Favorite Wines Opened in 2010

[TheEngineer]

Going back on my posts, it's clearly been a great year for me personally for great wine. And the biggest surprise of them all are that my two fav varietals did not even register in the top ten....Riesling and Pinot Noir. Not that I did not have good R and PN but I've really been privileged to have had these others to try. BTW, my wine of the decade currently is NV Duval-Leroy ....I will need to explain. I drink exactly 1/2 sometimes a bit more of this every night that I'm in London, about 35% of my time. With my schedule, being away from home and family, and some increasingly difficult demands, frankly it is the only thing keeping me sane...and that is a lot to ask of a wine. I probably go through 10-15 cases a year.......... thank god I don't have to pay for it

So the wines of the year for me are in order

(1) 1980 Heitz Bella Oaks: incredible that it has lasted this long and incredible that it has remained so primal and yet has about 1/2 the complexity of Martha's.
(2) 1985 Robert Modavi Reserve from Magnum. And incredible wine with some power and density that has mellowed and is a great textbooks example of what an aged Californian can be like. Glorious
(3) 1996 Cain 5 Top three wines for me around our a California Sweep.. not an easy thing for me for those of you that know me :0 this thing was opened beside an 2002 Haut Brion and it simply performed. Nuff said
(4) 2002 Haut Brion: forget the weak vintage, like the 2002 Clos Rougeard that made my jaw drop this thing is spellbinding. REALLY worth a look if you can afford it and best of all, its the most affordable HB in the last decade plus now
(5) 2006 Mica: Latour for $60.
(6) 2006 O Fournier Alfa Crux Malbec, must have been the ARgentinian air and the argntinian steaks...but this thing was mental big and still very attractive.
(7) 1997 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port,.........OMG.....
(8) 2000 Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre, A most complex Chablis and one of great balance and interest...kept me going back and back and back...
(9) 2001 Tua Rita Giusto de Norte: A secret love,...a powerhouse of an italian
(10) 1976 Joseph Phelps Insignia, another CA Napa wine to close out the list.

Looking back, what a thrilling list and it did not even includes the Yquems and Lafites of the world...okay one HB......but spread the pricing spectrum with the NV starting at $25...many of the older CA's still had their $7.99 sticker on them.....

Thanks for the trip IK!!