Posted on Monday, 30 December 2024
As year-end approaches, I like to look back at the wines I tasted, especially the ones I liked the most. I didn't taste as many wines as I would have liked for reasons I've explained already, but I had some pretty good ones nevertheless.
Going by points only, the highlight of the year was the 2012 Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which I rated an excellent 15 points in a Robert Mondavi tasting at the Rheingau Gourmet & Wein Festival in March. While I noted its intensity and complexity, I missed the finesse of classic Bordeaux reds to justify an even higher rating.
This is followed by the wonderful 2014 J.B. Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken Alte Reben - easily my wine of the year! Here, everything came together: A matured Riesling from a good bottle, density of flavours, complexity due to the ageing, cutting acidity, incredible length. 14 points and coveted 5 stars as this wine really stands out of its peer group. Try to find another Kabinett with such a good balance between sheer power and freshness.
Then there was the beautifully aged 2002 Château de Fieuzal, also at 14 points. Still with noble and inviting fruit, but also fine tertiary aromas. Smack-bang in the middle of its drinking window. Seek this out, especially if you're looking for a relatively affordable Bordeaux wine.
There were quite a few lovely wines with good ratings that I'd like to mention, but I'll focus on two: I'm thinking of the 2014 Château Batailley, with an elegant bouquet and drinking really nicely now. Also from the Robert Mondavi tasting in March, I liked the 2019 Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Reserve Fumé Blanc for its precise, austere, yet attractive style. Two great examples of high-class wines that were both compelling and just fun to drink.
Speaking of fun, which wines did I actually enjoy the most to drink? These were mostly white wines with splendid drinking flow, such as the 2020 Dominique Lafon Bourgogne Aligoté, 2022 Georg Breuer Terra Montosa (now waiting for the next bottle to mature just a little bit extra in my cellar), 2014 Van Volxem Riesling Alte Reben (mineral and lean, great value), 2020 Markus Molitor Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett (Goldkapsel) (charming and comforting), or the 2018 Duemani CiFRA, a red wine, for which I noted down: "Exquisite and pure".