Happy New Year!!!!  Yes, I know that 2012 is already well underway and, no, I didn’t just awake from a post-Christmas, Rip Van Winkle-like slumber to discover the New Year’s Day fanfare had already arrived and left town.   My apologies to y’all, but it seems that the current blog posting lineup had me on hiatus during the final week of '11.  So I’m a little behind in wishing everyone all the best.  

Anyway, what better way to celebrate the first “week” of the New Year than to recall one more golden nugget from the recently departed Old Year: my list of the Top 5 most exquisite new wines tasted by yours truly during 2011! (Go ahead and admit it, you were waiting with bated breath, weren’t you?)  :-)

Without further ado (drum roll please), here’s my semi-professional and completely biased opinion:

5) Cave de Rasteau Cote du Rhone Rosé Les Rastellans 2010

Dry rosés from the south of France are all the rage lately, especially here in Florida.  They offer wine lovers the perfect combination of refreshment, flavor intensity and food pairing flexibility.  They're terrific values as well and this wine is no exception.  I had an opportunity to visit this well-run cooperative in Rasteau and tour its vineyards back in 2005.

4) Cicchitti Malbec Emkem Mendoza 2006

Malbec is the crown jewel of red grapes in Argentina and this delicious wine is representative of the best from the Mendoza region: violet aromas, rich plum-skin fruit with the unique warm fig sauce mid-palate that is Mendoza Malbec’s calling card.  It received a 90 point rating from the Wine Advocate.

3) Bodegas Altanza Lealtanza Rioja Reserva Especial 2004

A sensational Rioja Reserva from a benchmark vintage, this wine will reward short-term cellaring.  The winery is located in Rioja Alta in the tiny village of Fuenmayor.  93 points, Wine Advocate

2) Finca Sandoval Salia 2008

I had the pleasure of tasting this wine with winemaker Victor de la Serna over a scrumptious lunch at Las Rejas Restaurante in La Mancha.  Not only is Señor de la Serna a very talented winemaker, he is also one of Spain’s most respected wine writers.  Salia is his entry level wine, and the 2008 (a blend of Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Grenache) is an amazing value.  90 points, Wine Advocate

1) Bodegas Godeval Vina Godeval Valdeorras 2010

For me personally, 2011 will always be the year I first experienced Godello.  It was a wine epiphany.  An obscure Galician white grape variety that was nearly extinct 40 years ago, Godello is an exotic riot of white stone fruits, pineapple, citrus, flowers and honey, all wrapped up in crisp, mouthwatering acidity, with a fine minerally spine to boot.  My kind of white wine!  Valdeorras is considered the best denominacion in Galicia for Godello and Bodegas Godeval is one of its pioneers.

New Zealand winemaker Alistair Gardner is making this luscious white wine from hillside fruit grown in metamorphic slate sub-soil.  The wine is steel tank fermented, with a portion allowed to rest on its lees. 91 points, Wine Advocate 

I have since had several other tasty Godellos from other producers in Spain.  Wine fans looking for a complex and versatile white should seek this grape out.

Here’s wishing everyone a belated, but Happy New Year!

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinejimg