Weinkritikerin Elin McCoy hat auf bloomberg.com ihre Favoriten aus den über 4000 verkosteten Weinen in 2019 zusammengestellt, darunter sind:
2011 Tement Sudsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc Ried Zieregg GSTK ($71)
"I wasn’t familiar with wines from Steiermark, Austria’s dynamic wine region on the border with Slovenia, which is why a New York master class of 18 top wines was a revelation. This smoky sauvignon blanc, with lots of earthy character and volcanic overtones, is a grand cru (GSTK) in the region’s vineyard hierarchy—and is evidence Austria’s top sauvignon blancs are among the world’s best."
MASSETO:
2016 Masseto ($790)
"The chance to compare five vintages of the opulent Tuscan merlot, known as Italy’s Petrus, with winemaker Axel Heinz was a don’t-miss occasion. After a preview taste at New York’s Per Se restaurant of the exciting 2017 Massetino, the new, less expensive second wine from Super Tuscan producer Masseto, we tackled vintages of the grand vin, one of Italy’s investment-grade wines. I was torn between the pure, vibrant 2010 and the fragrant, sumptuous 2016, and finally gave the edge to the latter, a modern classic."
LAFITE ROTHSCHILD:
1959 Chateau Lafite Rothschild ($24,000 to $27,000 per bottle at recent auction)
"Dinner in the chateau’s private dining room, with a marble bust of founder James Rothschild looking on, is a special experience. It’s even more memorable when one of the wines poured is the legendary 1959, the finest Lafite I’ve ever tasted. I reveled in its scents of cedar, mint, truffles, and tobacco that swirled into a mesmerizing mix. Add to that its deep layers of flavors and silky rich texture. This perfectly mature wine came straight from Lafite’s cellars, a reminder of how important provenance is to a great wine’s ageability."
1979 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon (not available—priceless!)
"Brothers Stu and Charlie Smith have been making wine in their rustic ivy-covered barn high on Spring Mountain since the early 1970s and never wavered from their commitment to structured, balanced cabernets at reasonable prices. Visiting them reminded me of an earlier era in the Napa Valley, before glitz, Ferraris, and $800 cult wines showed up. We tasted a 15-vintage retrospective of their savory mountain cabernets at a table set among barrels stacked four high. This 40-year-old wine, Smith-Madrone’s second vintage, is still delicious, with vivid aromas and flavor notes of licorice, spice, mint, and earth."