After five months and after more than 640 wines, QRW’s 27th Annual Best of The Best in California is completed. We tasted what we feel are most of the Best wines. Of course, this isn’t always possible. Some wines are not available because their scheduling productions come after tasting dates; some don’t have enough production to enter our tastings; some are simply not sent. We insist that the wines we taste be available at retail, at restaurants, or on-line. This means we don’t taste “trophy wines” — those fine but extraordinarily expensively unavailable wines (except by private subscription). In these perilous economic times, trophy wines seem an affront to economic and common sense. Since we can’t buy it and you can’t get it, we won’t taste it. The same is true of some quasi-cult but highly allocated wines. Invariably, we get e-mails and phone calls protesting this, claiming that, since we have not tasted the trophies or cults, we have not tasted the best. But to us the argument is still rather specious. Let’s face it: if you pay an enormous amount for a bottle of wine, it becomes more precious to you. You start fantasizing over it. It becomes something other than wine; it becomes something you’re unlikely even to open. Such people are vino voyeurs — wine collectors admiring their labels and themselves.

The Wines

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blends vintages are fabulous, better than the 2005s and comparable to the 2001s. They have enough tannin to cellar for several years. We found a number of Five-Star wines, with the usual names, like Caymus, HALL, and Insignia dominating. For those needing numbers, start at 95. (However, don’t miss our four-star selections, which are delicious and offer some superb values.)

2008 Merlot: For the last three out of four years, we refused to list any Merlot in Best of The Best because the quality wasn’t there. It still isn’t, and the five dozen we tasted did not measure up.

The 2008 Pinot Noir are very good. With our selections, the level of quality and depth are remarkable, and Belle Glos and Donum lead the way. As with all the wines on our list, they’re pricey, but Pinot Noir is hard to grow, the grape is fickle, and labor is intensive. Prices are certainly not going down.

2007/2008 Syrah and Zinfandel are very fine. The current vintages are luscious, spicy and filled with rich fruit and, most important, depth and finish. Shafer’s Relentless is the best Syrah; with Zins, new names made the Best list: Bella and Dutcher Crossing.

The 2008/2009 Chardonnay are very good. Finding top-notch Chardonnay, however, is no easy matter. The usual suspects don’t disappoint: Beringer, Chateau St. Jean, Merryvale, and Sonoma Coast Vineyards. We tasted eight dozen to discover just a handful that are splendidly superior.

2009 Sauvignon Blanc is something which has not always interested us. The wines have either been engaging or mundane. But the 2009 vintage is one of the best we’ve had in years. Generally, the wines have flavor and texture, and are much more than appetizer wines. Most of the best come from Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley. The best Sauvignon Blanc isn’t inexpensive: the Best of Show is Grgich Cellars, $42.

California Sparkling Wines. We once hoped that California sparkling wines would play a significant part in California’s wine future. It never happened. Nonetheless, Roederer’s L’Ermitage, Schramsberg and J. Schram — all 2002 vintages — are the best high-end bubblies that California has to offer, and we count them as fine as Champagnes.

Ratings/Designation

We don’t do numerical ratings at QRW, and we never have. It takes little imagination to understand where numerically these wines would be.

QRW designates its very best wine in each varietal with Best of Show. Then, we list those wines making Five-Star wines (“Outstanding”) with a definition of what constitutes a Five-Star selection. We also include Four-Star (“Excellent”) selections because they are quality driven wines, representing real value.

Note: Prices here are offered by the wineries and may vary from region to region.

— Richard L. Elia