Our Top 100 Wines of the Year 2009

No. 2

97 Krug Clos du Mesnil 1998

Champagne, France

BC $1,343.00 specialty listing, US $1,300.00 estimated retail

It is impossible to say anything new about Clos du Mesnil, the 100 per cent Krug chardonnay champagne grown in a vineyard surrounding by a wall (clos) within the village of Mesnil. For blanc de blanc fans the near imperceptible power and elegance of this wine underlies its spectacular flavours in the mouth. So chiselled, yet so refined and always meticulously put together on the palate. Youthful at nearly 12 years old the latest CdM is only beginning its life in the market. Subtle, delicate, supercharged and creamy it remains extraordinary in its class. (AG-ST)

No. 3

96 Krug Grande Cuvee N/V Pinot Noir - Chardonnay - Pinot Meunier

Champagne, France

BC $119.00 (375 ml) speculative listing - Charton-Hobbs, AB $248.00, BC $255.00, BC $613.00 (1500 ml) speculative listing - Charton-Hobbs, NF $272.00, NS $218.00, ON $270.00, ON $549.00 (1500 ml) LCBO, QC $273.00

The latest cuvee is marvellous. So fresh and so intense; so impressive on entry. Crisp elegant and dry but structured with high acidity and fine, creamy mousse. A high proportion of reserve wine gives it a nutty, toasty flavour flecked with citrus, honey, quince, lemon and earthy, mineral notes and a persistent dry, rich finish. More intense and concentrated than almost any other champagne but also austere and drier. Ready to drink now but will hold for many years. More like a table wine with its intensity yet impeccable balance and acidity. Top flight bubble. (AG-ST)

No. 4

96 Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2004

South Australia, Australia

BC $423.00 specialty listing, AB $300.00 fine wine boutiques, MB $310.00, NF $298.00, NF $298.00, NS $296.00, ON $320.00, QC $300.00, SK $299.00

Everyone agrees this is a great Grange along the stylistic lines of the impressive 1990 and 1996 vintages and it has barely begun its bottle life. The 04 mixes Barossa fruit with parts from McLaren Vale and McGill and it is all fully ripe. It is one hundred percent American oak barrels are prominent but not over the top; the fruit mix that spent 16 months in the new oak is 96 percent shiraz and 4 per cent cabernet sauvignon. The colour is dark to the edge, the nose fragrant with bits of cola, dried herbs, and black tea. The palate is full and already seamless, something that bodes well for a long life. Intense muscular and rich this is the real thing. Look for plums, spice, and more tea in what is a blockbuster effort. Buy and cellar for decades. (AG-ST)

No. 5

96 Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz 2005

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia

BC $196.00 specialty listing, AB $225.00 fine wine boutiques, ON $175.00

The Armagh is a single vineyard made from dry farmed, low-yielding vines planted on their own roots in 1968. The first vintage was 1985 and most years the 8-acre Clare Valley site produces little more than a tonne to the acre. Armagh refers to the area originally settled in 1859 by Irish settlers who named it after their homeland. The 2005 vintage was outstanding and The Armagh is a force to be reckoned with. Rich dark and inky black it has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster shiraz swimming in boysenberry, blueberries and spicy toasted oak. The wine is only a baby and will need more than a decade of cellar time to show its true form. If you are brave enough to drink it now, be sure to double decant and let it breathe at least 90 minutes. The wine spends 18 months in French & American oak barrels. (AG-ST)

No. 6

96 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 2004

Montalcino, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

BC $138.00 speculative listing - Liquid Art, AB $127.00 fine wine shops, QC $95.00

Pacenti is a relative newcomer to Brunello with a first label in 1988 and even then the wine is only made in years considered to be good to excellent. Production is roughly 4200 cases split evenly between the Brunello and the Rosso. Currently the wines are made by Giancarlo Pacenti, son of Siro. The winery is located in a small village just south of Montalcino; the fruit comes off two family-owned vineyards. One northeast of the town brings the fragrance and silky textures to the blend and one in the southwest near Sant 'Angelo that contributes to the wines body, power and richness. The Brunello is aged in 70 to 80 percent new oak. The 2004 is one of those crazy good, new style Brunellos awash in black fruit, tar all with rich mineral and floral highlights. It as big as Brunello gets so be sure to let it breathe if you dare open it. Otherwise cellar this red easily through 2020. (AG-ST)

No. 7

96 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2007 Touriga Nacional - Touriga Franca - Tinta Roriz - Tinta Barroca

Douro Valley, Northern Portugal, Portugal

BC $144.00 specialty listing, AB $144.00 fine wine shops, MB $140.00, NB $142.00, ON $120.00, ON $249.00 (1500 ml), ON $62.00 (375 ml), QC $141.00, SK $107.00

Spicy, floral, black cherry, black plum, peppery, chocolate, spicy, herb aromas. Rich, inky port with big concentration and somewhat tannic, very full but fresh and juicy palate. Big black cherry, blackberry, liquorice, peppery, plum, chocolate flavours. Long, elegant, silky finish with great acidity and freshness. Less is more; all to be revealed in decades. One to lay down for your grandchildren. Delicious now but will live for 50 years easily. (AG-ST)

No. 8

95 Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Napa Valley, California, United States

BC $70.00 specialty listing, US $40.00 winery direct

The long relatively cool growing season that was 2005 in Napa produced wines lower in alcohol and higher in acidity, in short more elegant, more interesting and capable of holding your attention for an entire bottle. Add that to the winemaking philosophy at Signorello and you have a fabulous cabernet. From the moment you smell the bouquet you are drawn to this very special bottle. The wineries 18 years old vines have clicked into overdrive and the wine shows it. Polished black fruit with specks of vanilla and spice captivate the nose and palate along with a vibrancy and tension that is rare in Napa. Love the finesse here, the tannin management the fruit and the acidity. One beautiful bottle for the price and this will only improve over the next decade. (AG)

No. 9

95 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 1997 Corvina - Rondinella - Molinara

Veneto, Italy

US $55.00 retail

The '97 is perhaps as fine as any Amarone vintage even the legendary 1969. At 12 years old, the wine has a wonderful sweet entry exhibiting ripe plummy black cherry fruit with bits of almond and spice and leather. The entry is mouth filling with plenty of soft delicious fruit, light almost non-existent tannins and rainy pruny strawberry fruit that push on through the finish. Ready now but should easily keep another decade excellent. (AG)

No. 10

95 Ornellaia 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot

Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

BC $429.00 (1500 ml) specialty listing, AB $170.00 fine wine boutiques, BC $179.00 specialty listing, ON $160.00, ON $499.00 (1500 ml), QC $160.00

Spicy, chocolate, black olive, liquorice, meaty, peppery, vanilla, tobacco, floral, black cherry, cassis jam, cedar, mocha aromas. Rich, ripe, round, supple palate with smooth, grained tannins. Very good juicy acidity with coffee, peppery, cassis, blackberry jam, chocolate, tobacco, cedar, meaty, Oxo, liquorice, resin, vanilla, orange peel flavours. Long, ripe, elegant and structured with finesse. A very fine bottle. (AG-ST)