Laura’s List: Best Wines of 2009; Get ‘Em While You Can!

Some people look forward to getting Time, Newsweek or U.S. News in the mail.  Others look forward to Cosmopolitan.  Still others like People, or Sports Illustrated or Money.  Me, I look forward to the arrival of Wine Spectator.

Wine Spectator isn’t necessarily the best written or the most comprehensive of the wine magazines.  With its oversize pages, heavy paper and glossy pictures of people holding aloft expensive wine glasses framed with beautiful vines and fantastic wineries in the background, it can even be a little pretentious.  But it is well written, its writers are knowledgeable and it is reader-friendly to experts and novices.  Every issue has articles about new wine releases that are good and what regions are producing the best (or best value) wines at any given time.

Although I read every issue eagerly, the issue I look forward to every year is the December 31 edition.  This issue includes a list of the year’s top 100 as selected by the magazine’s editors.
The cutoff for making the list is that the wines all have achieved a score of 90 or better (out of 100 possible) from the magazine during the previous year.  But that’s just the start.  The editors must conclude that there’s something special about the wine that makes it truly noteworthy.

This list is so powerful that it catapults wine into high demand.  Unfortunately, that often means it tends to catapult the wine off of Central Oregon shelves as well.

This fact was once again brought home to me upon release of the 2009 Top 100 list.  Unless I travel this year, I’m not likely to be sampling many of these wines.  Fortunately, there are still some excellent wines available locally with which I can console myself. And that got me thinking—why not share a list of my own with you.  Maybe we won’t be drinking this year’s Wine Spectator No. 1, Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve 2005, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t 10 good wines still available that Wine Spectator editors—whose judgments are subjective after all—haven’t overlooked.

So with that in mind, here’s my list. Let’s call it the “Laura List.” I assembled it with only four rules in mind:  (1) the wines had to be available locally in 2009 (fortunately, most still are); (2) given the economy right now, they had to be priced at $15 or less; (3) they had to be true to the type of grape(s) and region from which they were made; and (4) I had to find them interesting.  (The year indicated is the year in which the grapes were harvested, not necessarily when the wine was released.  When no year is stated, the wine is a blend of more than one year.)  To balance the interests of all my readers, I’ve included an equal number of reds and whites.

1. Benjamin Port (Australia; $14).  Good port-style wine usually costs a lot more money.  This wine is smooth and sweet with flavors of caramel, coffee and raisins.  It’s the perfect dessert after a hearty meal.  Laura rates it: 91
2. 2007 Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend (California; $10).  This wine lives up to the Ravenswood motto:  “No wimpy wines.”  It has big, ripe, juicy berry flavors with plenty of pepper and spice.  I love it with meat pizza or barbecued meat. Laura rates it:  90
3. 2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling (Washington; $10).  It’s slightly sweet, but with plenty of acid to keep it from coating your mouth or tasting like candy.  Laura rates it: 90
4. Rosenblum Vinter’s Cuvee XXXI (California; $12).  I know I have a bias toward zinfandels, but this really is a terrific budget red.  It is great with hearty foods but mellow enough to sip by itself.  It has lots of raspberry and vanilla flavors. Laura rates it:  89
5. 2006 Waterbrook Mélange Noir (Washington; $15).  I chose this wine because it is just a very weird blend that somehow works.  It contains five different grapes, three of which are usually grown in regions far from each other and almost never meet in the same bottle.  The most familiar flavors are plums and cherries and smoke.  Laura rates it: 88
6. Oak Knoll Niagara (Oregon; $8).  I love this wine because it’s so unusual.  Unlike all the other wines on this list, it’s made from a grape that is native to the U.S.  One commentator described the “foxy” flavors that predominate as a mix of “huckleberry, moss and furniture polish”.  He’s right, but it’s still really good. Laura rates it:   87
7. 2007 Hogue Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington; $10).  It’s not easy to find quality Cabernet for ten bucks.  It’s also unusual to find one this young that is this smooth.  Try it with red meat or by itself in front of a warm winter fire.  Laura rates it: 86
8. Domaine Chateau Ste. Michelle Brut Sparkling (Washington; $11).  A true bargain for a bright and refreshing sparkler.  I recommend it for any special occasion that calls for a toast.  Laura rates it: 86
9. 2008 Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay (California; $13).  If you like chardonnay, you’re probably in one of two camps:  you either like the fruit-driven style or you prefer the oaky/buttery style.  This is the only chardonnay I’ve ever found that makes both groups happy.  The 2008 is an especially good example.  Laura rates it: 85
10. 2008 Beringer White Zinfandel (California; $7).  While I have never been a huge white zin fan, this wine is so easy-going, food-friendly and refreshing, that it’s hard to resist on a hot day or with a picnic.  Laura rates it: 85

With the “Laura List” in hand you can breeze your way through the grocery aisles with confidence.  I don’t have quite the power of Wine Spectator, so I’m pretty sure these wines will stay on the shelves a little longer, but you never know. If my picks are right, I might be on the road to creating my own run on the market.  Better buy now while you still can!