Giant Steps and d’Arenberg rank in the Top 1% of wines tasted by Wine & Spirits Magazine’s tasting panel with their inclusion in the magazine’s list of 100 Wineries of the Year, 100 Best Wines of the Year, and 100 Best Buys of the Year, announced in the 13th Annual Buying Guide on September 18.
Old Bridge Cellars, recognized US sales, marketing and import specialist, announces that two wineries from their portfolio of artisanal, family-owned wine brands have been named among Wine & Spirits Magazine’s 100 Wineries of the Year for 2013. The historic d’Arenberg, from South Australia’s McLaren Vale region, and cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialist, Giant Steps, from Victoria’s Yarra Valley, were two of only five Australian wineries to be selected for this prestigious honor.
In addition, Giant Steps’ Applejack Pinot Noir 2012 (95 pts, $42) was named a 100 Best Wines of the Year, and d’Arenberg’s The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (92 pts, $17) was named a 100 Best Buys of the Year.
Each year, the Wine & Spirits panel tastes more than 12,500 wines, naming those brands with the most consistent performance and highest scores among their 100 Wineries of the Year. Joshua Greene, Wine & Spirits Editor and Publisher, noted these producers’ range of exceptional wines make them great ambassadors for their respective regions. Fewer than 1% of the wines tasted are named among the 100 Best Wines or 100 Best Buys, with Greene commenting on their ability to “tell a story as well as for overarching quality.”
Both d’Arenberg and Giant Steps will be present at Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 event in San Francisco on October 17 at the Metreon in San Francisco. The event, celebrating its 10th anniversary, showcases the 2 top wines from each of the 100 Wineries of the Year, alongside offering from San Franciscan fine food purveyors Hog Island Oyster Co, A16, Coqueta, Kika’s Treats, Socola Chocolatier, Sour Flour, and the Tribune Tavern. Tickets here: www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/top100/
Giant Steps Winemaker, Steve Flamsteed, who will be present at the event, was elated with the nomination:
“It’s a slow process identifying, securing, and then understanding the finest sites in the Yarra Valley. To be acknowledged by Wine & Spirits magazine as one the best wine producers in the world validates our uncompromising commitment to region, site selection and meticulous viticulture over the past 12 years. We rate 2012 as the best vintage for Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Pinot in over a decade and it seems certain to go down as one of truly great vintages across the board.”