The hunt for red centobers 2007

Wine Spectator just came out with their Top 100 wines for 2007. (Centobers is my wifes name for wines in the top 100, I tried for 15 minutes to come up with a catchy phrase but had much worse results.) My yearly quest is to see how many of these I can find and secondly am willing to buy. So far so good this year. All the wines I have are all on the cheaper side, esp for their score.

I only have one wine in the top 10, and it was the third cheapest. I did have 16, 17 and 18. Anyways, here's the current rundown on what I have along with my insights.

• 5) Two Hands 2005 Bella's Garden Shiraz, several bottles. Got this at Costco
• 12) Pegau 2004 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. One of the most expensive wines I've bought at $66.
  
• 16) Schild 2005 Barossa Shiraz, got half a case. The 2004 scored even higher, but I haven't tried either.
  
• 17) Orin Swift 2005 Napa Valley The Prisoner, a few. I tried this and it was disappointing. It's supposed to be big and ripe, but it wasn't especially noteworthy. My score was probaby an 88.
• 18) Bodegas LAN 2004 Rioja, 2 bottles but getting more. Supposed to be thick, syrupy yet fresh. Sounds good to me.
• 24) John Duval 2004 Barossa Shiraz, this comes in a big flangy bottle that doesn't fit well with other wines. I've never even heard of John Duval before this.
  
• 30) Vina Montes 2006 Alpha Syrah, 8 bottles. One of my favorite wines for under $20. An obvious choice to make the T100.
• 36) Drylands 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Got 8 bottle many months ago for under $12. At its best, my favorite NZ SB, as it has a hint of sweetness to go with the citrus. Not all bottles shine though.
• 56) Fescobaldi 2004 Nipozzano Reserva Chianti. I expected this to make the T100, as there it was $18 for 91 points with large production (20,000+). I got 4 bottles. It tasted like a Cote du Rhone with dark red fruit and a nice mineral undertone.
• 57) Thorn Clarke 2006 Barossa Shotfire Ridge. I think I got a case, many months back. Except for my very first bottle of the 2003, every bottle since then '03 to '05 has been quite nice. Sadly the one 2006, I tried was not quite as intense or rich as I had hoped. But let's see if a few years will help.
• 71) Columbia Crest 2004 Grand Estates Merlot. Nice to see this on the list. The 2001, 2003 and 2004 were all 90 points for $8 with very good availability (50-80K cases). Picked up a bottle or 5.
• 72) Yellow Tail 2005 Reserve Shiraz. A very nice wine for $9, with intensity and tannins to last for several years as described in my YT post. I just got 4 more bottles at BevMo tonight.
  
• 73) Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I was able to get this for $9 at the Wine Club last year for quite a while and picked up 6 bottles. Quite nice.
• 91) Seghesio 2004 Sonoma Zinfandel. I have a bottle as I'm a member of Seghesio's wine club. I have the Seghesio curse... their wines taste fantastic everywhere but at home. I still have several bottles of their acclaimed 2002 waiting in the fridge, to dissapoint me at a later date.
• 92) Mulderbosche 2006 Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc. At $10, how could resist a Chenin Blanc. Nice but nothing spectacular... say an 86 in my book

So, it looks to be 15 out of the top 100, which isn't too shabby.

What wines to I most want to get on the list?

• 1) Clos des Papes 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. I saw the picture of the #1 wine, got very excited but then realized I had the 2004 not the 2005. With 7,500 cases, I should be able to find some of this $80 Rhone.
• 49) Vina Santa Rita 2004 Medalla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm somewhat enamored with good Chilean Reds now and at $19 this looks enticing.
• 60) Rosemount 2003 McLaren Vale GSM. I've some real nice bottles of this rich, fruity red from 2001 and 2002. And some slightly flat bottles, too. I got 4 bottles of the 2002 at Trader Joes for $10.
• 97) Perrin & Fils 2005 Les Christins Vacqueyras. I'm still holding on to my 2004's, though I should start drinking them.