Wines of the Year
Posted by Daniel Stewart on January 11th, 2012
As it’s early January it seems fitting to look back at some of the highlights of 2011. From late November through to early January wine critics and journalists worldwide compile detailed year end lists of their favourite wines; top 5s 10s or 100 best wines of the year. What you will find below is a selection of wines exclusive to O’Briens that have done pretty well in the vinous pop-charts.
The Big One: Wine Spectator’s Top 100 - No.4 Campogiovanni Brunello 2006
Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys – No.2 Protocolo 2009
…and a little closer to home: Matt Nugent’s Fab Five for 2011 – Irish Daily Maily
“By far the most exciting – and elegant – red I tasted all year”
Delheim Chardonnay Sur Lie 2010
“A real favourite…Great balance.”
Oh and not forgetting a big number one from the Sunday Business Post’s Tomás Clancy:
Best Multiple Wine Chain 2011: O’Briens Wine.Beer.Spirits
“O’Briens takes the gong again out of sheer exuberant joy in offering easily the smartest set of wines of any multiple retailers in Ireland, Britain or France.”
Can’t resist putting in a few of my own so here goes:
- Best Value Red of the Year: Longview Bucket Shiraz Cabernet 2009 (Australia)
- Best Value White of the Year: Rabl Grüner Veltliner 2010 (Austria)
- Most Exciting New Wine of the Year: Gaia S 2009 (Greece)
- Best Big, Rich, Powerhouse Red of the Year: Coyam 2009 (Chile)
- Weird but Wonderful Wine of the Year: Castra Rubra Dominant 2009 (Bulgaria)
- Best New Vintage of an Old Favourite: Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (New Zealand)
- Mind-Blowing Wine of the Year: Borie de Maurel Cuvée Sylla 2008 (France)
January 11th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Well done on all those. The few I’ve had from the list are all very good!
But tell me – has The Daily Mail changed its name to the more rhyme-friendly ‘Daily Maily’ ?
Sorry, couldn’t resist