It’s a new year with a whole new set of wines from which to choose! Decisions, decisions. This month’s Premier Series features represent outstanding quality and value across the board, but preferences being what they are my first Top Pick goes to Errazuriz’s excellent 2011 Estate Reserva Carmenère. The wine is top notch, and I simply love good Carmenère, so one down and one, well . . . maybe two, Top Picks to go. The 2010 Anayon Corona de Aragon Chardonnay is an extraordinary find, so it deserves top billing as well. It hails from an unlikely locale, but who cares. Anayon has put it all in the bottle, and in a very beautiful bottle, too. This wine blew away dozens of more expensive Chardonnays from renowned vineyards and could easily have been considered for our Collector Series. It also received a rousing ovation and unanimous support from our tasting panel, and that’s really tough for any Chardonnay to do. Consequently, Anayon’s 2010 Corona de Aragon earns my nod. With that said, the 2011 El Pajaro Royo shouldn’t be shunned. It is a gorgeous Bierzo Mencia that drinks beautifully now. A votre santé.
About Don Lahey
Don Lahey's career in the wine industry spans over 30 years as an importer, author, consultant, and educator. He leads the tasting panel that selects our wines each month.
