I’m stealing this photo with full props to one Clayton James of Operation Eden, a blog dedicated to chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, because it is just so upliftingly beautiful. These are two Habitat for Humanity home recipients, Miss Suzie and Mr. Josh, who decided to marry after losing everything this September to the hurricane. Go visit Clayton’s site to read their wonderful story. And congratulations you crazy kids.

Top Ten Wines that I done drank this year:

Criteria = [enjoyment factor + flavor/value ratio] x 2%(intrinsic strangeness)

The experience of a wine, like psychoactive drugs, is all about set and setting. Some of these wines were momentous occasions in and of themselves,some just stuck with me, and some were just such a part of my table that I love them as if they were my own.

Amity Vineyards 2003 Estate Riesling - I was lucky enough to attend Pinot Camp this year and had a great time. But, I have to admit that too much young Pinot makes Maggie a very dull girl. So it was at a white wine seminar that I found my camp crush. This little queer Riesling from Myron of Amity Vineyards. Green, green, green, like green papaya salsa or kiwis. Aromatically perverse, smells coming at me like they were mixed by Beck. And a rich/light, delicately sweet/acidic balance that stood out in this crowd. That would stand out in any crowd.

Roagna 1993 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira Riserva - I call him the anti-Gaja. Where their paths diverged in the woods, Gaja went on for glory, money, fame, big-boobied ladies, and fast cars. Alfredo Roagna stayed pure, on the path of the righteous winemaker, the real Bad-ass Motherfucker. (that reference is for you Billie) There are no 5 star hotels along this road. No custom Armani suits or Russian models. But at the end of this road less travelled is the most hauntingly beautiful expression of the Nebbiolo grape I have ever known. Especially 1985, 1988, 1993, 1996.

1990 Krug Grand Annee - I know, I’m such a whore. I go on and on about grower-producer Champagne and then I say I love Krug. But Krug and I go way back, we’ve got history. I was 19. It was summer in Chicago…..but that’s another story…. And this wine was aided by a flawless anniversary dinner at Chez Shea in the Pike Place Market. And, it was the second best effort of 1990 Champagne. And haven’t I just tried them all? No, but I did taste 133 to date, to be exact.

Librandi 2000 Ciro Rosso Riserva Duca San Felice - OK, maybe it has something to do with riding horses through his olive groves in Ciro. Maybe not. 100% local Gaglioppo grapes. Earthy, leathery, sun-tanned red fruit. This wine, at around $15, was another one of those sleepers that would get all of the “big boys” talking at any private tasting I conducted. They’d go on and on and on about the complexity and depth and unique fruit profile. They almost seemed embarrassed when I told them the price. As if, how could they feel so strongly about a wine that costs less than a Jackson? Why, that would negate all of the over-priced crap in their cellars and throw into question their entire view of the wine world. Exactly. Fuckin’ A right.

Conte d’Attimis Maniago 2002 Merlot - From Friuli, this was a wonder of the wine world for me this year. Wasn’t anybody I recommended this wine to that didn’t return with a “Hell ya.” Forget your “favorite little Bordeaux.” This is now mine. There is just something about Merlot and Northern Italy for me. You get all the approachability of the right bank, with all the dusky, soft, gravelly characteristics of a St. Estephe.

Domaine Chiroulet “Les Terres Blanches” 2003 Côtes de Gascogne - Just the right amount of steely and pretty, from importer Charles Neal. This wine, from ugly duckling Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng, smells softly of lime, wild flowers and grasses and does all the things a good Frenchie Sauv Blanc can do, except it’s only $7. Anything with basil will bring out its herbaceous side. Anything salty will make its fruit more charming. This was my antipasto wine of the summer and I will miss it when it’s gone.

Vecchio Greppo 2003 Rosso del Salento - I can’t think of a year that a Salice Salentino or some such vino wouldn’t be in my top 10. I make it my mission to always have a stock of the wine on hand. For every day, it’s like a tender slap in the face of dried sour cherry spunkiness that plays nice with most foods, doesn’t demand much attention, and always gets high marks from guests. This has been one of my favorites from the region in many years. A whole lotta wine for $8.

Bonny Doon 2002 Il Circo “La Violetta” Uva di Troia - I love grapes that scream purple, Mourvedre, namely, but Uva di Troia most of all–because it also smells of violets. From a shit year, this is a more elegant wine than usual…if you’re into Chateauneuf and the like, this is your huckleberry.

Le Berceaux Blanquette de Limoux - Probably one of the best under $10 bubblies I’ve ever come across. And since my blood gases have to be about 50% from the sparkling wine that I drink, that’s saying volumes. “Blanquette” has become low-rent for “Cremant,” but who cares with this lemon creamy, softly dry and oh-so-light bubbly. This is how good Prosecco used to taste, when it was $9.

Oh wait, that’s only nine, you say? Yeah, well, I couldn’t include one more because it was a seven-way tie for tenth. So I’ll just stop right here and promise that on my honor, I will try, to do my duty, and review more wines in 2006.