For the SOMM TV Team, a year of filming means a year of stories and behind every story, there is a bottle. It was no easy task to pick our favorite wines of the year. Anyone who loves this world knows that situations, company, and even the food can influence how the drinker feels about a particular glass of wine. This list represents not just our favorite bottles, but also some of our favorite stories that came to SOMM TV in 2020 and many that will come in 2021.
We wish you all happiness and many great glasses of wine in the new year!
40. 2019 Cote des Roses Rosé
A simple, but solid wine that became my go-to “house wine” for 2020. This wine is from a great producer and is worth every penny. Thank you for getting me through this year.
-Christina Wise (SOMM TV Co-Founder Lead & Producer)
39. 2005 Pursued by Bear
We were lucky to taste the 2005 vintage of Pursued by Bear while filming with the winery’s owner Kyle MacLachlan and his friend Joel McHale for “Drink a Bottle.” The fact that Washington makes fantastic wines for the price is no longer a secret, but this wine was way above expectations. Only beginning to touch the perfect drinking stage, this was the wine of the day that included top-notch Bordeaux, Spanish, and American classics. This is one of the stands out wines of the state and proof of how well they can age under the right hands. One of the best wines of 2020.
-Nadine Nettmann (SOMM TV Producer & Editorial Director)
38. 2018 Eden Rift Terraces Pinot Noir
Possibly one of the most magical estates in California and the definition of a "hidden gem." Their Pinot Noir made from a few blocks of steeply terraced vineyards produces some of my favorite California Pinot Noir.
-Carlos Bradley (Director & Cinematographer of SOMM TV Harvest Series)
37. Orion by Oscar Maurer
Small family producer in Serbia, you can taste the passion, determination, and odds-defying-ness of following one’s own muse, in this case, ultra-historical Serbian wine.
-Steve Matthiasson (SOMM TV Cast Member)
36. NV Substance Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
MY GOD!!! I was fortunate to participate in a tasting during this year’s Le Fete du Champagne. My Oh My, this reductive style stole my soul! This was hands down, THE BEST champagne I have ever tasted in my entire life. To hear Anslem speak with Peter Lim about how influenced he has been by Lopez de Heredia, my all-time favorite Spanish producer was the icing on the cake. HANDS DOWN, the best Champagne I’ve ever tasted …. EVER!
-Shakera Jones (SOMM TV Cast Member)
Learn about Champagne in Laura Fiorvanti's "Master Experience"
35. 2018 Beaux Frères Chardonnay
I had the pleasure of visiting Beaux Frères recently, and was absolutely blown away by this Chardonnay! I have long enjoyed this famous Willamette Valley producer’s elegant Pinot Noirs, but this Chardonnay was something really special – and this is only their second vintage of producing this wine!
-Claire Coppi (SOMM TV Cast Member)
34. 2016 Antoine Jobard Meursault Blagny 1er Cru
My favorite white Burgundy of the year. Those who know me know I love my white Burgundies and I like them relatively young and fresh. I have a bottle left to try when it has some age on it.
-Diane Carpenter (SOMM TV Co-Founder)
33. 2020 Pilcrow, Hilliwalker, Mt Veeder, Napa Valley
Yeah, it’s still fizzy and resting in a barrel, but in my 23 years in the Napa Valley, no vintage has ever been as challenging as this one. Fire, pandemic, fire, smoke, small yields, drought conditions, damn near everything you could worry about happened. Yet, this dry-farmed, biodynamically grown, non-tilled, non-hedged vineyard came through it all with some of the most spectacular fruit my wife and I could have hoped for. These vines—and this wine—remind me of what is so wonderful about this tucked-away corner of the earth. Maybe it’ll be our 1969 Chappellet? Fingers crossed.
-Jonah Beer (SOMM TV Cast Member and Host of Hidden Stories of Napa Podcast)
32. 2019 Ross Knoll Vineyard Rosé of Calera Cuvée Kimmie
From my passion project Vineyard, a wine we made for our daughter's wedding. We had to downsize the wedding from 250 guests to just 20 but the evening was super special and many guests joined by Zoom. Sign of the times. The emotions behind this wine are personal to our family and we felt those emotions on this special day.
-Diane Carpenter (SOMM TV Co-Founder)
31. 2016 Tiganello
Back in June, my good friend Bianca Vierra came on Blind Tasting Sessions with me and blinded me on a TOP Italian wine: Tiganello. I thought it was Bordeaux! I was BLOWN AWAY. She opened the 2016 vintage and it truly knocked my socks off! Cannot wait to track down another bottle and have it with a serious pasta meal.
-Matthew Kaner (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of History of Wine Podcast)
30. 2017 Nuits-St-Georges ROUGE
On Thanksgiving this year me and my two close friends had Peking Duck and Peking Chicken (NO TURKEY) so we had to pair the perfect wines. One of which was an all-time producer, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (PYCM for short) - I was able to get my hands on ONE bottle of the 2017 Nuits-St-Georges ROUGE and boy was it singing with the food! Tart cherry and cranberry fruit, a hint of truffle, fresh potting soil. I'm salivating thinking about this wine. For a producer famous for their white wines, this was a very special first experience with his red.
-Matthew Kaner (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of History of Wine Podcast)
29. 2017 L’ Artishasic 'Lagier-Meredith Vineyard’ Syrah
A dear friend and family Artie Johnson has been at this winemaking thing for the last 5 vintages, and his wines keep getting better and better. He is student of producers, he is a student of vineyards, and more importantly a pupil who keeps asking questions. This is his best Syrah, and easily one of the top 10 made in Cali right now. Easily. His wines will one day, SOON, be a benchmark for Syrah in the Western Hemisphere.
-DLynn Proctor (SOMM TV Cast Member)
28. 2016 Clos Electrique by Cameron
Clos Electrique by Cameron, one of our favorite Chardonnays from any continent, the apogee of craftsmanship in viticulture and winemaking, incredibly balanced yet totally alive, the holy grail to find both of those features of wine greatness in the same wine.
-Steve Matthiasson (SOMM TV Cast Member)
27. 2014 Jamet Cote Rotie
This wine was memorable for many reasons 1. It was delicious. 2. I got to share it with my good friend Jeff Fisher 3. He blinded me on it on camera and I nailed it (and the white if your keeping score) The background was pretty epic too…Outside, high above Los Angeles, Air Brushed Horses Galloping in the back ground, you get the vibe. It was also a delicious redemption after the blood bath at The Oyster House with Baxter (I mean 1992 Kistler Chard and 1997 Mayacamas Merlot).
-Sabato Sagaria (SOMM TV Cast Member)
26. 2001 Schramsberg
When the Glass Fire broke out, we evacuated at 4:30am and went to the Matthiassons. What started out as a stressful morning, turned into a day filled with friends and camaraderie. I'm a huge fan of sparkling wine and Steve opened this 2001 bottle he had been saving to share with the group. The wine had aged beautifully and had such depth to every sip. It was such a treasured moment in the midst of the chaos that day.
-Nadine Nettmann (SOMM TV Producer & Editorial Director)
25. 2001 Domaine Meo-Camuzet, Echezeaux ‘Les Rouges du Bas’
Not only is Jean-Nicolas Meo one of my favorite vignerons in all of the Cote, he is a wonderful person and a good friend. And I got to share this bottle with some great friends—including the incomparable DLynn Proctor—in New York City in early March just before the world’s population found itself separated from all its friends. The wine was spectacular, but the fact it was *shared* with others is what made it so memorable. Wine truly is meant to be shared.
-Jonah Beer (SOMM TV Cast Member)
24. 2010 Mugnier, Les Amoureuses
In February I took first trip to Burgundy in almost 20 years. For me this was one of those wines that I will remember for a lifetime and a reminder of how magical Burgundy can be. Unbeknownst to me this would be the last international trip I would be taking for quite some time. Here’s to getting to use our passports again in 2021.
-Sabato Sagaria (SOMM TV Cast Member)
23. 1999 Bernard Levet “La Chavaroche” Côte-Rôtie
I am a huge fan of Syrah from Côte-Rôtie, but this was my first introduction to the phenomenal wines of Bernard Levet. I shared this bottle this past summer with a dear friend and co-worker from my time at République. The wine was mind-blowingly layered and stunning. We were both so bummed to not be at the restaurant working together anymore, but sharing this bottle definitely helped ease the pain!
-Claire Coppi (SOMM TV Cast Member)
22. 2008 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
The first bottle I popped with a small (safe group of friends) the Saturday it was finally announced that President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris would be taking office in January. The bottle delivered everything we needed and more. The sheer tenacity of Madame Clicquot and her story were perfect for the moment!
-Shakera Jones (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of A Glass for Every Palate Podcast)
Learn about Champagne in Laura Fiorvanti's "Master Experience"
21. 2011 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin
These are the wines that I drank with friends the night the results of the presidential election were (finally) called. A champagne Cuvée named for a groundbreaking, trail-blazing, ceiling shattering woman, so celebrate our new vice president-elect and a bottle of Burgundy from one of my favorite producers. Not a particularly noteworthy vintage, and just a little village wine, but so, so delicious.
-Jill Zimorski (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of Reading & Drinking Podcast)
This winemaker and wine can be seen in our first film: SOMM
20. 2005 Kings Mountain - Meritage
This wine is so unbelievably good. And what makes it even more special, is once their Meritage sells out, it will literally be impossible to get. The small boutique producer doesn't make Meritage anymore as it now focuses solely on Pinot Noir. This Santa Cruz mountain blend of all 5 Bordeaux varieties is life-changing! It could stand proudly against any esteemed Bordeaux any day!
-Carlos Bradley (Director & Cinematographer of SOMM TV Harvest Series)
You can see this bottle in our upcoming series
”Tastings”
19. 2008 Rosado R. Lopez de Heredia
I'm always a huge fan of R. Lopez de Heredia (see our episode of Winery Tours where we feature the winery in Haro - Rioja, Spain!) and this summer I was able to get my hands on bottles of the 2008 and 2009 Rosado! I opened them side by side and boy are they special! Maria-Jose ages her rosés for 10 years, we have to be so damn patient because these are the unsung heroes of rosé! Classic Tempranillo texture with aromas of rose petals and a hint of fresh red fruit! These can age another decade! MIND-BLOWING.
-Matthew Kaner (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of History of Wine Podcast)
You can explore the incredible cellars of Lopez de Heredia in our "Legends of the Vine" episode on the owner Maria Lopez.
18. 2007 Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mensil
I had the pleasure of sharing this wine virtually doing NYC Champagne week. Blew my mind. This bottle gave everything I love, and so many things from Champagne, particularly from this region. This drank beautifully. Bright, complex notes of citrus and minerality cloaked in silky, lees-y greatenss
-Shakera Jones (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of A Glass for Every Palate Podcast)
Explore more Sparkling Wines and Champagnes
17. 1992 Torrontés from Etchart
In early march of 2020 before the world shut down in Buenos Aires, I drank a wine I still cannot believe. It changed everything I thought about a region and especially a grape I never gave any consideration. It was a 1992 Torrontés from Etchart. Incredibly complex, amazing acid and delicious beyond belief. This bottle is a reminder that we know nothing about wine.
-Jason Wise (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Director of SOMM Trilogy)
See this exact wine in "Blind Tasting Sessions season 2: Argentina with two of the country's top sommeliers facing off against each other.
16. Zulal Areni - Armenia
Areni, an ancient variety, got goosebumps tasting one of the oldest grape varieties in the world, and it was so complex and restrained, makes you wonder how awesome the wines were back in the day.
-Steve Matthiasson (SOMM TV Cast Member)
See this wine in our "Armenian wine live tasting" on SOMM TV.
15. Vega Sicilia Unico 2008
This was the closing night at Gotham Bar and Grill and also represented a (hopefully temporary) end to restaurants as we know them. I had just flown in from being on the road for the past 3 weeks and the next day NYC closed down due to COVID 19. That night we saw NYC celebrate an institution in the pantheon of NYC restaurants, and from the looks inside you would have had no idea we were on the precipice of a Global Pandemic overtaking our country. This is what it must have felt like in the dining room on the Titanic, the night they hit the iceberg. We did our best to help the team minimize the number of bottles they would have to pack up in their cellar and ended up drinking very well that night. While the wines were epic, what stands out in hind site is that I couldn’t taste them. At that time, I thought it was due to fatigue from traveling, but several weeks later they announced that loss of taste was a symptom of COVID, and then went on to test positive for antibodies it all made sense. This is a meal I will remember for years to come and it is not because of what was on the plate or in my glass but it was truly memorable due to the sum of its parts. I’m not sure where I file my absentee palate ballot but I’d like to “revisit” that flight.
-Sabato Sagaria (SOMM TV Cast Member)
Travel to this historic gem of Spanish wine in our
"Winery Tour" of Vega Sicilia
14. 1996 Frog’s Leap Zinfandel
Every time I dive into old Zinfandel, especially from classic producers who are hell-bent on doing things their own way, I can always tell myself to expect the unexpected. John Williams and Jonah Beer craft an amazing Claret-style Zin which channels a Napa not seen since the 60’s and 70’s. It makes you think, it makes you want more, it makes you want more of Napa to return to this.
-DLynn Proctor (SOMM TV Cast Member)
This bottle is featured in "Drink A Bottle" with DLynn Proctor and Jonah Beer
13. Domaine René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2001
Stored and drank beautifully, almost ageless. We shared it with our good friends Piya and Lakshmann Charanjiva at a restaurant in Naples when restaurants were at 25% capacity. Our good friends and proprietors of Bleu Provence, Naples, set a table for us on the patio where, just 3 months into Covid, we finally got to spend an evening with friends.
-Diane Carpenter (SOMM TV Co-Founder)
Explore the wines of the Northern Rhone in our Closer Look episode on the region
12. 1980 Beringer Cab
We drank it for my husband's 40th birthday in March at the start of lockdown. It was so smooth with wonderful notes of eucalyptus. We intended to share with friends and family but I'll admit I was okay it was just the two of us.
-Christina Wise (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Lead Producer)
Learn more about Old Napa Cab in our Verticals series
11. 1999 Cobos Malbec
This bottle was a once-in-a-lifetime treat! Opened by an absolute legend while filming for their new Verticals episode, and quite frankly a bottle that changed the landscape for Malbec in Argentina.
-Carlos Bradley (Director & Cinematographer of SOMM TV Harvest Series)
You can see this bottle in season 2 of our acclaimed original series "Verticals”
10. 1970 Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet
This Judgment of Paris wine never left the domaine, and was in perfect condition. I would never have thought it was even close to 50 years old. We drank this while filming the feature documentary about The Judgment of Paris.
-Jackson Myers (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Cinematographer)
You can see this bottle in our upcoming
SOMM Film: The Judgment of Paris
9. 2011 DRC Échézeaux(Bottle # 02105)
In the middle of the summer (June to be exact), which is my birthday month, as the world has finally come to grips with the fact that this pandemic isn’t leaving anytime soon, a dear friend Cory Lipoff ships me a bottle of one of my favorite not so popular vintages of Burg(yeah yah yah, I love 11’). We hop onto zoom and literally drink each our own bottle of Ech. We talked about Aubert, and Henri, and Rouget, and all of the greats in the Vosne, as well as our trips together to Beaune, La Morra, and Florence over the years. Most important bottle and convo this year!
-DLynn Proctor (SOMM TV Cast Member)
See this wine in our second film "SOMM: Into the Bottle"
8. 1979 Spring Mountain
Sitting inside Chateau Chevalier, a ghost winery, with Jason Wise, Keith Baker, and Alex McCourt recording a podcast while the sunlight dissapeared, we drank this 1979 wine. Not only was the wine wonderful with its 41 years and had so many great notes, but the moment surrounding it was so eerie and so amazing.
-Nadine Nettmann (SOMM TV Producer & Editorial Director)
You can see this bottle in our upcoming original show "Tastings" in the premiere episode about Spring Mountain Vineyards
7. 1977 Novaj Hungarian Merlot
This was a bottle that I was so lucky to share with Jeff Porter on SommTV. This was a wine unlike anything I have ever tasted before! How often do you get a chance to taste a bottle- aged, Soviet-era, Hungarian Merlot, with residual sugar? It was so uniquely delicious, and the history behind the bottle just made me nerd out on it that much more!
-Claire Coppi (SOMM TV Cast Member)
This bottle can be seen in our "Drink a bottle" episode
6. 2000 Krug Clos d'Ambonnay
I have worked with the champagnes of Krug as part of my job for years but even then this is not a wine I, or really anyone gets to taste much if at all. I was volunteering as a Sommelier at a big wine event in Florida in January and was working a dinner where Olivier Krug was one of the guest winery hosts. Olivier is so funny and kind and I love the champagnes and this was the 20th anniversary of the event, and this is a 20-year-old Champagne. I adore mature champagne and this is a rare bird; in a category of wines that are inherently defined by blends, this is a single variety, single vineyard, single vintage champagne. It was incredibly special.
-Jill Zimorski (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of Reading & Drinking Podcast)
Learn about Champagne in “A Closer Look at Champagne” episode 1
5. 1969 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
About 15 years ago I co-founded a small, informal support group of fellow General Managers running wineries in the Napa Valley. We gather every-other month to help each other out with challenges we face and share best-practices. Sounds boring, but the wines are always outstanding. In February Stu Harrison, former GM of Continuum, brought this bottle to a dinner. It sat next to 1999 Gaja, 1996 Napa Wine Co, 2009 Pontet-Canet, and 1978 Georges de Latour and it shined so brightly that everything else faded away.
-Jonah Beer (SOMM TV Cast Member & Host of Hidden Stories of Napa Podcast)
4. 1973 Dom Ruinart
Old Champagne isn't normally my thing, but this still had effervescence to it and was delicious. We also got to drink it in Napa, with friends, one of the few times we ate out & traveled.
-Christina Wise (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Lead Producer)
See the incredible caves of Ruinart in our Winery Tour episode about Domain Ruinart and in our second SOMM Film: Into the Bottle.
3. 1936 Martinelli Zinfandel from Jackass Hill
This wine was resting in the Martinelli family's dusty home cellar and had so many stories to tell, once opened. An 80+ year-old table wine that still had life and drinkability in it. This wine changed my opinion about the potential of Zinfandel.
-Jackson Myers (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Cinematographer)
You can see this incredible bottle in our upcoming "Verticals" season 2: Martinelli Family episode
2. 1970 Mayacamas Cabernet
I am choosing the 1970 Mayacamas Cabernet. Often overshadowed by the ‘71 that was included in the Judgment of Paris, the 1970 Mayacamas is the best Napa Cabernet I have ever tasted. You can watch it opened it in the Mayacamas verticals episode coming to SOMM TV.
-Jason Wise (SOMM TV Co-Founder & Director)
You can see this bottle in the upcoming season 2 premiere of our acclaimed original series "Verticals"
1824 Madeira
An 1824 Madeira, need we say more? The oldest wine each of us has ever tasted and it was alive and full of energy. Nearly 200 years of waiting and it still sang, with notes of caramel jumping out of the glass. This bottle was absolutely perfect, and an example of how insanely well this wine can age and how lucky anyone is to get to try something with this kind of history.
-Nadine, Jackson & Jason