Wine Spectator magazine has released its picks for the best 100 wines of 2012. In the magazine’s annual round-up of the year’s most exciting wines, the 2008 Shafer Relentless Napa Valley, a blend of Syrah and Petite Syrah, was ranked the highest at 96 points for its “muscle, density, richness and range of flavor.”
Nipping close behind the heels of the US wine, meanwhile, is a 2010 Château de St.-Cosme Grenache blend – 60 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah, 18 percent Mourvedre, 2 percent Cinsault — which received a score of 95 points and is best consumed between 2015 to 2030. Rounding out the magazine’s top five list for 2012, meanwhile, is a $69 Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2010 from Two Hands; Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos des Papes for $128; and a $60 2009 Sauternes from Château Guiraud.
Here are the best 10 wines deemed the year’s most exciting, by wine producer and wine:
1. Shafer, Relentless Napa Valley 2008, US, $60
2. Château de St. –Cosme, Gigondas 2010, France $41
3. Two Hands, Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2010, Australia, $69
4. Close des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010, France, $128
5. Château Guiraud, Sauternes 2009, France, $60
6. Château Léoville Barton, St. – Julien 2009, France $105
7. Shea, Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Shea Vineyard Estate 2009, US, $40
8. Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve 2009, US, $45
9. Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Brunello di Montalcino 2007, Italy, $60
10. Achával-Ferrer, Malbec Mondoza Finca Bella Vista 2010, Argentina, $120
