The new year is nearly here, and, as is custom, we ring out the old by running down the very best bottles to hit shelves during the past 12 months.

I’ve been compiling this list for Bloomberg every December since 2019, and the annual exercise is not getting any easier. Sure, the sheer volume of great choices is expanding—no complaints there. The problem is that the very best examples are exceedingly elusive for the average connoisseur.