A Top 100 Standout

The big news this Monday is that Wine Spectator has come out with its annual list of the Top 100 wines of the year. Making the list can be a big financial boon for the producers, and, as it’s nearly holiday season, it also tends to play a reasonably significant role in the gift-buying habits of many consumers.

The link to the Top 100 list is here, and if you’re interested in seeing how the wines get chosen, take a look at the video linked up right here. It's from 2006, but the process is the same today.

But the wine that really jumped out at me first on this year’s list is Number 2, the Bodega Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2005, an utterly delicious wine that always seems to be one of the best values out there, regardless of vintage. In fact, I posted a tasting video of the 2006 here on UncorkLife.com this past April and was extremely impressed with it. I’ll be tasting the 2007 soon, too, and will post my impressions of it here. But it’s a safe bet that it’ll be a winner and a heck of a bargain, just as it always seems to be.

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Healthy? Not Really. But You Can't Argue with Deliciousness...

More often than not, my dinner choices are determined by what wines I’ve tasted that day (assuming I’m not visiting a restaurant or teaching a wine class). Last night was no different.

I spent the entire day operating under the (perhaps foolish) assumption that I would be eating healthy for dinner. I had gazpacho in mind, perhaps some homemade guacamole—that sort of light fare.

But then I tasted the Termes 2006, and all of my healthy-living plans went out the window. As I noted on my tasting video yesterday, the wine screamed out for something grilled, something barbecued. So as soon as I finished posting the video, I hopped in the car, drove to my favorite bar, and ordered their baby back rib special.

The pairing was perfect: The charred bits of meat brought out the smokiness in the wine, the sweet – spicy barbecue sauce interacted beautifully with the wine’s rich, chewy fruit, and the tannic structure of the Termes stood up to the hearty meal with no problem at all.

So perhaps, as the cliché goes, my best laid plans were laid to waste. But the reality of the evening was too darn tasty to argue with.

And tonight? Leftovers!

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Bodega Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2006

Toro, west of Ribera del Duero and well southwest of Rioja, is one of the most exciting regions in Spain. In the video below, I taste the Bodega Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2006, a big, beautifully crafted wine that's not only magnificent now, but also promises several years of evolution...if you have the patience.

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