As we said goodbye to 2011 last week, I thought about how it was a year filled with the release of some amazing wines. Immediately, these came to mind: 2006 Brunellos, 2009 Northern Rhones, 2008 Tuscans, 2009 California Pinots, & not to forget, the 2007 Barolos. Many of these new releases were some of the best wines released for the regions & varietals that I mentioned above. 

With that being said, I thought I'd compile a list of my top five wines from 2011, which are listed below.

  1. 2008 Sassicaia: James Suckling gave it a whopping 97 points & said, "...This is the best young Sassicaia in years. It's the new 1988..." 1988 was a legendary vintage & trades for $450+ per bottle. Our current price of $169 for the 2008 vintage is a sick deal & should not be missed! This is a wine that should be in every wine collector's cellar.
  2. 2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino: Always one of my favorite producers for Brunello, & the '06 vintage is one of the best to date. It received praise from all of the reviewers, receiving 97 points from James Suckling, 95 + points from R. Parker & 95 points from Wine Spectator. At $89.99 per bottle, it's also one of the best deals from the vintage!
  3. 2009 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast: Of this wine, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate said, "...At $24 a bottle, it may very well be the single finest value in American Pinot Noir..." That quote pretty much says it all!! This is my house Pinot Noir, & I strongly urge you to pick some up if you haven't already.  92 points and $23.99 per bottle = a no-brainer!
  4. 2009 Delas Hermitage la Tourette: A 98 point wine from the 98 point vintage. This is Parker's highest rated vintage in history for Northern Rhone & should definitely be well represented in your cellar. These wines are amazing & underpriced for their quality. Delas is one of my favorite producers, and with a sale price of only $79.99, it's very affordable. 
  5. 2007 Seghesio Barolo: Seghesio scored 92 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and Antonio Galloni stated, "...It is one of the under the radar gems of the 2007 vintage, and one of the finest Baroli readers will find in its price range."  I definitely agree with that statement, & 2007 Barolos, in general, are fantastic. This entry-level one by a great producer will allow you to taste for yourself.


Hopefully you didn't miss any of these wonderful releases in 2011, but the good news is that if you did, we still have some stock remaining on all of these wines.