I deliberated for a long time over this list; struggling = with how to objectively choose my top nine, and finally threw objectivity out the window. I've had an incredibly blessed year. Why not let my top nine reflect that? I started in Australia, where I had the distinct privilege of being a part of the winemaking team at Torbreck Vintners, arguably the most famous and respected winery in Australia. I finished my year in the Northern Rhone in France, at Domaine Jean-Louis Chave in Hermitage, one of the most revered domaines in the world. My ten wines will be completely egocentric, and my selections will exactly mirror my journey around the globe this year, including a winetasting trip to California. I will try to represent both steals and splurges, but my list will ultimately reflect quality. I will follow each selection with either 'Splurge' or 'Steal.' Okay, let's start in Australia.

Sons of Eden Zephyrus 2007, Barossa Valley, South Australia

It's funny how the world works. Corey Ryan, one of the head winemakers at my first vintage-abroad-job at Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, was originally from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. I had first tasted the Zephyrus in New Zealand, after Corey returned from a trip home with a bottle. The quality blew me away, and I thirsted for more. One year later I found myself working for Torbreck, just down the road from the origin of that bottle, a winery he co-owns with a man named Simon Cowham, called Sons of Eden. Co-incidentally, one of my dearest friends, a winemaker from Slovenia, had been recruited to be their vintage winemaker for 2009. Okay, so it sounds like a love-fest all around, but the wine spoke so loudly for itself, that I now consider it one of the top small-producers I have ever tasted. This particular blend is predominantly Eden and Barossa Valley Syrah with five percent Barossa Valley Viogner. Like it's Cote-Rotie predecessors, it is co-fermented, which means that the Syrah and Viogner are blended right after picking, and allowed to undergo fermentation in the same tank, creating a more harmonious blend. It then spends eighteen months in thirty percent new American oak and seventy percent neutral. The nose is elegant and floral; the aromatics are predominantly thanks to the more feminine Eden Valley fruit. Licorice and soft black forest fruit dominate in the mouth, with excellent acid balance. The tannin structure is firm, yet very fine. Toasted, sweet vanilla is merely an accompanying spice rather than a major player. Drink now or in the next five years. Steal.
Check out some wines from Barossa Valley, available for shipping.

Torbreck The Steading 2006 Barossa Valley, South Australia

The Steading is Torbreck's old world-style 'GSM', standing for the southern Rhone staples, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, or, in Australia, Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro. What I always remember best about this wine is its nose. It's Burgundian style is introduced with aromas of earth and truffle. On the pallet ripe fruit and cedar are supported with such healthy acidity and robust tannins that it is clear this wine will age beautifully. I've tasted vintages as far back as 2002, which was an absolute delight and clearly still had many years left. In fact, the '02 that I tasted was at an end-of-vintage luncheon with the founder and head winemaker of Torbreck, David Powell. David is known for not-skimping when it comes to ordering wine, and the array of bottles on the table looked like a who's who of the Rhone Valley and Burgundy, including all three of Guigal's single vineyard haute cuvees. Still, it was the Steading that stood out and had us all talking. The 2006 shows such promise. It is both spicy and floral on the nose, with that same distinctive earthy quality. More just-turned-earth mingles with cherry and elegant cedar on the palette. The tannins are generous and ripe, and the finish long and Burgundian. Dave is famous for saying this is his favorite every-day wine, the wine he opens and never fails to finish, whether entertaining, or cooking for himself, glass in hand. I second that. Steal.
Check out some wines from Barossa Valley, available for shipping.

Tin Shed Wild Bunch Riesling 2008,  Barossa Valley, South Australia

Tucked away in the Barossa Valley is a restaurant called Vintners Bar and Grill. It is one of those gems I love to discover in a wine region, the kind with a head chef or owner passionate about combining fresh local ingredients with local wine. Peter Clarke, part-owner and head chef of Vintner's is also the proprietor and winemaker of Tin Shed Wines. One rainy day at the restaurant, Peter himself opened a bottle of his 2002 Wild Bunch Riesling. To this day it holds the distinction of being one of two New World Rieslings that I consider to be on par with some of the best German rieslings in the world. (The other is by Smith-Madrone Vineyards in Napa Valley.) When I very recently tasted the 2008 version I knew it had secured a spot on this list. Floral aromas of honey suckle mingle with stone on this austere nose. The palette bursts with lemon and lime, but again, it is minerality that dominates. Acidity is lively and the finish dry. Living and working in a wine region means inevitably stumbling on small quality-driven producers that define the region and exemplify passion for good wine instead of fame. Peter Clarke and Tin Shed shine in this arena, quietly producing stunners. For a similarly eye-opening, palette popping experience, try their Single-Wire shiraz. Steal.
Check out some wines from Barossa Valley, available for shipping.

Ashton Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Finding Ashton Hills is not for the faint of heart, or the easily car-sick. Just ask my friend Emily, who spent our tasting appointment with her head firmly lodged between her knees, trying desperately to recover from the winding switch-backs leading to the tiny domain at the peak of the Adelaide Hills. Stephen George, Australian legend, owner, winemaker and viticulturist, makes a mere 200 cases of Pinot Noir per year, from 15 different clones. His wife, the wonderfully warm and intelligent Peta Van Rood, poured for us herself, and watched with a twinkle in her eye, as those of us who had never experienced the stuff, swirled, sniffed, and swooned. The nose was subtle and earthy, reminiscent of Burgundy. Savory black-cherry dominated the palette, with perfectly integrated vanilla. The thing I remember most was a silky smooth mouth-feel for a full-bodied pinot-noir. The finish was dry and tight, which I expect has already softened significantly since my tasting. Throughout the tasting Peta regaled us with witty anecdotes about her husband's obsession with his search for the perfect Pinot-Noir clone, but her love for him and their wine shone from her eyes. Sadly, I learned that she passed away in her sleep a mere month after our tasting with her. I feel enormous gratitude for having experienced her bright spirit and dedication to her husband and their vineyards before her passing. I am certain that her spirit lives on in the joint labor of love that is their wine. Steal.
Check out some wines from Adelaide Hills, available for shipping.

Four Vines Louis Cypher 2007, Westside Paso Robles, Central Coast, California

In between 2009 vintage jobs in Australia and France I had the opportunity to visit Paso Robles, California, which had actually been my home for a short time before I started my travels. It is also where I first became intimately acquainted with Rhone varietals. Paso, one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world, lies on the central coast, and has lately been making a name for itself as one of the top new world producers of Rhone inspired reds and whites. Four Vines, one of the most recognizable names from Paso, boasts a young, enigmatic winemaker named Christian Tietje. If I had to sum him up in one sentence, I would say,
"He is not afraid to take risks."
His winemaking style is bold, yet refined. While tasting through his wines this past August, two wines were easily my favorite. He has always been known for his Zinfandel, but has recently garnered major acclaim for his Syrah. Sure enough, his Syrah boasted earthy tones, depth, and complexity so often lacking in new world Syrah. However, imagine my surprise when my favorite wine hailed not from my favorite grape, but from nine varietals, predominantly Portuguese, with a healthy dose of Carignan. It's a wild-card named the Louis Cypher, and it belongs to a line of wines aptly named, 'The Freakshow.' It's a baby. Don't get me wrong, if you are looking for something easy-drinking and simple, go elsewhere. If a nose dominated by spice and cedar and balanced by funk, ripe red fruit and earth interests you, pull up a stool. In the mouth it is huge and young and tannic. It is that tannin structure, balanced by perfect acidity, that bodes well for the aging of this wine. It is the never-ending finish, however, with a bevy of flavors jousting harmoniously, that is the element I cannot forget. I would love to buy a case of this wine, and to open one bottle per year, for the next twelve years, as I believe the metamorphosis will be unforgettable. Steal.
Check out some wines from Central Coast, California, available for shipping.

Huet Le Haut-Lieu Vouvray Demi-Sec 2008, Vouvray, Loire Valley, France

Ahhh, Vouvray. A tiny village in the Loire near and dear to my heart. It's unequivocal star is Huet. I had the unusual pleasure of tasting there this summer with four of my siblings in tow. Sure, I dragged them there, but I'm pretty certain that in the end each found an appreciation for the delicate nectar. In fact, I'm pretty sure Keegan, the youngest of my siblings in attendance at fourteen, (don't worry, mom, he spit!), successfully employed the 'nuances of Vouvray' in a subsequent conversations to score a Friday-night date. Success Vouvray holds the distinction of being one of the only appellations that benefited from the erratic weather patterns that plagued all of France in 2008. It was a later harvest than the region had seen in 10 years, with a perfectly dry late season that concentrated the existing fruit. For Vouvray, best expressed in its sweeter forms, it was the perfect season for producing the demi-sec style, but lower yields means there won't be much of it. At our tasting, one demi-sec stood out. The 2008 Le Haut-Lieu was, in my opinion, the perfect expression of its vintage. The nose was classic Vouvray: lemon, fresh citrus and lyncher, but with a surprising hint of vanilla. Wonderfully bright fruit and delicate florals are soft and round in the mouth, and the healthy acidity of 2008 is ever-present. The finish is delicate but persistent, with a touch of butterscotch. I can't wait to taste this wine in five years. Splurge.

Pierre Gonon St Joseph Blanc Les Oliviers 2007, Northern Rhone, France

Just down the road from Domaine JL Chave, the Gonon brothers have been hand-crafting both red and white St. Joseph from a mere nine hectares since before the appellation was named in 1965. I first had the pleasure of tasting their latest white while lunching at Le Chaudron, what quickly became my favorite restaurant in Tournon, France. We were six, including Jean-Louis Chave, his wife Erin, and Shane, Jean-Louis' Australian assistant winemaker. It was all very French; we were greeted by the owners and introduced, after-which cheek-kisses abounded. An aperitif and healthy dose of conversation were called for before taking our seats, and the owner uncorked and poured a bottle of Pierre Gonon's Les Oliviers. A blend of eighty percent Marsanne and twenty percent Roussanne, the golden-hued St. Joseph blanc is all apricot and lemon on the nose, with a hint of freshly cut grass. In the mouth apricot reappears and mingles with quince, honeysuckle, and almond, cut by a stony minerality. Strikingly round in body, and both creamy and viscous in texture, white burgundy comes to mind. Present but not over-powering acidity is perfectly balanced, and the finish is persistent. Only 900 cases are produced every year from perhaps the most underrated star of the Rhone. Steal.

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 2006, Hermitage, Northern Rhone, France

Hermitage Blanc holds a special place in my heart. Made of Roussane and or Marsanne, it typically has a very distinctive slightly oxidative quality to the nose, and full big bodied fruit flavor on the palette. It can handle new oak, and ages beautifully. This past September, just one week after starting work at Domaine Jean Louis Chave, we were wrapping up a particular grueling day long after night-fall and Jean-Louis himself summoned me from the cave. He asked if I was interested in joining the team and tasting the recently bottled, not-yet-released 2007 Hermitage Blanc.
"Yes, please."
"Should we open the 2006 and compare the two?"
"Umm, is this a trick question?"
The team gathered and the cork popped. It's hard to describe the feeling of a shared bottle at the end of a particularly exhausting day during vintage, but there have been few things in my life more rewarding. When the bottle is great, the experienced is thus heightened. In this particular instance, my first experience with the appellation's white spoiled me forever. The 2006 was opened first. Flowers and stone fruit co-mingled with honeysuckle. So many ripe fruit flavors jumped from the glass that I had a difficult time distinguishing between nuances. Perhaps melon, perhaps, peach, but ripe is the key-word here. On the palette, a roasted chestnut quality brought me to the streets of New York during winter, and then led to full-bodied, powerful ripe fruit that came to an intense and sharply focused point. A buttery-rich finish left me wanting more, like no other white I had ever tasted. The 2007 followed, and wowed the team, but I'll save the distinction of one of the top three whites I have ever tasted for the 2006. Thank you, Jean-Louis. Definite splurge.

Auguste Clape Cornas 2007, Cornas, Northern Rhone, France

If the appellations of the Northern Rhone were a nuclear family, Hermitage would be the austere father, Crozes-Hermitage his adopted son bearing no family resemblance, Cote Rotie the uber-feminine yet assertive mother, Condrieu the flaxen haired sister, St. Joseph the under-appreciated brother just reaching his growth-spurt, and Cornas the dark and brooding rebellious big-brother. The wines of Cornas are tannic powerhouses,typically ink-black and enormous, The iconic Auguste Clape is by far the unofficial king of Cornas. I had the pleasure of tasting with not only him, but his son Olivier, the heir to the Clape dynasty and now the head-winemaker. We started with the 2008, still in foudre and astonishingly good for a notoriously bad vintage in the northern Rhone. Next came 2009, or what had finished fermentation and been transferred to foudre, and all I can say is, get your hands on this wine, as soon as it is available. Now allow me a slight deviation, as the finished wine I include on this list is not the new released 2007, but my personal favorite from an outstanding tasting, the 2006. On the nose I found licorice, cassis, cherry and plum. The palette, while hugely tannic, and almost chewable, is dominated by black raspberries and more black cherry, and stands out for having the most concentrated fruit flavor I have ever experienced. The finish never finishes. Don't even think about touching this wine for at least ten years, but, if you do, decant, decant, decant. Splurge.

Thank you for accompanying me on a journey of my top nine wines of 2009. As I sat and wrote, I thought how I'd love to re-live all of these experiences, as they were all infinitely positive and pallet-expanding. I think, however, that the Bhuddist in me actually prefers to live in the moment, and continue to experience new wines in this fashion, while simultaneously trying these wines at a different, more mature stage in their lives. It is this element, after all, that makes wine a living, breathing thing, and as personal as a memory. May all of your wine-drinking experiences in 2010 be extremely personal, and as subjective as possible. Cheers.