Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2001

Our annual roundup of the year's most exciting wines

#1	Score	Price
TENUTA DELL'ORNELLAIA Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 1998	96	$110
Ornellaia embodies the modern renaissance of Italian wines. This Cabernet blend from the coastal region of Bolgheri is pathbreaking in its origin, contemporary in its winemaking, international in its varietal blend, and thoroughly Tuscan in its soul. Given the brilliant quality of the 1998 Ornellaia, it's hard to know if the luster of this great red can possibly shine more brightly. 13,330 cases made.

#2	Score	Price
CHÂTEAU CHEVAL-BLANC St.-Emilion 1998	98	$190
One of the more successful Bordeaux appellations in 1998, St.-Emilion boasts dozens of excellent wines. Cheval-Blanc represents the pinnacle. A wine of great breeding and distinction, the 1998 is director and winemaker Pierre Lurton's best ever and one of the greatest Cheval-Blancs ever produced, challenging, and perhaps in time eclipsing, the classic wines from 1982, 1985 and 1986. 8,330 cases made.

#3	Score	Price
VIADER Napa Valley 1998	95	$65
In only 10 vintages, Viader has established itself as one of California's top reds. Even more remarkable, it achieved a classic rating in the extremely difficult '98 vintage. Tony Soter, who retired from consulting in 1999, worked with winemaker Delia Viader on this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Viader farms 28 acres of vines on Howell Mountain. 3,500 cases made.

#4	Score	Price
AVIGNONESI Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Grandi Annate Riserva 1997	96	$40
Ettore, Alberto and Leonardo Falvo have owned this domaine since 1974. The Grandi Annate Riserva, which comes from single vineyards in the Le Capezzine and I Poggetti estates, has only been made twice before, in 1990 and 1993. Both previous vintages used the traditional Vino Nobile grape varieties: Prugnolo Gentile (the local Sangiovese clone), Canaiolo Nero and Mammolino. For the 1997, 85 percent Prugnolo Gentile is supplemented by 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. 2,600 cases made.

#5	Score	Price
CHÂTEAU CANON- LA GAFFELIÈRE St.-Emilion 1998	95	$52
Purchased by the von Neipperg family in 1971, this St.-Emilion grand cru classé has excelled in the last decade under the direction of Stephan von Neipperg. Located just south of the town of St.-Emilion, its vineyards are planted to Merlot (55 percent), Cabernet Franc (40 percent) and Cabernet Sauvignon. From a three-time Top 100 winery, the '98 equals the classic 1990 and 1995 vintages made by this estate. 4,580 cases made.

#6	Score	Price
ANTINORI Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso 1998	95	$65
The Bolgheri appellation excelled in 1998, and here's a fine example. Owned by the famed Piero Antinori family, the estate was inherited by Piero's mother and aunt in 1934. Introduced with the 1990 vintage, Guado al Tasso adds Merlot and Syrah to a base of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the third in a terrific trio of Guado al Tasso bottlings (1996, '97, '98). The 1997 reached the No. 12 spot on last year's Top 100. 9,500 cases made.

#7	Score	Price
PIO CESARE Barolo 1997	95	$58
To make its classic Barolo in 1997, Pio Boffa, owner of the 120-year-old winery founded by his grandfather, blended 70 percent Nebbiolo from Serralunga for structure, and 30 percent from other areas, such as Barolo and Castiglione Falleto, for richness. It earns a Top 10 showing not only for quality but for availability and price; numbers like these are rare for a Barolo. 6,200 cases made.

#8	Score	Price
ALAIN GRAILLOT Crozes-Hermitage 1999	93	$19
Alain Graillot, a relative newcomer to wine, made his first Crozes-Hermitage in 1985. In 1999, a large crop of ripe, healthy grapes played right into Graillot's rich, fruit-driven style, making this red, comprising 100 percent Syrah, one of the year's great values. The Graillot Crozes has been here before, with the 1994 bottling earning the No. 9 position in 1996. 6,500 cases made.

#9	Score	Price
CHÂTEAU SMITH- HAUT-LAFITTE Pessac-Léognan 1998	94	$36
Daniel and Florence Cathiard purchased this estate in 1990, and their upgrading of the winery facilities have resulted in better wines at this Pessac-Léognan property. The '98 vintage favored this region, and the '98 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is a fine example. The 1990 Smith-Haut-Lafitte graced our 1993 list at No. 40. 9,165 cases made.

#10	Score	Price
E. GUIGAL Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde de Guigal 1998	93	$38
About 90 percent of this wine comes from grapes purchased from some 60 different growers; the remainder comes from Marcel Guigal's own vines in this Northern Rhône appellation. Despite his reliance on purchased fruit, Guigal feels he can assure the quality of the grapes thanks to long-term contracts. The '98 has the firm tannins and the concentration to improve through 2010, and has already begun to develop a silky, caressing texture. 31,665 cases made.