The first six vintages of the 21st century have produced a lot of good wines and here are the 10 best we’ve tasted in our classes at Fort Mason.

Whites

3rd – Malvasia Bianca, Bonny Doon, 2002, $13
This is our wild card made from an ancient Mediterranean grape for the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) group. Serve as your guests arrive and ask them to guess what it is!

2nd – Gewurztraminer, Trimbach, Alsace, 2000, $15
We first tasted the Trimbach while doing an article in Alsace at the Michelin three-star Auberge de I’ll.

1st – Chardonnay, Gary Farrell, Rochioli-Allen, 2001, $34
Gary selects great vineyards for all his wines, including this one.

Reds

5th – Syrah, Silkwood, California, 2001, $14
This wine has won six gold medals and a best of show, not to mention the first place awarded to the winery for its unique velvet label.

4th – Petite Syrah, David Bruce, Shell Creek, 2001, $25
Dr. Bruce spells it “Syrah” and he was coming to our class to tell us all about it, but he came down with a case of laryngitis, so his Syrah had to speak for itself, which it did impressively.

3rd – Zinfandel, Rosenblum, Monte Rosso, Sonoma Valley, 2001, $38
I can’t recall ever tasting a mediocre Rosemblum Zin. …

2nd – Pinot Noir, Steele, Duell Vineyard Sonoma, 2001, $32
Jed Steele was an all-star basketball player at Gonzaga, and now is an all-star winemaker in California.

1st – Backus Cabernet Sauvignon, Joseph Phelps, Oakville, 2000, $150
This wine is typical of the superb Napa Valley Cabs that propelled California wine to worldwide acclaim. A Jarvis Napa Cab tied the Phelps, but it was a 20th-century 1999.

Sparkling Wine

1st – Clicquot Demi-sec Champagne, France, Released 2003, $49
We visited the cellars where the legendary Widow Clicquot drove the competition nuts with her secret discovery of making the first champagne that was not cloudy.

Dessert

1st – Quady Red Electra Muscat, 2003, $10
Andrew Quady and I have a common bond. We both graduated in chemical engineering (which, alas, taught us nothing about fermenting grape juice), but Andrew has taken some extra courses.

Postscript – A heads up! In all of our Saturday classes at Fort Mason, we’re on the lookout for a new “Best of” wine. We’ll be tasting some candidates in our November 4th and December 9th classes, which unfortunately are full. For information about enrolling for classes in Spring 2007, please phone S.F. City College at 415-561-1840.

Our Best of 21st Century Wine Smiles
At a Napa Valley winery, we enjoyed a very entertaining one-man show put on by an elderly movie star. After the show, a reporter congratulated the actor, and asked him why he didn’t retire and just go fishing. His answer? “Fish don’t applaud!”