Wines of the Year 2012 (Number 5)

5. NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (11/28/2012) Great stuff and as good as many vintage Champagnes. For $28 a super QPR. Minerals, sour apples, spice and pear. Crisp wine and refreshing. Complex, medium finish. (93 pts.) By far the cheapest top ten of the year and this might outperform many vintage efforts for four times the price. I have tasted this wine 5 times this year and they all are in the range of 91-93. Well done Piper!

Wines of the Year 2012 (Number 6)

6. 2008 Antica Terra Pinot Noir Botanica - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (3/31/2012) Light in color. Exotic nose of floral, dust, earth, cranberry and smoke. Complex wine with a medium plus finish. Improved with some time and this has a decade plus of enjoyment. (94 pts.) A new find in 2012 and it won’t be the last. Wonderful, balance Pinot Noir that for the money will beat just about all from Burgundy.

Wines of the Year 2012 (Number 7)

7. 2008 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe (6/3/2012) Super light in color, almost clear. Apricots, floral, peaches and super balanced. A touch of sweetness but this should really age into an amazing wine in a decade or enjoy right now! (94 pts.) I love Riesling and this was the best German of the year. This should age a long time and can be enjoyed today.

Wines of the Year 2012 (Number 8)

8. 2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (4/6/2012) Should improve with age and my wine of the night! Complex with earth, ripe fruit, coffee and spices. The perfect "funk" quality on the nose that makes you realize how good Burgundy can be. Long finish and tannic and should age nicely for 30 years. 94-96. (94 pts.) Tasted at a Winestreets private dinner event this wine shows how good young Pinot can be but promises so much more with cellaring. Thanks Brad.

Korta Katarina Customer Service Needs Help

Korta Katarina Winery from Croatia was pouring at Haskell's last week and whoever was pouring the wine was clueless. She had a corked bottle of the Rose and I told her and she said people liked it. I said it was corked and should be pulled from the lineup which did not happen. I emailed the winery with local Minneapolis ties and no response. This is a winery Leslee Miller worked for promoting their wines for pay of course and I am sure she poured these at her events. While the wines weren't too bad they certainly did not justify the price points. A rose for $20 is not what I call a great QPR. If you want to make it into the worldwide scene you need to make sure your wines are pouring at their best. No one in the real wine world is talking Croatian wines and not following up a obvious problem is not a way to get the word about your product. Try harder in 2013 Korta Katarina.

How to pronunce Bordeaux like a pro

How to pronunce Bordeaux like a pro. One of the worlds's best wine shops has a ton of info on the wine regions of the world! http://www.bbr.com/pronunciation?linkid=leftmenu

NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut, France, Champagne - CellarTracker

NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut, France, Champagne - CellarTracker Bollinger makes one of the best N.V. Champagnes out there. A few more bucks than the over popular Veuve Clicquot but well worth it. Other than Vilmart it is one of my favorites.

Wines of the Year 2012 (Number 9)

9. 2008 Kitchak Cellars Adagio - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (5/17/2012) One of the best wines in Napa Valley for under $100. Intense nose of cherry, oak, vanilla, licorice, blueberries and tobacco. Firm tannins and super long finish. Concentrated wine and this will age a decade or more. Outstanding and a chance to improve in the bottle. (95 pts.) An undiscovered Napa gem that the wine geeks have not discovered. Every vintage tasted so far as knocked my socks off.

My 2012 Top Ten Wines (Number 10)

10. 1996 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (5/5/2012) My wine of the night and groups wine of the night. An amazing effort that is balanced, powerful, graceful, elegant, etc. One of the best wines from Bordeaux I have sampled to date. Intense nose of clay, chocolate, figs, stones and raspberries. Long finish and complex. Drink now- 2040. Wonderful effort!!! (97 pts.) My number ten wine that should age for 30 years. Again if I could only afford to drink these Super Seconds more often.