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Around here at BroBible I mostly write about Bourbon, Single Malt Scotch, and every other form of whiskey. But when I’m at home and drinking, it’s a pretty even split between wine and bourbon/whiskey/scotch. In fact, I’d say that I probably drink more red wine these days than any other spirit.
I’m always on the hunt for new great wines. I went to Spain last year and was tipped off to some great Riojas and an excellent wine that’s produced on the French border with French grapes smuggled over the border and grown in Spain. Two years ago, I spent time in the Douro Valley in Portugal and I’ve been drinking Portuguese wine ever since.
Honestly, if you remember anything about this article at all remember this: Portuguese wines including the Touriga Nacional reds and other red blends and the Vinho Verdes, are THE BEST value wines you’ll find at places like Total Wine. Portugal produces some of the most underrated wines on the planet which means you can get a bottle for $25 that would easily cost $50-$75 if it had a Californian label on it. Anyway, before I get sidetracked….
The experts at Wine Spectator released their annual ‘Top 100’ list of the year’s best 100 wines. I’ve pulled 2019’s Top 10 for you bros here with a quick description of each wine from the Wine Spectator website. #2 in the world hails from California! Aaaaaand it’s no surprise that 2019’s #1 overall wine comes from France.
You can click on any of the links below to visit the Wine Spectator landing page for that wine with more information on the cultivation of each bottle and where you can find one for yourself. Here’s the breakdown:
10. Viña Almaviva, Puente Alto 2016
Score: 95
Price: $135
Cases: 15,000
“Tasting Note
Elegant, powerful and well-structured, with a refined mix of dark fruit, dried red fruit and spice flavors. Dried herbal notes emerge midpalate, with a minerally finish that is long and rich-tasting. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025.—Kim Marcus
9. Penfolds, Shiraz Barossa Valley RWT Bin 798 2017
Score: 96
Price: $150
Cases: 1,156 (imported)
“Tasting Note
Offers a lush, juicy mix of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors that appears seamless, integrating with notes of amaretto, clove and lavender. Plush, juicy and very generous on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2034.—MaryAnn Worobiec
8. Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac 2016
Score: 96
Price: $176
Cases: 13,500 (cases made)
“This gushes with dark fig and black currant compote flavors backed by lively sweet tobacco and singed alder edges. Very fleshy in feel, though there’s ample grip to keep this red grounded, echoing with tar and humus accents through the finish. A thumper. Best from 2025 through 2040.—James Molesworth”
7. Ramey, Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros Hyde Vineyard 2016
Score: 95
Price: $65
Cases: 1,265 (cases made)
6. Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016
Score: 97
Price: $167
Cases: 6,250 (cases made)
5. Roederer Estate, Brut Anderson Valley L’Ermitage 2012
Score: 95
Price: $48
Cases: 4,217 (cases made)
4. Groth, Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Reserve 2016
Score: 96
Price: $150
Cases: 4,800 (cases made)
3. San Giusto a Rentennano, Chianti Classico 2016
Score: 95
Price: $36
Cases: 7,500 (cases made)
“This red offers a pure core of black currant, blackberry and violet flavors shaded by earth and mint notes. The tannins are uplifting and refined. This has terrific energy and balance, with a long, expansive aftertaste of fruit, earth and mineral. Should have a long life ahead. Sangiovese and Canaiolo. Best from 2021 through 2043.—Bruce Sanderson”
2. Mayacamas, Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2015
Score: 96
Price: $125
Cases: 2,250 (cases made)
“Youthfully compact, with tightly wound black currant, bitter plum and dark blueberry notes, this needs time to meld with the charcoal, bay leaf and tar streaks, but the mouthwatering cut on the finish suggests that won’t be a problem. Offers a long echo of juniper at the end. Best from 2023 through 2040.—James Molesworth”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ptJiOHThO/
1. Château Léoville Barton, St.-Julien 2016
Score: 97
Price: $98
Cases: 11,667 (cases made)
“This is so vivid as it brims with pastis-soaked plum, blackberry, black currant and blueberry paste flavors, all carried by a perfectly integrated brambly spine. Tar and ganache notes give the finish an extra kick while everything stays within the mouthwatering roasted apple wood frame. Both regal and rambunctious, this is St.-Julien to a T. Best from 2025 through 2040.—James Molesworth”
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I’m pretty intrigued by those top three. None of them are cost-prohibitive. The #1 overall wine comes in at under $100 and there appears to be an abundance of cases compared to the others on this list so it should be a wine that I can find and stash in my wine cellar for a few years.
Likewise, that $36 Chianti at #3 sounds terrific. At that price, I’d happily buy a full case if I can find one. And $125 for the top California Cab of the year isn’t cheap but it’s still not as expensive as many Napa Cabernets out there so it’s certainly worth forking over the $125 to taste.
To see the Wine Spectator Top 100 list for 2019 just click that link right there and head on over!