This year's Boston Wine Expo was the place to be if you enjoy trying lots of wines. Those that made it into Boston on Saturday and Sunday were treated to some Very Good wines. Especially if you knew where to look and mapped out your day. I was there all day on Saturday and just for Press and Trade hours on Sunday. I covered over 100 wines and will recommend and post reviews of 58 of them in the coming weeks. I could have gotten to many more and found more diamonds in the rough, but there was an important football game I wanted to get home and watch. (Note to organizers. Book the Pro Bowl week for years to come, no one cares if they miss that.) That said, everyone now knows the Patriots and Giants won the two big conference championship games and are going to the Super Bowl. But you may not know who the big winners were from the Wine Expo. So keep reading and I will enlighten you.
This year the Chateauneuf du Pape producers stole the show. Their 2010 vintage is so amazing and these producers hit a home run with the wines they produced. I have to thank Alain and John Junguenet for setting me up to try all the wines from their portfolio. It was a great chance to cover all these great wines, without fighting the crowds. For those that found their way over to the CDP area, they were treated to an exceptional wine experience. I will list a few of the top wines below, but check my Rhone wines page in a few weeks to find a complete list and links to the reviews of all these gems. So what where the top 6 CDP's? Well here they are:1. Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils 2010 CDP "Cuvee de Mon Aieul" (100% Grenache) – 95 Points
2. Bosquet des Papas 2010 CDP "A la Gloire de Mon Grand-Pere" (98% Grenache & 2% Clairette Rose) – 94 Points
3. Domaine Tour Saint Michel 2010 CDP "Cuvee du Lion" (75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, & 5% Mourvedre) – 94 Points
4. Le Vieux Donjon 2010 CDP (75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, & 5% Cinsault) – 93 Points
5. Bosquet des Papas 2010 CDP "Chante le Merle" (80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, & 10% Cinsault) – 93 Points
6. Mas de Boislauzon 2010 CDP "Tintot" (85% Mourvedre & 15% Grenache) – 93 Points
Like I said, there are several other Very Good 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape's that I discovered at the Expo. Be sure to read about all of them in the coming weeks.
Here is a list of some of my favorite Value Wines I discovered under $20:
1. Joseph Carr 2010 "Dijon Clone" Chardonnay ($17) – 91 Points
2. Red Newt Cellars 2010 "Semi-Dry" Riesling ($14) – 90 Points
3. Joseph Carr 2010 "Josh" Chardonnay ($14) – 90 Points
4. Domaine La Fond 2010 "Roc Epine Lirac" ($15) – 90 Points
5. Trivento 2010 "Amado Sur Red" ($15) – 90 Points
6. Joseph Carr 2009 Merlot ($18) – 90 Points
7. Domaine Boison 2010 Cotes du Rhone Villages Blanc ($19) – 90 Points
8. Donati Family 2010 "Sorelle per Sempre" Chardonnay ($11) – 89 Points
9. Babich 2011 Sauvignon Blanc ($11) – 89 Points
10. Red Newt 2010 "Circle" Riesling ($12) – 89 Points
11. Donati Family 2007 "Estate Claret" ($15) – 89 Points
12. Casa al Vento 2009 "Gaiole" ($15) – 89 Points
13. Left Coast Cellars 2010 "The Orchards" Pinot Gris ($16) – 89 Points
14. Domaine Tour Saint Michel 2010 Cotes du Rhone ($17) – 89 Points
15. Wagner 2009 "Semi-Dry" Riesling ($15) – 88 Points
Here are Top 10 other favorites over $20 from the Expo:
1. Miro 2010 "Cuvee Sasha" - 93 Points
2. Merriam Vineyards 2008 "Jones Vineyard" Cabernet Franc – 92 Points
3. Chateau Fortia 2010 CDP Blanc – 92 Points
4. Domaine La Fond 2009 "La Ferme Romaine" – 91 Points
5. Trivento 2008 "Golden Reserve" Malbec – 91 Points
6. Merriam Vineyards 2007 "Miktos" – 90 Points
7. Banfi 2008 "Belnero" – 90 Points
8. Cros de Romet 2010 "Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge" – 90 points
9. Whitehall Lane 2007 "Napa" Merlot – 90 Points
10. Cameron Hughes 2009 Cabernet "Lot 300" – 90 Points
Colonial Spirits
