palate, so it is no wonder that I keep
coming back to them. Perhaps best of all, both of these
wines remain available even in remote wine outposts like the
State of Ohio for less than $15 each. Unique expressions
available just down the road for relatively few dollars? No
doubt, these are the best I've had this year... 2002
Salomon Riesling Pfaffenberg (12.5% abv/$9.99) --
It is cool, crisp, and dry. The wine has
expressed a range of fragrances over the year, but most
typically green apples, lemons and limes, sea spray, wet
slate, and icy cliffs... a bit of petrol, too. The flavors
mostly contain themselves to the citrus family, but never
without a good splash of delicate salt or crunchy mineral in
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This Riesling practically shimmers with life,
charged with acids that lend tremendous lift and focus.
Until my last few bottles I had warned the acid adverse to
avoid this, but lately the bottles seem just a bit more
generous. Recent generosity aside, this wine has years ahead
of it, and plenty of positive development for those with the
patience to hold a few. It is fabulous with shell fish,
shrimp, and the like. Find this wine
I know that Austrian Riesling is far off the beaten trail for many, but here is a fine opportunity to explore. Strange as it sounds, Ohio almost certainly has the best price in the US on this particular item... mind you it has been discounted by more than half to move it along, but it still remains available in significant quantities.  2004 Domaine
du Vissoux (Chermette) Cuvee Traditionnelle Beaujolais
Vieilles Vignes (12% abv/14.99 or less) -- I have
enjoyed this fresh, crisp, tantalizing wine enormously over
the past year, but it is safe to say that it is drinking at
its best in the past few months. Red fruit and white flower
fragrances mingle with just a little black dirt. The pure
strawberry fruit dances gracefully across the tongue -- ripe
and round, but delicate in its touch. If you are disposed to
deep analysis, you might discern the occasional crunch of
leaves, or snap of twigs, but mostly you'll just wonder
where the wine went -- it tends to vanish quickly. It is
immensely fun to sip on its own, but its lightness of being
and friendly demeanor make it a fine match for any number of
food scenarios. Find this wine
The recently released 2005 version (more on
that later) will be longer lived, and even more interesting
with time, but while you wait this one is hard to beat.
Happy New Year!
LM
Larry's previous article
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