Os 10 Melhores vinhos de 2010 pela Wine Spectator

A lista completa com os 100 melhores vinhos de 2010 só sai no dia 22 de Novembro, mas ontem a Wine Spectator lançou os TOP10 de 2010.

Definitivamente eu preciso ir visitar o Napa Valley!! Pq? Vejam a lista!!!

Segue a lista, com a resenha completa de cada vinho, incluindo as notas de degustação, para vocês!

In Vino Veritas!

Gustavo Kauffman (GK)

Os 10 Melhores vinhos de 2010 pela Wine Spectator

1) SAXUM - James Berry Vineyard Paso Robles 2007

98 points / $67

950 cases made

California

In 1998, when 28-year-old Justin Smith started making wine in Paso Robles, it was a sleepy Central Coast area. Now the wine region is one of California’s fastest-growing. West Paso has a magical combination of rocky limestone soils, rolling hillsides and a not-too-cool climate that gives red Rhône varieties a firm structure to frame their rich, dark berry flavors.

Smith, who owns the 3,000-case Saxum winery with his wife, Heather, creates wines of distinctive character, depth and personality. In 2007, a near-perfect vintage, Saxum’s wines reached new heights. The 2007 James Berry Vineyard Paso Robles is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah from a vineyard named after Smith’s father. The three varieties are aged 20 months in new and used barriques and large puncheons, to emphasize fruit purity. With its classic quality and reasonable price, this wine is a testament that Paso Robles has earned its place on the world stage.

Tasting Note

An amazing wine, dense, rich and layered, offering a mix of power and finesse, with concentrated dark berry fruit, mineral, sage, herb and cedar notes that are pure, intense, focused and persistent. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now through 2018. 950 cases made.–JL

2) Two Hands- Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2008

94 points / $55

2,400 cases made

Australia

Managing partner Michael Twelftree and winemaker Matt Wenk have found a winning formula with their Garden Series, an umbrella of six different Shiraz wines, each sourced from vineyards located in subappellations of South Australia. The Barossa bottling, Bella’s Garden, has reached the Top 100 a total of six times since its first release (the 2001 vintage). Wenk used 18 percent new French oak hogsheads, minimal fining and no filtration to produce this fresh-tasting, complex wine.

Tasting Note

Dark and dense, but emerges with vivid color and bright flavors of raspberry, black cherry and a hint of peach, beautifully tinged with cocoa, licorice and mineral notes as the finish sails on impressively. Drink now through 2018. 2,400 cases made. –HS

3) Peter Michael - Chardonnay Sonoma County Ma Belle-Fille 2008

97 points / $85

2,100 cases made

California

Ma Belle-Fille is the youngest vineyard on the winery’s Knights Valley estate, as well as the highest, reaching an elevation of 1,900 feet, and is quickly becoming the winery’s best source for Chardonnay. It’s a cool location but situated above the summer fog line, allowing for excellent sun exposure. Winemaker Nick Morlet uses native yeast; the wine is 100 percent barrel-fermented in French oak.

Tasting Note

This is a tremendous Chardonnay, intense, pure, ripe and complex, with concentrated pear, apple, fig and melon flavors that are elegant and refined. Well-defined and long on the finish. Drink now through 2016. 2,100 cases made. –JL

4) Revana - Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena 2007

97 points / $125

2,000 cases made

California

Houston cardiologist Madaiah Revana grew up in rural India, immigrated to America and caught the wine bug. In 1998, he planted 9 acres of grapes north of St. Helena, across Highway 29 from Grace Family. This 2007 is Revana’s best effort to date. Winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett ferments small lots and ages them separately for 20 months in French oak (40 percent new) before making the final blend of 92 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Tasting Note

Aromas of roasted herb, red pepper and sage are complex, elegant and spicy, joined by ripe currant, plum and black cherry fruit, but this is at its best on the full-bodied palate, where the texture is supple, graceful and polished. Drink now through 2020. 2,000 cases made. –JL

5) Altamura - Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2007

96 points / $85

3,000 cases made

California

Altamura comes from one of the least-known corners of Napa, a small, remote area called Wooden Valley. Northeast of the city of Napa, this area is distinguished by a dramatic fog bank and cooler climate, and subsequently a longer growing season; temperatures here can be as many as 10 degrees lower than the Napa Valley average. Frank and Karen Altamura started planting grapes on their 400-acre family ranch in 1985. They also make Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.

Tasting Note

A profound effort, offering wonderful purity of flavor, with tiers of anise and black licorice, generous yet structured and elegant. This shows both power and finesse, ending with a wonderful burst of dark berry fruit. Best from 2012 through 2024. 3,000 cases made. –JL

6) Paul Hobbs - Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2008

94 points / $45

3,644 cases made

California

Paul Hobbs made this exceptional Pinot Noir in a tricky year and made it in considerable volume, a challenge to most vintners. Hobbs founded his own label in 1991, but also consults for dozens of clients in California, Argentina, Chile and Hungary. This bottling is one of six different 2008 California Pinot Noirs from Hobbs; the grapes for this one come from six vineyards in Russian River Valley, including the Lindsey Estate, Valdez and Walker Station.

Tasting Note

This classy 2008 exhibits wonderful aromatics of wild raspberry, anise, blackberry and spice, with touches of mineral and sage. Full-bodied and complex, this is vibrant, focused, intense and persistent. Drink now through 2016. 3,644 cases made. –JL

7) Schild - Shiraz Barossa 2008

94 points / $20

5,000 cases imported

Australia

Schild’s entry-level Shiraz has all of the stuffing of a blue-chip bottling, but sells for a fraction of the price of other brands. The winery is able to achieve this because it’s one of the largest independent growers in the Barossa, with more than 400 acres under vine. Winemakers Jo Irvine and Scott Hazeldine used grapes from the cooler southern Barossa to produce this polished and complex red that was aged in both new and used American oak.

Tasting Note

This big, smooth wine is polished, ripe and complex, offering roasted meat and walnut accents to its black cherry, blackberry, tobacco and licorice aromas and flavors. Lingers appealingly on the expansive finish. Drink now through 2020. 5,000 cases imported. –HS

8) Fontodi - Colli della Toscana

Centrale Flaccianello 2007

95 points / $110

5,000 cases made

Italy

The area around Fontodi’s property in Panzano is known as the Conca d’Oro, or Golden Shell, for its heat-trapping amphitheater shape, excellent for ripening grapes. Flaccianello, 100 percent Sangiovese, is a selection of the estate’s best grapes. The 2007 was fermented in stainless steel, transferred to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aged in new French oak for 18 months. This is the third Top 10 appearance for Flaccianello and owner Giovanni Manetti this decade.

Tasting Note

A generous Sangiovese, with loads of blackberry, dark cherry and berry on the nose and palate. Full and long. Chewy. The new wood could stand to have a little less barley flavor, but the fruit is fabulous. Takes off on the finish. Best after 2012. 5,000 cases made. –JS

9) CARM - Douro Reserva 2007

94 points / $27

8,500 cases made

Portugal

CARM stands for Casa Agrícola Roboredo Madeira. The Madeira family has owned vineyards in the Douro Valley since the 1600s, but until a decade ago, they were more focused on olive trees than their 150 acres of vines. Energetic Rui Roboredo Madeira has been the winemaker since 1999, farming seven vineyards at the extremely dry upper end of the Douro. The reserva is a blend of mostly Touriga Nacional, with some Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, aged in French and American oak.

Tasting Note

An elegant and powerful red, with intense aromas and flavors of red berry, smoke, raspberry and spice that are supported by well-integrated tannins, with plenty of structure. Very Burgundian in style, with a focused finish of crushed red fruits and fig. Just a baby. Best from 2012 through 2017. 8,500 cases made. –KM

10) Clos des Papes - Châteauneuf-du-Pape White 2009

95 points / $100

1,000 cases made

France

Clos des Papes is widely recognized for its red cuvée (its 2005 earned Wine of the Year in 2007), but this estate also produces one of the appellation’s best whites. From the Southern Rhône’s excellent 2009 vintage, this wine blends equal parts Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Picpoul and Bourboulenc. To retain freshness, Vincent Avril fermented the wine in stainless steel tanks and avoided malolactic conversion. This white will benefit from a few years in the cellar.

Tasting Note

Superfresh, with blanched almond, green plum, yellow apple and verbena notes carried by almost brisk minerality. The finish is really bright and mouthwatering. There's rather stony precision and this still a touch tight. Begs for cellaring. Best from 2011 through 2020. 1,000 cases made. –JM