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I use this wine key: Forge de Laguiole Ebony
I have used this glass in this Video: Stem Zero Powerful Red Wine Glass
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2022 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand (95 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/grey+wacke+sauv+blanc+marlborough+new+zealand/2022?referring_site=KSB
2020 Antinori Chianti Classico Italy (95 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/tenute+tignanello+marchesi+antinori+rsrv+docg+chianti+cls+tuscany+italy/2020?referring_site=KSB
2019 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Napa California (96 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/dunn+cab+sauv+howell+mnt+napa+valley+county+north+coast+california+usa/2019?referring_site=KSB
2016 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva Italy (95 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/mastro+berardino+radici+rsrv+docg+taurasi+campania+italy/2016?referring_site=KSB
2020 Château Lynch-Bages Bordeaux France (96 WS
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/lynch+bages+pauillac+medoc+bordeaux+france/2020?referring_site=KSB
2021 Occidental Freestone Pinot Noir West Sonoma Coast USA (94 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/occidental+kistlervineyards+freestone+pinot+noir+sonoma+coast+county+north+california+usa/2021?referring_site=KSB
2018 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Italy (95 WS)
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/argiano+docg+brunello+di+montalcino+tuscany+italy/2018?referring_site=KSB
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 – 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 – 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 – 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 – 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 – 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
Every year since 1988 Wine Spectator has put together a list of their wines of the year. They say that their selection is based on quality, value, availability, and excitement which are fancy words to say that they are picking widely distributed wines they like. Usually, the top 10 wines do not consist of all of the highest-rated wines that year because very few people would be able to get most of these Cult wines.
The list is generally dominated by the classic wine regions and red wines play a much bigger role in their selection. This year’s top 10 featured only one white wine. Overall, there is rarely a real surprise amongst the top 100 but there are some unexpected picks like the 2022 Garzón Albarino from Uruguay in 52 place that I recently tasted on this channel.
Some regions and wine styles are chronically underrepresented: There were only 2 Rieslings from Germany, only one Rioja, only one wine from Austria, and one from South Africa in the top 100 and none in the top 10.
This year 4 wines in the top 10 were from the US, 3 were from Italy, two were from Bordeaux, and one – the only white – was from New Zealand. Like last year Wine Spectator presented their top 10 in slightly cheesy videos but professionally produced videos …
But am I the only one who noticed that they filled the glasses too high, presented them wine next to a sealed bottle, and used a Bordeaux glass for a Burgundy wine … My friends at Wine Spectator – I am watching you. I always love looking back at the old top ten lists and you can find all of them on their website going back to the first one.
I picked the one from 30 years ago and the number one wine was 1990 Latour at 80$ – a wine that would easly cost 10 times that. Ornellaia was in 8th place and it did cost a whopping 42$ back then and Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir was listed at 34$ … I really should have started investing in wine during my time at elementary school.
40 Comments
I had the 2008 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino and gave it 88 pts. in 2014. I had older vintages of Argiano and liked it better. If you want to learn more about wine ratings look no further than wineaficionado at cellartracker.
Thank you. always appreciate the honesty. Love your "No fear or favor" review
there was still some Pinot in the glass when he poured the Argiano into it 😀
I think they call Lynch-Bages "lunch box" because, to American ears, especially in a muttering American accent, "Lynch-Bages" sounds almost exactly like "lunch box." No further mystery there imho.
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon is a lovely and interesting wine. I'm not usually a fan of Sauv B but I really enjoyed the 2018 vintage. Not tried the standard Sauv B and will seek it out. Would love your opinion on the Wild Sauv if you see it available. Love the channel Kon. Keep up the great work!
When you said you are gonna rather drink the lynch bages in a couple of weeks, do you mean you are gonna keep it open for a couple of weeks until it has reached a better ripeness?
Did anyone notice that Konstantin poured the Argiano into a glass with the previous wine still in it?!
I was surprised that you hadn't heard of Argiano. They are widely available in North America and is usually most people's introduction into Brunello. The interesting thing about it was that it was previously a modern take on Brunello being brought up in barriques and was always round and soft and lacked traditional Brunello characters. I think the availability, cost, quality and return to traditional style of Brunello without hiccups is the reason it recieved No.1 status
Money talks.
love greywacke and kevin judd so much, but the wild sauvignon is much better value than the entry level
I can get decent Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from Aldi here in Florida. 90 rated? Not quite but most are $10 or less.
When I’m told that a wine smells of cassis I find myself wanting cassis instead! The fruit is also called blackcurrant and for decades it was banned here in the USA (mostly) because the plant supposedly is a host for a disease affecting Pinus strobus. So it’s still a relatively rare flavor here (instead we get Concord grape in the purple niche), treasured by the few who know it.
Of course I drink Kir.
I just can’t wrap my head around buying a wine now to drink in 10-15 years time, unless you’re a collector. ‘Needs a little more time’ I was thinking 6 months 😂
marchese antinori is one of my go tos. Imo can age for a good 10-15 years. Love it love it
I've never seen your teeth this black @ 12:40 😂😂😂
“Lunch Bags” reminds me how people remember how to say Gundlach Bundschu- Good luck wood shoe. 🤣
I would love to see you rate these blind, then re-taste them seeing.
Ive seen enough videos from you to know that you are biased. When you started talking about how you were not excited about Argiano history i already knew the result of your review. I actually guessed the 92 point review before you said it. Ive also seen you give a good review to a Mexican wine you tought it was European wine. Actually, if anyone can fool you to be drinking a riesling, its gonna be a good review no matter which country or grape it is. You should really try to be as professional YouTuber as you probably were to become Master of Wine.
Really interesting, it’s obvious that WS is an American publication, with all the bad things that implies 🤣
I have to say that I’ve gotten really good at guessing your scores just from your notes and facial expressions. In this video I was either spot on or one point above every single wine you rated, which I think is a great testament to how thorough and reliable you are as a taster — I guess that’s the mark of a master!
I do want to differ a bit on the whole “billionaire ownership” thing, because I work in a winery that’s owned by a billionaire. Please don’t speak badly of them, because I might lose my job 🤣 No, seriously though, I know that this particular person is extremely passionate about wine, and he actually has a fair amount of input in the process and the final blends. But perhaps more importantly, in this case he picked a little-known valley, and he invested a huge amount of money, to the point that the company is the largest employer in the area by far, and has helped drive quite a bit of development as well. I don’t particularly love billionaires, and generally feel like they shouldn’t exist, but they can also be beneficial forces in the world of wine.
I have had the 2016 Argiano and, for the money, it was a really good Brunello. Prices in Europe, in my case Sweden, are however half or less than the USD 90…
The Greywacke is also good value and a solid SB from New Zeeland but I must admit I struggle to see how it can qualify to a top-10 list.
The WS list is SO boring and the scores so inflated!
The good and the bad, good, I learn about new wines, the bad, wines on the list sell out fast. Thanks
Just a suspicious about #1. Money can buy anything.
Your descriptions and opinions are fantastic! I agree with you in the fact that the wines I tend to seek out are smaller producers who are hands on in every aspect of the wine making process!
Too young…….too young……and too young again……i feel with you Konstantin;)
Considering most of the wine I have is either German, Spanish or South African, I'm not impressed 😂 Maybe here availability trumps quality and value.
My Top 10 would be completely different. All European (except for NZ), mostly whites, and all dry: vermentino, chablis, verdejo, albarino, sauv. blanc, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, etc.
The sole purpose or the grape.
Never eat the grape as a snack. Are you crazy! No, make it wine. Mind you, absolutely never drink this! It makes you talk funny and eat strange things like snails or frog legs. Don't do it!! No, this wine should be made into sherry. You then put this sherry in oak barrels. For a long time. Then you throw out that sherry and flush it down the toilet, where it belongs. And then you put whiskey in those barrels. For a long long time.
And then, then you will finally drink this whiskey.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the sole purpose of the grape! 😉
If you approach Aglianico/Taurasi as if it was a Barolo, you’re on the right path. Many people assume it's like Nero d'Avola or Primitivo just because it's from the south of Italy. Irpinia or the Vulture region in Basilicata are mountainous regions: It snows in winter!
Could you do a tasting from wines in BC Canada?
Great video! Please do the same for the Wine Enthusiast top 100 and James Suckling top 100! Would be great to hear your thoughts on those as well (currently drinking #4 from Wine Enthusiast 2023 tonight).
Have had Argiano, not the one in this review but I like them very much! The Argiano in this review here is $79 here which shocked me usually double what they pay in the U.S. I may go purchase one and find out.A very good Pinot at that price is a steal.I love Sangiovese so I may give the Argiano 98 points! Lol! Great review and an honest opinion as usual.
This seems to be the time of year when all the wine YouTubers post and comment on WS top 100 or Top 10 wines. I have to say that for the most part WS top wines list generally tend to be pretty commercial and/or conservative, as they are targeted towards a certain demographic. At the same time credit has to be given for them including a Kiwi SB for the first time, a CCR and a Brunello, (though not a spectacular one) and a Taurasi. Their aim seems to be that they want to showcase famous and prestigious wines that aren't ridiculously overpriced, while still adding a few non-mainstream wines for the US market. My main criticism for these lists as that they always showcase the same regions, nearly all the wines are red, there are basically no sparkling wines or Champagne. So I much prefer the top wine listings from other publications to WS, but they have slightly improved from 5 or more years ago.
Wondering what you do with all the leftover wines?! A chance to use Coravin rather than opening everything?
You're right, he did pour the wine into a non fresh glass. Poor methodology.
I have a 2010 Lunch bags, looking forward to opening it.🍷
Money can buy anything! That's why we have 1st place…..
I doubt whether Winespectator recommendations are always independent. For us, Parker and Vinous are more important in terms of which wines we want to taste. The most important tastings are of course our own.
Andre Esteves has a lot of money, why would his wine be number one?
So happy my taste pallet is on en point with yours! (Insert happy dance)Tasted the Dunn last week. It was superb! Even without breathing.