If I have to select a great wine by year of harvest, what years, i.e. 1998, 1999, 2001, etc. should I pick?

Question

One of the things I hate when selecting wines at wine stores is the huge selection and the wine merchant don't necessarily taste all the wines they sell to suggest a great purchase. On top of that, taste is personal.

If you could suggest wines harvested during a great year, please suggest a website that does or list them for me. Thanks and I very much appreciate it.

Answer 1

2006 was a great year for Italian wines.

My friends father who lives in Milan and loves his daily glass told me that.

Answer 2

Check out a few of the magazines at any local media outlet. A lot depends on where the wine is from. I always choose wines that I have always enjoyed.(Italian reds). 1997 is regarded as the best year of the past 25. "99 was also real good.  Recently, the 2004 reservas were released and they are fabulous. Some of the best are Antinori, Banfi and DaVinci.

Answer 3

The big trick is it depends on where the wine is from and what grapes you are looking for. 2000 was an incredible year for Bordeaux, while 2001 was for California Cabs.

The easiest reference I've found is on Robert Parker's website. The link is just below.

Answer 4

www.winespectator.com hasn't steered me wrong yet.

I've found that '05 and '06 were good years. It's hard to remember which years were good because there are quite a few of them. I think 89 was the best year you're likely to find for french wines.