So, 2021 can F right off, amiright? I mean, slightly better than 2020 I suppose, but that isn’t climbing over a very high bar. And if 2021 wasn’t bad enough all year long, it ends with the passing of the legendary Betty White, just hours before the calendar turns, and weeks before her 100th birthday. The death of a national treasure almost seems inevitable given the year we’ve had……what a life she lived.
But enough of the negativity! Obviously there were some good things in 2021 as well, including my friends and family remaining healthy (OK actually my Dad passed away in February but I’m not going to complain too much, he was 90 and had lived his life his way), and we got to take our first real vacation in quite some time, a beautiful trip to Disneyland that we couldn’t have timed any better. While we were there, our city was besieged by a once-in-500-years flooding event, and not long after we got home, the Omicron variant started tearing through the world. So, to say our timing was particularly fantastic would be quite an understatement.
And as usual, we enjoyed quite a few bottles of spectacular wine this year, including the highest ranked bottle which we enjoyed during that trip to Disney. Let’s get to it!
#10 (and #11) a couple different vintages of the best wine you’ll find at a winery located in the Fraser Valley!
#9 – To Bordeaux, for a lovely wine that would probably move up this list if given further time in the bottle.
#8 takes us to Italy, for a special Brunello from a spectacular vintage.
#7 Features the best BC Chardonnay I have ever tasted!
#6 Takes us down the coast to Napa Valley, where one of the most well-known producers brings us a fantastic, classic Napa Cab!
#5 To South America for a wine I just cannot get enough of, from Argentina.
Yes, I know it’s from Chile. That was for you, Rémi !
#4 We will ACTUALLY go to Argentina this time, for a beautiful blend vintage after vintage.
At #3, staying in South America, a wine that I bought as part of an auction lot of well-aged Chilean wine. This was not a wine I was familiar with, but it really knocked us over!
#2 is another wine I was not familiar with until it was recommended to me by a specialist at a private liquor store. Fabulous recommendation!!
And coming in at the top of this year’s list, a wine I am quite familiar with, but one that never disappoints! We were so fortunate to get the last bottle of this off the menu at Carthay Circle in Disney’s California Adventure, and also to get it at a price that is unheard of in any restaurant!
So there you have it, another great year in wine! The search for the elusive 100-point table wine continues (in fact, no 99’s this year either). Will 2022 finally break the streak? Stay tuned to find out!!
Confessions of a Huge Wine-R 