Wine Spectator December 31, 2003

Matt Kramer: My Wines of the Year (8 wines chosen)

Every wine lover ought to take stock of his or her wine year. Such an annual personal inventory reminds you of just how many different wines get sluiced down the gullet in a year's time. This past year has been a major California moment, as I've been doing extensive research there. So I've discovered new (to me) wines and have come to appreciate yet again how quickly change occurs in California. I've looked over my notes and concluded that the following bottles are my "wines of the year." For me, a wine has to deliver real originality not just intellectually but at some atavistic level where you sense that the earth speaks.

Smith-Madrone Dry Rieslings:
Another vertical tasting opportunity. California dry riesling is nobody's idea of a cult wine. And few would think of Napa Valley's Spring Mountain District as a choice Riesling location. Yet brothers Stu and Charles Smith are believers. So much so that we tasted 17 vintages of their estate-grown Riesling, back to 1977. And the oldest ones were among the best--which isn't always the case in California winemaking. These are superb dry Rieslings, with a textural density and lipsmacking earthiness rarely seen outside of Alsace.