Wilder on Wine: Most memorable wines of 2008

One of the best reasons to keep a wine journal is so that at the end of the year you can go back and rediscover all the excellent wine you've tried.

I don't keep a regular journal (I've never been able to get past feeling overly self-indulgent), but charting the year through the wines brings back distinct memories. I often note who I drank the wine with, and some other little details about the experience.

Indulge me while I reminisce about my wine highlights of 2008. Many I've already mentioned in earlier columns (such as wines from Minervois and Montefalco), so I'll reserve this column for those yet to receive recognition. Of course, many are outside what I (and many of you) would normally be able to afford, but hey — I can dream right?

Whites and roses

2005 Fortitude Napa Semillon ($28): Another grape that ages gracefully, the white semillon has always been extremely attractive to me. It's the main ingredient in Sauternes, perhaps the world's most renowned dessert wine, and is blended in with white Bordeaux. But on its own, it can be made dry, and shows an incredible melange of beeswax, clover, dried daisies, melon and golden apple. Imagine running through a meadow teeming with golden sunrays — for me, that is semillon. Fortitude is an excellent winery in Napa that buys old-vine fruit from local growers, focusing on lesser-known varietals (their red "Frediani," which combines charbono, carignan, zin and petite sirah, is also excellent). While most whites would be withering at 3 years old, this wine was indeed mature, but like a late bloomer, it's really at its best when it's had some time to figure itself out.

2007 Domaine la Fruitiere "Petite M" Muscadet ($14): This wine both owns and rejects its birthplace at the mouth of the Loire River, where it meets the Atlantic. There's a tinge of sea-air, but images of stormy, wave-worn shores are denied by the lively, dry and cheerful melon-heavy palate, which finishes with notes of lemon. Muscadet (both the place and the grape, which is sometimes also called melon de bourgogne) is one of the most carefree, refreshing wines out there, and this was an invigorating example.

2002 Damien Laureau "Les Genets" Savinierres ($22): Another stand-out Loire Valley white (from the venerable Savinierres appellation), this wine showcases the Loire's star, the chenin blanc grape. With the ability to be dry or sweet, drunk young or old, chenin is versatile and enigmatic. The Laureau seemed to capture all of chenin's mystery; the wine seemed sweet and fat and almost oxidized at first, but then WHAM! The acidity kicks in mid-palate, and it's a whole new ballgame. Stewed pears and apples dominate, yet an undercurrent of eccentric, unnamable elements meander beneath the surface. While it certainly tastes aged, there's an odd freshness at the same time. A rollercoaster ride for your tongue (and mind).

2007 Domaine Ostertag Alsace Riesling ($30) and 2006 Brandl Kamptal Riesling ($20): One of my first articles was a defense of the noble riesling grape, and if I were to present further evidence of its brilliance, these two wines would surely be candidates. The Ostertag comes from Alsace in France, and shows riesling's peachy, delicate-yet-rich, sexy side. The succulent orchard fruit is the star, with minerality and acidity present, but taking a background role. On the otherhand, the Brandl, from Austria's Kamptal region, shows riesling's more aggressive (but no less attractive) side. It's dry, clean and lively, with lightening-like acidity that lifts its melon, lime and kiwi fruit to absurd heights. It's so well-woven that individual flavors are actually difficult to identify, which is actually the trademark of the finest wines. Long live riesling!!

2006 Niepoort Redoma Portugal ($36): A blend of the native Portuguese grapes of rabigato and codega, this super decadent, rich wine was surprisingly appealing to me. I usually prefer more svelte whites, but this knock out balanced its heft so well that I couldn't help but be wowed. The luscious texture was full of nuts, toast and tropical fruit such as mango, papaya, and orange. Substantial mineral content gave it zest and verve on the long finish. It’s like a combination of the most unctuous (but balanced) whites of the Rhone and Burgundy.

NV Marc Herbart Rose Champagne ($56): From the captivating salmon color to the delicate, graceful finish, this is pure perfection of bubbly. It brings to mind rococo painting, Grace Kelly, and all things elegant. And from a real live farmer who grows, blends and bottles his own wine, as opposed to a name brand that makes millions of bottles in factory-like setting, yet charges the same price (presumably to cover their massive international marketing campaign). I urge you to consider "Farmer Fizz" for your New Year's toast — brand names are seriously overrated (and appropriately overpriced)!

Reds

2005 Frederic Mabileau "Les Rouilleres" St Niolas de Bourgueil ($17): A cab franc from the Loire Valley, imported by JD Headrick selections. Headrick is a Nashville native, but for a while his wines were unavailable in Nashville. I had this while visiting my parents out of state last January, and as I'd always loved his selections, it was great to get to taste one again. The good news is that JD's wines are back in town, so be sure to try one. Loire reds can be costly and difficult to find, but Headrick really does a great job in finding excellent examples for reasonable prices. My Dad and I enjoyed this while listening to The Who's Who's Next on vinyl — a real father/daughter bonding moment!

2005 Chateau Thivin "Cuvee Zaccharie Geoffray" Cote de Brouilly ($30): I was lucky enough to have this on two separate occasions this year: once when a friend and I cooked a delicious dinner at home, and again at a late summer get-together with my wine shop comrades. Each time, this gamay from Beaujolais was a true revelation — one of those wines that is a joy to drink. It’s ilky smooth and easy, but not boring by any means. Like the perfect conversationalist, it was an effortless wine that made you forget how quickly time was passing. Further proof of the hidden treasures within this oft-maligned region.

1999 Domaine la Suffrene Bandol ($35): At 9 years old, this mourvedre-based wine from the highly-regarded Provence appellation of Bandol sparkled with a youthful liveliness. It was dense and distinctly barnyard-like in its earthiness, yet silky. Like a Degas ballerina, it was antique, but incredibly vivid. Mourvedre is said to be one of the grapes most resistant to oxidation, giving it potential for an extremely long life. This was a gorgeous illustration of that!

1999 La Castellada Collio Rosso ($115): First, I rarely taste wines this expensive. Second, they are usually disappointing and obviously overpriced. This one, however, made me seriously consider shelling out for more. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, refosco and cabernet franc, my tasting notes read as follows: "One of the most amazing noses I've come across in a long time — fresh and rich with berries and pure perfume — intoxicating. Gorgeous and truly multifaceted on the palate — blackberry, chocolate, sleeping late, finding money, seeing old friends — everything pleasurable in life is in this glass." Though aged in new barrels for 6 years, the oak is perfectly integrated and barely shows. This was a "Holy Grail" kind of wine — the type you search for in every bottle, hoping it will make you feel more alive.

2005 Jean Bousquet Reserve Malbec ($20): This is a lot of wine for the money. When I tasted it, I was very much in love with northern Rhone wines, and this reminded me so much of that style, despite a different grape and a different hemisphere! From 1200 meters in Tupungato, Argentina, comes an elegant wine showing classic Hermitage-like notes of leather, white pepper, mushrooms, proscuitto, and really bright purple fruit. With a lovely texture and structure, this is a steal.

2006 Domaine Faury Syrah ($25): Speaking of the northern Rhone… this is the next best thing to the ultra-pricey wines from Hermitage or Cote Rotie. You get all that bacon, pepper, and licorice-y goodness for half the price. The silky texture is just exquisite (the tannins still make their presence known, but in a polite way). Wild yet elegant. It is graced by perhaps the most Plain Jane label of the year, which makes the fabulous wine inside extra surprising.

2004 Guelbenzu "Küme" Cabernet / Carmenere ($15): If it hadn't been for Chile, I'd hate to think what my wine spending would have added up to this year. By far, Chile has emerged as the place to find delicious, high quality wines for great prices. Most have a distinctive note of pungent green herbs, like basil, which is admittedly not for everyone. But I find it to make the reds incredibly refreshing. This blend of the Chilean calling-card grape carmenere and the more well-known (and fuller-bodied) cabernet sauvignon also has meaty notes of sausage with baked raspberry and roasted bell pepper. I could drink it morning, noon and night (but I assure you, I usually stick to nights).

2001 Cantaruth Friuli Schioppettino ($35): With the first schioppettino I've tried (which is an almost extinct grape grown in northeastern Italy), I have to say I'm a huge fan. The nose gave off balsamic and black pepper, smokey roma tomatoes and baked corn. The palate balanced the savory nose with aromatic roses, plums, prunes and dark cherry. Amazingly well-structured, with a smooth-yet-substantial texture to die for, this is a rare wine that's powerful yet precise.

2005 Karydas Xinomavro ($N/A): With a name like that, it could only be from Greece. I had this at the amazing Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago, as part of a flight of "Wintery Reds." Not much greek wine is available here, but given the extreme deliciousness of this example, I hope that changes in the near future. Xinomavro is the grape, and it tasted of tomato paste with heavily accented clay earthiness, the deftness of a Pinot Noir, and the pungency of a Chianti. Be on the lookout for more Greek wines in the future!

Questions? Comments? E-mail Wilder at wilderonwine@gmail.com