This is going to be a year of great wine

The 2012 vintage in California, Washington and Oregon had nearly ideal growing conditions.
Producers are excited and major wine critics are rating the vintage from 92-97 points.
And not only was quality high, so was the quantity.
So that means there's going to be lots of great wine at all price levels for us to enjoy.
The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are being released now, and I have yet to taste a wine of questionable quality.
I imagine we will see similar quality from the wines that spend a little more time in the barrel and bottle, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Owner/winemaker, Adam Lee of Siduri visited Balaban's about a month ago with 9 different bottles of his Pinot Noir.
We tasted one outstanding wine after another and just gushed with excitement over how good everything was.
Geez! What a bunch of wine geeks.
I imagine the wines will only get better with some bottle age, but they are certainly excellent in their youth.
Here are a few 2012's that are new to Balabans:
Treasure Hunter Chardonnay, Russian River Valley - $17
Beringer Luminus Chardonnay, Napa Valley - $35
A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon - $20
Siduri Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma County - $42 (one of my favorites from the tasting)
So, stock up on these 2012's. It looks like the 2013 and 2014 vintages will be a bit more challenging.

Tom

Wine geek Adam Lee