Dear Subscribers,
We’re excited to share the Top 100 Wines of 2024, a selection of the most notable wines we’ve reviewed at JebDunnuck.com over the past year. This list reflects a balance of quality, value, availability, and a touch of Wow Factor.
Our team carefully reviewed thousands of wines to compile this lineup. While the 2021 vintage from Napa Valley takes a leading role – showcasing a strong year for the West Coast – the list includes standout wines from Washington, Oregon, California, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Piedmont, Tuscany, South America, Spain, and more.
This is not just a ranking of the highest-scoring wines. Instead, it highlights wines and producers that deserve attention. If a specific wine isn’t available, we recommend trying other wines from the same producer. Every producer featured is worth exploring, now or in the future.
Prices are based on estate release figures or average U.S. retail prices. While we’ve prioritized wines currently in the market, some may be harder to find.
As always, creating a Top 100 list is subjective, and many other wines could easily have made the cut. That said, these are the wines that stood out most to us in 2024, and we hope they inspire your next bottle.
Cheers,
The JebDunnuck.com Team
*click on the “+” beside the wine name to read the review
| RANK | WINE | toggle column | note column (hidden) | PRICE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee | + | One of the finest wines in the vintage, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dutch Henry Canyon area in Calistoga, Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville, and Stelzner in Stags Leap (which was added in 2018). It spent 20 months in 75% new French oak. Still tight and inward, it has sensational purity in its currant, mulberry, truffly earth, graphite, and leather aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, rich, incredibly concentrated 2021 that has the vintage’s fresher, focused style, ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for a quarter of a century. | $300 | 98+ |
| 2 | 2022 Domaine De Marcoux Chateauneuf Du Pape | + | The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is a great example of the vintage and has a pretty, perfumed, incredibly Provençal style in its red fruits, savory garrigue, spice, and peppery aromas and flavors. With medium-bodied richness, a balanced, elegant mouthfeel, and ripe tannins, it already offers pleasure today, yet given its balance and the quality of its tannins, it will shine for 10-15 years if well stored. The blend is 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 7% Syrah, and 3% Cinsault, which was vinified all in concrete and brought up almost entirely in concrete tanks. There’s no Vieilles Vignes in the vintage due to both hail and tiny yields from the drought, so I suspect this cuvée benefited from the inclusion of some truly great fruit that would normally go into the Vieilles Vignes release. It’s one of the finest classic cuvées I can recall and should be on the no-brainer purchase list. | $75 | 94 |
| 3 | 2021 Occidental Wines Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard | + | A jeweled magenta ruby color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard is from a coastally exposed site planted with vine cuttings from two Grand Crus in Vosne Romanée and sheltered to the north by redwoods. In the glass, the wine is highly expressive on opening, boasting a rich and refined perfume of violets, raspberry liqueur, pine, and pristine dark spices. Medium-bodied and elegant, it’s one of the richer wines in the range from this noble vintage and offers a ripe feel through the palate, with polished tannins and a hint of underlying mineral richness through its long finish. It’s a fabulous wine that will benefit from being stored properly for another year or more. Drink 2025-2040.The estate of Steve Kistler and his family in the Bodega Headlands, Occidental is exclusively devoted to producing coastally influenced Pinot Noir, and they are members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association. Kistler was initially drawn to the area after tasting a bottling of Summa Vineyard that expressed a vivid and more cool climate style. Although Occidental was officially founded in 2011, Steve has been planting vineyards and purchasing property in the area since the 1990s and has retained his original cellar team for the past 30 years. His daughter, Catherine Kistler, has been the assistant winemaker since 2017. Each of the wines tasted for this report are their vineyard-designated selections, which are held back an initial year prior to release. I was highly anticipating this tasting, as the quality of the 2021 Freestone-Occidental tasted last year far exceeded my expectations, and this year’s visit did not disappoint. I would be thrilled to have any of these wines in my cellar. | $130 | 98 |
| 4 | 2021 Dominus | + | One of the legendary Dominus, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is unquestionably in the same league as the 2018, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2010, and 1991, and to my mind, wine simply doesn’t get any better. Sporting a dense purple hue as well as an incredible perfume of blackcurrants, crushed stone, cedar pencil, smoke tobacco, and baking spices, it’s rich, full-bodied, and voluptuously textured, with ripe yet building tannins. It reminds me slightly of the 2010 (maybe the 2013), and I suspect it will have a similar evolution. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, and it will evolve gracefully for 30+ years. Hats off to the team of Christian Moueix and director Tod Mostero. | $380 | 100 |
| 5 | 2021 Denner Vineyards Dirt Worshipper | + | A more Syrah-dominated release, the 2021 Dirt Worshipper is textbook Syrah magic with is peppery, gamey dark fruits, iron, tapenade, sandalwood, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. Based on 88% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Graciano, and 1% Viognier that was fermented with 40% whole clusters and aged 20 months in 25% new French and Hungarian oak, it will probably merit a triple-digit rating in 4-5 years, and I’d be happy to put this up with the best Syrahs out there. | $85 | 98 |
| 6 | 2021 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch | + | Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch comes from a stunning estate vineyard on Howell Mountain with the plantings dating back to 1999. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and a splash of Cabernet Franc, aged in 59% new oak, this beauty reminds me of a great Saint-Julien (Leoville Barton?) with its incredible purity and regal, structured style. Crème de cassis, lead pencil, violets, chalky minerality, and chocolaty oak all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ripe yet perfectly integrated tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs air if drinking any time soon and will ideally be given 4-6 years in the cellar. This beauty will have three decades of overall longevity. | $200 | 98 |
| 7 | 2023 Chateau De Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes | + | There are roughly 600 cases of the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, a 100% Roussanne from very old vines brought up 50% new oak and 50% once-used. It too is flat-out awesome, with honeyed quince, green almond, white flowers, orange liqueur, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality. It’s full-bodied, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, fabulous concentration, and a finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. If you see it, buy it. I don’t see this being the longest-lived vintage of this cuvée, but who cares? It’s sensational stuff. | $180 | 98 |
| 8 | 2019 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino | + | Canalicchio Di Sopra makes a powerful statement with their release of the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino and puts their stamp on this vintage with confidence. Tasted multiple times, this brooding, layered, and noble wine is jeweled in appearance, pouring a dark ruby/red color, and offers a gorgeous bouquet of black cherry preserve, wildflowers, licorice, cedar, and incense. Moving to the palate, it’s powerfully structured and full-bodied, with rich tannins and great length throughout. A very impressive wine with a flourish of saline and mouthwatering notes of black tea on the finish, it demands time in the cellar and, if stored properly, should age gracefully over the next 15-20 years. Drink 2026-2046.I met with Francesco Ripaccioli for this report both at his family estate on the north side of Montalcino, as well as here in New York to taste older vintages of Canalicchio di Sopra in January 2024. He, along with his brother and sister, represent the third generation of the estate. Canalicchio is divided between two areas of Montalcino, the first parcel purchased by his grandfather, Primo Pacenti, after World War II, and the second in Montosoli, where they have six hectares of vine that his father purchased in 1958. Today the combined land spans 60 hectares, 19 of which are dedicated to the vineyards, and for their wines, they both combine the terroirs of the two regions as well as make unique expressions for each of the two locations. The rest of the land is committed to biodiversity and to an Agriturismo also on the north side of the Montalcino hill. Their wines show a lot of complexity, with age-worthy potential across all categories, as readers will find in my notes on the library vintages. The (unofficial) sub-zone of Canalicchio is characterized by a particular type of calcareous clay, with a high pH of 8.2, which contributes to a very elegant texture that you can find in the wines coming from the Cassacchia Vineyard. In Montosoli, there is more dry soil with galestro and schist, although it has the same pH. The Montosoli side tends to contribute more structure and salinity to the resulting wines. In the cellar, they ferment the wines separately and produce these three expressions of Brunello as well as Rosso di Montalcino. | $80 | 94 |
| 9 | 2020 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo | + | A deeper ruby/red color, the 2020 Barolo comes from the same vineyards as the No Name as well as Annunziata and offers more depth and ripeness, with aromas of black raspberries, candied cherries, preserved flowers, sweet herbs, and mossy earth. It has outstanding ripeness and purity and is long on the palate, with all its components coming together, delivering warmth, structure, and freshness. This is pretty serious wine, one of the best blended wines I’ve tasted in this vintage, and it’s going to be hard to beat. Buy it now. | $100 | 97 |
| 10 | 2021 Delmas Syrah SJR Vineyard | + | A co-ferment of 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier, the 2021 Syrah SJR Vineyard was fermented with 50-60% whole clusters and spent 14 months mostly in puncheons, 50% being new. Sporting a deep ruby/plum hue, it offers up a serious bouquet of mulled red and black fruits, smoked meats, iron, and savory, peppery, gamey notes. This carries to a full-bodied Syrah with a gorgeous mid-palate, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ample tannins, and a great finish. It’s the most concentrated Syrah I’ve tasted from this estate, and it deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and will have 15+ of overall longevity. | $95 | 97 |
| 11 | 2022 Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard | + | From biodynamically farmed vines, all 115 clone, the 2022 Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard is a dark ruby hue in the glass and delivers savory notes of framboise, dark wet stones, crushed flowers, and sweet herbs. The palate has broader shoulders but remains medium-bodied, and while it reveals a slightly feral side, it’s completely clean, with ripe, well-defined tannins, balanced, fresh acidity, and a long finish. This structured wine is built for the long haul and is going to show its best with another year in a cool cellar. Drink 2025-2040. | $95 | 95 |
| 12 | 2020 Oddero Barolo Villero | + | Youthful and ripe ruby red in color, the 2020 Barolo Villero has a fantastic bouquet of pure ripe raspberries, wet stones, fresh roses, and sweet sage. Medium-bodied, it’s approachable up front and balanced, with refined tension through the mid-palate, fine tannins, and refreshing acidity. Weightless, with good ripeness, it’s long on the palate and has a lasting perfume of dried apricot. Absolutely lovely , it’s going to offer a wide drinking window over the next 15 or so years. | $110 | 96 |
| 13 | 2021 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges De Latour Private Reserve | + | Lastly, the flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges De Latour Private Reserve is in the same ballpark as the 2019 and is an incredibly elegant yet concentrated 2021 that does everything right. Purple-hued, with ample cassis, wild sage, graphite, and darker chocolate-like aromatics, it picks up a Graves-like gravelly earth character with air and is full-bodied, has ripe, polished tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. As with many of the top 2021s, it’s a touch reserved and closed and needs 4-5 years of bottle age, but will drink well for 30 years. | $175 | 98+ |
| 14 | 2021 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate | + | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes from a great vintage for Napa Valley and comes all from the Monte Bello Vineyard on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Pure crème de cassis, leafy tobacco, spring flowers, and graphite are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This Saint-Julien-like beauty needs 4-6 years of bottle age but will keep for 30 years. It’s not far off the Monte Bello and should be snatched up | $90 | 95+ |
| 15 | 2019 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline | + | Leading off the three single parcel releases, the 2019 Côte Rôtie La Mouline is an absolute blockbuster of a wine that has incredible depth, richness, and concentration while holding onto a rare sense of elegance, balance, and seamlessness. Incredible floral and orange blossom notes give way to more smoked game, tapenade, sweet black raspberries, and subtle vanilla. This full-bodied, utterly heavenly Côte Rôtie is more reserved and straight compared to the 2018, but it nevertheless already offers a huge amount of pleasure. It will hit maturity in 7-8 years (a decade will probably be better) and have 30+ years of overall longevity.While this reference point estate continues to produce brilliant wines, there are subtle yet not insignificant changes happening. First and foremost, there’s a new Côte Rôtie La La in the lineup, the Côte Rôtie La Reynarde, which was created in honor of Philippe and Eves’s twin sons, Etienne and Charles. Coming from a tiny parcel in the Fongeant lieu-dit planted in 2015 and all Syrah, it’s not destemmed (like La Landonne) and fermented using only punch downs (similar to La Turque.) It will see the same 40+ months in new barrels as its siblings. While 2022 will be the first year released, I’ve been lucky enough to taste this cuvée since 2019 (these will not be released), and stylistically it fits in nicely between the La Turque and La Landonne. Quality-wise, it unquestionably merits being included in the lineup. Secondly, there’s been a shift in the source of the oak for the barrels over the past few years starting in 2020, moving away from Seguin-Moreau to a tighter grained, less impactful Chassin wood. This is driven largely by the changing climate and the family’s goal to have slightly less impact, and you can clearly see the change in the current releases. Looking at the releases reviewed here, the 2022s are ripe yet not excessive, and despite the early season heat, there were cooler nights, and the wines have notable tannic structure. Marcel compared the vintage to 1982. The 2021s clearly come from a more challenging vintage, yet all the releases have good ripeness, more medium-bodied profiles, and solid, sound, satisfying profiles. These will be on a faster evolutionary track. The 2021 whites, however, are beautiful and have terrific richness paired with freshness. The 2020s are the fruit bombs of the lineup and clearly lead with their fruit. It’s clearly another great vintage for this estate, although I still think the nod goes to the 2019s. Of the trio of truly exceptional vintages between 2018 and 2020 here, the 2019s are the tip of the pyramid and remind me of the 2010s. These are ripe, powerful, structured wines that won’t be for the instant gratification crowd, but the top three La Las are absolute legends in the making. If you can afford them, buy them. I wrote the following summary in 2019 and thought it worth updating and including here. This reference point estate was created in 1946 by Etienne Guigal and has been one of the world’s greatest wine estates for over seven decades now. Today, it’s Etienne’s son, Marcel Guigal, and his son Philippe, who continue to keep Domaine Guigal at the leading edge of the appellation. As I’ve written in the past, one of my highlights tasting each year is with this team, which now also includes Jacques Desvernois, who was previously at Paul Jaboulet Aîné. Usually, due to the long élevage of most cuvées, we taste through four vintages of each of the main releases. The top Côte Rôties see (and have always seen) a full four years in new French oak, and even their larger production Southern Rhônes see extended time in oak. While a lot is said about the extended élevage in new oak, I don’t know anyone who tastes mature examples of these wines regularly who has any doubts about the genius here. In short, these single vineyard Côte Rôties and Hermitages are some of the greatest wines money can buy. Quickly looking at the releases here, there are two main Saint Josephs, the Vignes des Hospice and the Lieu-dit Saint Joseph. The Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospices comes all from the incredibly steep (and picturesque) vineyard perched just above the town of Tournon. This is a cooler, mostly east-facing vineyard of pure granite soils (it shows similarities with the Les Bessards lieu-dit just across the river) and harvest here always lags other nearby sites by 5-7 days. I always find a Hermitage-like character in this wine, and it ages beautifully. The Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph comes from a warmer, south-facing vineyard that shares the appellation’s name. This is one of the top terroirs in the region, and this cuvée is always a more broad, opulent wine that doesn’t have the tannic backbone of the Vignes des Hospice yet offers more up-front appeal. As to the Côte Rôtie, there are six releases. The Brune et Blonde can be thought of as the entry-level cuvée and comes from a mix of vineyards, most of which are estate, yet there is some purchased fruit. It drinks well on release and has a solid 15-20 years of longevity in top vintages. A smaller production release, the Côte Rôtie Château d’Ampuis is named after the Château d’Ampuis estate (which lies in the town of Ampuis, right up along the Rhône River, and was purchased by the Guigals in 1995) and is a blend of their top seven estate vineyards, including the La Garde, Le Clos, Grande-Plantee, Pommière, Pavillon, Le Moulin, and La Viria lieux-dits. It sees 42 months in new French oak and is handled exactly like the single vineyard releases. There are roughly 2,500 cases of this produced, and in top years, its quality can be just as high as the single vineyard releases, making it a terrific value. There are four single vineyards that are affectionally labeled “La Las,” the La Mouline, La Turque, La Reynarde, and La Landonne. First made in 1966, the La Mouline (400-500 cases) comes from a parcel in the Côte Blonde and is the warmest, earliest site of the single vineyards. It includes some of the oldest vines of the estate, sees upwards of 10% co-fermented Viognier, see only pump-overs during fermentation, and has always spent four years in new French oak. The La Mouline is always the most approachable of the single vineyard releases and is also the earliest maturing. Nevertheless, top vintages can easily keep for 30 years. The Côte Rotie La Turque (400 cases) was first made in 1985 and comes from a steep parcel in the Côte Brune. It sees slightly less Viognier than the La Mouline and is a co-fermented blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier. It sees a more aggressive punch-down regime during fermentation and spends 48 months in new French oak. The La Turque always splits the difference between the La Mouline and La Landonne stylistically and shows slightly more minerality and structure than the La Mouline, yet not quite the austerity and structure found in the La Landonne. It normally needs 10-15 years of bottle age to show its true self. A new cuvée introduced in 2022 in honor of Eve and Philippe’s twin sons, the Côte Rotie La Turque comes from a parcel in the Fongeant lieu-dit, just above the Côte Brune, and is 100% Syrah that’s not destemmed and vinified similar to the La Turque, seeing only punch downs. The stems show here, giving this a style not too far off the La Landonne, and it fits nicely between the La Turque and La Landonne. Lastly, the Côte Rotie La Landonne comes from a great lieu-dit in the Côte Brune side of the appellation, and there are roughly 1,000 cases produced in a vintage. It is always 100% Syrah and is made using a cap immersion technique for fermentation. This cuvée was first made in 1978, and each vintage has spent 48 months in new French oak. The La Landonne is always the most backward, structured, age-worthy in the lineup and needs the most bottle age to hit maturity. It is also, however, the most consistent in terms of quality of the three single vineyards. As to the Hermitage releases, there are three cuvées, a base Hermitage and a Hermitage Ex-Voto in both red and white. Guigals purchased their primary holdings in Hermitage from Jean-Louis Grippat (now 90-year-old Marsanne vines in the Les Murets lieu-dit) and Domaine De Vallouit (mostly in the Greffieux lieu-dit) in 2001. They also gained parcels in the lieu-dit Saint Joseph and Vignes de Hospice with the Grippat purchase. Today, they have parcels in Le Méal, Beaumes, Dionnieres, and Les Bessards. The entry-level Hermitage sees three years in 50% new French oak. They release a tiny production cuvée called Ex-Voto only in top vintages, and the red sees the same four years in French oak as the single vineyard Côte Rôties. The Ex-Voto Blanc is primarily Marsanne blended with 10% Roussanne, from Les Murets (90%) and l’Hermite (10%) lieux-dits, aged 30 months in new French oak. It sees primary and malolactic fermentation in barrel and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is a rich, powerful Hermitage Blanc that has plenty of toastiness in its youth and starts to drink brilliantly with 4-5 years of bottle age. | $430 | 100 |
| 16 | 2020 Argentiera | + | The 2020 Argentiera displays a fully saturated red hue and reveals some blue fruits that starting to shine through in the glass, along with notes of boysenberry, dark chocolate, graphite, and pine sap. Ample and full-bodied, with ripe tannins, it takes on a more savory and herbal profile with notes of espresso and grilled rosemary on the palate and has a long finish. Ample and seriously styled, I enjoy its more savory profile, but for those looking for the primary fruit, this is not necessarily the wine for you. It would be phenomenal with Bistecca Fiorentina and lamb. Drink 2025-2045.It is no exaggeration to say this is truly one of the most beautiful and picturesque estates in the world, with panoramic views cascading to the ocean, and I highly recommend a visit. Situated in the southern corner of Bolgheri, the wines are built around the 83 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon they have planted exclusively within the DOC. The Ventaglio is a cru concept from a single vineyard located two kilometers from the ocean, planted in 2010 to Cabernet Franc, which they have been bottling since the 2015 vintage. The vines here are planted in a full circle at the top of the hill around a single olive tree (thus the name “Ventaglio” meaning “fan”) and are trained in to keep ventilation flowing through the vineyard. | $120 | 95 |
| 17 | 2021 La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley | + | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley includes 4% Petit Verdot and comes from a mix of vineyards in Coombsville, Oak Knoll, Oakville, and St. Helena that was brought up all in barrel. It’s a classic, incredibly classy 2021 exhibiting darker currant fruits, some smoky tobacco, gravelly earth, bay leaf, and espresso nuances, medium-bodied richness, good acidity, and a great finish. It’s a smoking value in impeccably made Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that readers should snatch up. | $85 | 93+ |
| 18 | 2020 Delas Freres Hermitage Les Bessards | + | The 2020 Hermitage Les Bessards is a behemoth, with palate-saturating levels of fruit and texture while it still stays pure, focused, and mineral-laced, with a classic Hermitage personality. Blue fruits, truffle, burning embers, sappy spring flowers, and liquid rock-like notes all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, polished, yet building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. As with all of Jacques’ wines today, there’s a certain polish and accessibility, yet this incredible Hermitage deserves 5-7 years in the cellar, and I’d be shocked to see it not have 30 years of overall longevity. | $250 | 97+ |
| 19 | 2022 Roar Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard | + | From a cooler site in the middle of the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation, the 2022 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard offers more mulberry and wild strawberry fruit as well as a beautiful core of sappy flowers, violets, and underbrush. I love its overall purity and precision, and it’s medium-bodied, has ripe, polished tannins, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It’s up with the creme de la creme of the appellation, and it’s going to have at least 10-12 years of prime drinking. It benefits from air if drinking any time soon. | $75 | 96 |
| 20 | 2021 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard | + | Glass-staining purple and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard has a more backward, inward style with beautiful darker, savory red and black fruits, spicy oak, graphite, and cocoa powder aromas and flavors. It’s rich, powerful, concentrated, and full-bodied, with serious tannins and length. I continue to think this vineyard has hit a new level over the past 4-6 years, and this certainly adds fuel to the fire. Napa Cabernet Sauvignon simply does not get any better. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades. | $175 | 100 |
| 21 | 2020 Stephane Ogier Cote Rotie Lancement | + | A perfect wine in every way, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Lancement comes from an incredible terroir just above the Côte Blonde, and it was destemmed and raised all in used demi-muids and barrels. Incredible aromatics of black raspberries, spring flowers, truffly earth, graphite, and subtle rose petals all flow to a medium to full-bodied, seamless, flawlessly balanced Côte Rôtie that has polished tannins, integrated acidity, and a finish that leaves you looking for another glass. | $200 | 100 |
| 22 | 2022 Domaine Durieu Chateauneuf Du Pape Lucile Avril | + | The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Lucile Avril checks in as 80% Grenache with the balance Syrah and Mourvèdre, all raised in concrete. It’s slightly deeper hued compared to the Bois Lauzon and has a slightly richer, broader style in its ripe black cherries, peppery garrigue, spice, and leather-like nuances. With medium to full body, a beautifully textured mouthfeel, and ripe tannins, it doesn’t have the precision of the Bois Lauzon yet brings a more classic, broad, textured profile. Drink bottles over the coming 10-15 years. | $50 | 94 |
| 23 | 2019 Val Di Suga Brunello Di Montalcino Poggio Al Granchio | + | A rich magenta hue, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Poggio Al Granchio is a serious wine that amplifies things further and will need some decanting if opening now. Forward with great aromas of graphite, black cherry liqueur, cracked pepper, sage, and porcini, it’s full-bodied yet weightless on the palate and has phenomenal concentration while remaining elegant all the way through, it offers plush, velvety tannins and mineral undercurrents while retaining wonderful purity and a seamless texture. This stunning wine deserves several years in cellar. Drink 2026-2046. | $100 | 98 |
| 24 | 2021 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard | + | Meatier red and black fruits, smoke, ground pepper, and savory herb notes all define the 2021 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard, a concentrated, medium to full-bodied Syrah with a classic Northern Rhône-like style in its aromas as well as structure. Fermented with a splash of Viognier, it picks up violet and floral notes with time in the glass, and this darker, more gamey expression of this vineyard is a dead ringer for a great Côte Rôtie. I love it today (with a decant), but it’s going to benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and evolve for 15 years or more. | $150 | 98 |
| 25 | 2022 Saxum James Berry Vineyard | + | Killer notes of black raspberries, blueberries, sappy spring flowers, pepper, violets, and herbes de Provence-like nuances all emerge from the 2022 James Berry Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, round, supple, layered beauty based on 48% Grenache, 34% Mataro, 8% Syrah, 8% Counoise, and 2% Carignan raised in 48% new barrels. It has ripe tannins, a terrific sense of freshness, and a great finish. A blend of 48% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, and Carignan, it’s another sensational wine from the genius of Justin Smith. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will age like a great Châteauneuf du Pape over the following 15+ years. | $135 | 97 |
| 26 | 2019 Gianni Brunelli Brunello Di Montalcino | + | Displaying a deeper though youthful red hue, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive with cherry liqueur notes coaxing from the glass, and it is well-woven with plush, refined aromas of fresh leather, crushed flowers, mocha, and fresh herbs. Expressive, with focused clarity, a great, pure feel, notes of blood orange, and mineral undercurrents all weaving together through the palate, it’s long and pure, with noble structure and balanced energy. Bursting with life and refinement, it offers nervous tension and a lingering perfume of dried apricot on the finish. At this youthful stage, there’s a hint of oak spice that frames the wine beautifully, but it demands cellaring to come together further. This is going to be one to cellar and drink over the coming decades. Drink 2027-2050.The wines for this report were tasted with Laura Brunelli at her estate, overlooking the southern vineyards of the region from the Podernovone property where the winery is located. Since her husband Gianni passed away in 2008, Laura has continued to raise the bar for what is possible in the region at large. She farms two areas: the historic property of Le Chiuse di Sotto in the Northeast, which is a 5-hectare property with two hectares dedicated to vines, as well as Podernovone, which consists of 4.5 hectares and four vineyards – Olmo, Oliva, Quercia, and Gelso. In addition to Sangiovese, they also work with Merlot planted at Podernovone. She is meticulous in the vineyard, working with small yields. After a slow maceration process, the wines are raised in 5- to 30-hectoliter barrels made from Slavonian oak. If traveling through Siena, her restaurant, l’Osteria delle Logge, is a must stop for lunch or dinner. It should be no surprise that the wine list is exceptional and full of Tuscan gems, while the cuisine is top-notch. They offer Tuscan classics with modern refinement, and the hospitality is second to none. | $110 | 98+ |
| 27 | 2021 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc | + | The 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (90% Sauvignon and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon) is similarly crisp, focused, and chiseled, yet has another level of concentration. Racy citrus, lime, and graphite fruit notes are support by beautiful minerality, minty herb, and sappy flower-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated white offering perfectly integrated acidity, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a clean, dry finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This beauty will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and have over two decades of longevity. | $175 | 96 |
| 28 | 2019 Domaine Du Pegau Chateauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Laurence | + | Tasted from bottle, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Laurence is heavenly stuff that tastes like the essence of Provence. Sporting a deeper ruby/plum hue as well as incredible notes of red and black fruits, new saddle leather, herbes de Provence, licorice, and God knows what else, these all carry to a full-bodied, powerful, unctuous effort that has tons of richness, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It reminds me of a great vintage from the late Henri Bonneau. It’s ready to go today, yet I see no reason it shouldn’t evolve gracefully over the coming 15+ years or more. | $100 | 98 |
| 29 | 2021 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville | + | Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville may be the finest wine I’ve tasted from this estate, although the 2016 might have something to say about that. Ripe blackcurrants, fresh blue fruits, huge minerality, full-bodied richness, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and incredibly pure notes of chocolate, loamy earth, tobacco, and lead pencil all define this sensational Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannin quality as well as the overall balance are just about off the charts. This warrants 4-5 years in the cellar and will have 2-3 decades of overall longevity. | $270 | 99 |
| 30 | 2022 Lavinea Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard | + | Displaying a jeweled red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard is very layered and beautiful, offering striking clarity in its notes of wild herbs, ripe raspberries, sunny but bright fruit, and fresh rosemary. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and has wonderful balance and a harmonious feel. Highly appealing now, with a light, juicy feel throughout the palate, it’s long and elegant and is only going to improve in another few years. | $77 | 96 |
| 31 | 2022 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard | + | Brought up in 50% new barrels and fermented with lots of stems (84.6%), the 2022 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard isn’t far off the appellation release in style with its pretty, perfumed, floral nose that’s grounded by mostly red fruits. Mint, sappy herbs, violets, and a hint of sassafras give it plenty of complexity, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, a good sense of freshness, and soft tannins. It’s another pure, layered, elegant 2022 from Adam that will drink and evolve nicely for a decade. | $95 | 95 |
| 32 | 2021 Bevan Cellars EE Red Wine | + | The 2021 EE Red Wine is ripe and powerful, with smoky red and black fruits as well as lots of background oak, graphite, espresso, and dark chocolate-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has plenty of background oak, the building tannins of the vintage, and a great finish. A gorgeous wine, it will benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar and evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels. | $210 | 99 |
| 33 | 2021 Andrew Will Sorella | + | Cassis, ripe blackcurrants, leafy tobacco, graphite, leather, and spicy wood notes all define the flagship 2021 Sorella from this estate. Based on 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and aged in 30% new barrels, its deep ruby/plum hue (it’s not completely opaque) is followed by medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, integrated tannins, and a great finish.I always love visiting with Andrew Will’s Chris Camarda, and this estate fashions a classic, balanced, age-worthy style of wine that is well worth having in your cellar. Looking at the 2021s reviewed here, this is a strong vintage, and the wines have solid ripeness as well as underlying structure. I thought the Sorella was the star of the show, but all the single vineyards showed beautifully, and you really can’t go wrong with any of these. | $100 | 97 |
| 34 | 2023 Domaine De La Solitude Chateauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude Blanc | + | Another brilliant white from this estate, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude Blanc checks in as 60% Clairette and 20% each Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. Its medium gold hue is followed by a Burgundian-like bouquet of orchard fruits, white flowers, and chalky minerality. As with many of Florent’s whites, it has a terrific sense of reduction as well as medium body, a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, and integrated acidity. | $106 | 96 |
| 35 | 2019 Poggio Di Sotto Brunello Di Montalcino | + | I was able to taste the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino three times for this report, and it’s one of the great wines of the vintage. It takes on a bit more muscular style for the Poggio di Sotto estate, but it retains the DNA of the estate at large with its outstanding clarity. It’s medium ruby-colored and reveals notes of pure cherry, anise, wildflowers, wet stone, and tea leaf. Structured and long on the palate, it has ripe, chiseled tannins, a balanced spine of acidity, and notes of salted orange through the finish, with a long-lasting perfume. Its transparency, balanced with its complexity, makes this one of the most intriguing wines, and if stored properly, it will only improve with time in the cellar. Drink 2027-2047. | $400 | 98+ |
| 36 | 2022 Domaine De La Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee De La Reine Des Bois | + | The 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée De La Reine Des Bois is based on 75% Grenache, 10% each Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest Counoise and Vaccarèse. It’s not massive yet just exudes class and elegance, with both red and black fruits that give way to more spice, peppery garrigue, and leather, with classic background licorice and black olive notes. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, with silky tannins, this brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape will evolve for two decades. | $156 | 97 |
| 37 | 2021 MAHA Estate Understory | + | The 2021 Understory is composed of nearly equal parts of Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre. Rocking levels of black raspberries, ground pepper, liquid violets, and some leather notes all emerge from the glass, and this beauty is medium to full-bodied and deep, rich, and layered on the palate, with no sensation of weight or heaviness. | $120 | 98 |
| 38 | 2021 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Altamont | + | Exhibiting a deeper ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Altamont has outstanding depth and purity on the palate, with notes of violets, black raspberries, and cherries, as well as a darker mineral tone. A hilltop blend, it’s medium-bodied but has a darker tannin structure, and it also delivers great acidity and a long finish with mineral accents. Give it another couple of years and drink 2026-2040. | $65 | 96 |
| 39 | 2022 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf Du Pape Cuvee De Mon Aïeul | + | The crème de la crème of the vintage, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is 100% whole cluster fermented Grenache raised mostly in demi-muids. It doesn’t get more Provençal than this beauty, whose deeper ruby hue is followed by a killer nose of darker cherries, blackberries, olive tapenade, licorice, and peppery garrigue. With medium to full-bodied richness, the sun-kissed, perfumed, complex style of the vintage, ample opulence and fat, and sweet, integrated tannins, it’s a stunning, classic expression of this cuvée to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years. | $75 | 97 |
| 40 | 2022 Marine Layer Chardonnay Marine Layer Vineyard | + | A medium straw/silver color, the 2022 Chardonnay Marine Layer Vineyard has a coastal feel, with a floral perfume of white flowers, salty earth, pineapple rind, and candied Meyer lemon. Medium-bodied, it has great intensity on the palate, with loads of bright freshness. This spectacular Chardonnay has an incredibly wide window for drinking now or over the next 10 years. This is one of the most enjoyable and eye-opening Chards I have tasted from this vintage. The oak never feels intrusive, it just frames the wine perfectly. Bravo. | $55 | 97 |
| 41 | 2020 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta | + | A floral perfume of violets takes the lead in the 2020 Barolo Cerretta, which pours a ripe ruby color and reveals aromas of wild candied black raspberries, candied orange, sweet herbs, and licorice. With sweet tannins and a harmonious feel, its more mineral underpinnings come through in the end, with supple, lush tannins and a clean finish. It’s long on the palate but harmonious, with no harsh edges. Drink 2025-2045.Since 2009, Luigi Baudana has been under the operation and ownership of the G.D. Vajra estate from Barolo. As with the Vajra estate, Giuseppe and Aldo manage the winemaking process, along with Giuseppe’s brother Isidoro, the vineyard manager. They continue to consult with Luigi for his understanding of the land and experience. They primarily use 15- to 17-hectoliter Slavonian barrels for aging, as the size of the cellar dictates. For the Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba bottling, selections are made from the crus of Baudana, Cerretta, and Costabella. With the 2019 vintage, they are now certified organic. | $100 | 96 |
| 42 | 2021 Zena Crown Pinot Noir Slope | + | Pouring a ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is almost all from the 667 clone of Pinot Noir and was entirely destemmed and raised for 17 months in nearly 70% new French oak. It reveals beautiful aromas of kirsch, floral and fruit notes of mixed berries, crushed flowers, sweet mossy earth, and a hint of anise. Medium-bodied, it expands through the palate, with a weightless feel, ripe tannins, the texture of river stones, and a clean finish. It’s a fantastic wine with a cuddly feel, but it’s never heavy and it has a great finish. Drink 2025-2040. | $100 | 96 |
| 43 | 2021 Patria Avoyelles Oakville | + | Including more Cabernet Sauvignon than Cabernet Franc (it swings back and forth), the 2021 Avoyelles Oakville reveals a dense purple hue as well as sensational aromatics of red, blue, and blue fruits, spring flowers, spicy oak, graphite, dark chocolate, and a beautiful earth, forest floor-like character. Full-bodied, concentrated, and ultra-pure, it’s borderline perfection and a heavenly bottle of wine that needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will blow you away over the following two decades. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 22 months all in new French oak. | $150 | 99 |
| 44 | 2019 Le Ragnaie Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. | + | A similar medium red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. is another showstopper, with stunning floral and layered aromas of licorice, ripe red cherries, blood orange, and clove. Mouthwatering and structured, this is a noble wine, and while it’s medium-bodied. It’s not for the faint of heart. With ripe, angular tannins that frame this wine, it propels through the palate with notes of saline and vibrant acidity. Long and tension-packed, it demands several years of proper cellaring and feels as though it will improve over the coming two decades at a glacial pace. Drink 2027-2047.Le Ragnaie is perched at a high elevation just south of the hill of Montalcino. Led by the estate owners, Riccardo and Jennifer Campinoti, this estate is producing some of the most compelling single-vineyard expressions of Brunello to date, with clarity, focus, and distinction between each of their crus. Elevage takes place in large Slavonian oak barrels. Additionally, for those looking to travel to the region, they have an agritourismo at the winery, which is a short drive from the town of Montalcino. | $80 | 98 |
| 45 | 2020 Sine Qua Non Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard | + | The 2020 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard is another absolutely heavenly wine from this estate, and it’s easily one of the top wines from California in 2020. Darker berries, tapenade, roasted herbs, and a bloody, iron-like character define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a great, great finish. It reminds me of a Châteauneuf du Pape from the likes of Jean-Paul Daumen and is a tour de force in Grenache that I wish every reader could taste. Coming from a hot growing season, this beauty is powerful and full throttle, yet like all of Manfred’s wines, it holds onto a sense of purity, balance, and elegance that’s something to behold. Drink bottles any time over the coming two decades. The blend is 82% Grenache, 13% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, and the rest Gelber Muskateller, fermented with 27% whole clusters, and aged 38 months in 41% new French oak. | $280 | 100 |
| 46 | 2021 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Kaannos | + | Coming from the northern end of Vine Hill Ranch, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaannos is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon raised in 70% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty offers a heavenly perfume of darker, almost blue fruits as well as leafy herbs, flowers, spice cabinet, camphor, and chocolate. I love its complexity on the nose, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a remarkable sense of refinement and elegance, fine yet building tannins, and an incredible finish. This magical, majestic, absolutely jaw-droppingly good Cabernet Sauvignon is a legend in the making. Hide bottles for 5-7 years if you can, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 30-40 years. | $285 | 100 |
| 47 | 2021 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley | + | The flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (90% from Champoux Vineyard and 10% from Mach One Vineyard) raised all in new barrels. It’s slightly deeper hued than the CVR and has a stunning nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, toasted spices, and graphite with a beautiful varietal, herbal undertone that comes through with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and velvety textured, this thrilling Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades. This is unquestionably up with the greatest vintages of this cuvée ever made.While Quilceda Creek has had some substantial changes in their winemaking team over the past few years, with both Alex Steward and Hal Overson departing to work at Matthews, it certainly hasn’t affected the quality, and 2021 is going to go down as one of the all-time great vintages for this estate. | $200 | 100 |
| 48 | 2022 Domaine Bernard Gripa Saint Joseph Le Berceau Blanc | + | The old vine 2022 Saint Joseph Le Berceau Blanc is more restrained and mineral-laced compared to the classic cuvée, with an incredible salinity in its bright quince and stone fruits as well as subtle spice and white flower-driven aromas and flavors. It needs air to show at its best and is medium to full-bodied, has a layered, flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and sensational length on the finish. It’s an absolute stunner of a Saint Joseph white that will easily stand up to the top whites of the region. Give bottles a year or two and enjoy over the following decade. | $50 | 95+ |
| 49 | 2021 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard | + | Looking at the two To Kalon releases, the classic 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes all from Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon that was planted in 2018. It has a full-bodied, ripe, round, incredibly sexy profile as well as incredible aromatics of caramelized cherries, blue fruits, flowers, incense, and chocolate, with just a kiss of background tobacco leaf. Coming from young vines, it’s nevertheless an incredibly impressive, seamless, flat-out awesome bottle of wine. Drink this beauty over the coming 20 years. | $250 | 97 |
| 50 | 2021 Andremily Syrah Slide Hill Estate | + | The second year of the estate Syrah, the 2021 Syrah Slide Hill Estate (97% Syrah and 3% white varieties) has a saturated purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of ripe blackberries, bouquet garni, pepper, and violets, with a powerful, Côte Rôtie-like meaty, smoky character. Rich, concentrated, and full-bodied on the palate, it has beautiful yet substantial tannins, a dense mid-palate, and outstanding length. Absolutely sensational in every way, it will probably merit another point in 4-5 years and blow you away over the following 10-15 years. It has to be the finest wine I’ve tasted from this vineyard to date. | $150 | 99 |
| 51 | 2021 Domaines Bournet-Lapostolle Clos Du Lican | + | The 2021 Clos du Lican is special stuff, and I’d be happy to line it up with the best Syrahs in the world. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as stunning aromatics of darker berries, cassis, smoked herbs, sappy spring flowers, and ground pepper, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a pure, seamless mouthfeel, flawless balance, and sweet tannins. All Syrah from a higher elevation site, with roughly 400 cases made, it’s unquestionably the finest Syrah I’ve tasted from South America, and it stylistically seems to be a mix of a great California Syrah (think Sine Qua Non) with its fruit-driven style and purity, with just a kiss of Old World game, meatiness, and minerality. Nevertheless, it’s not for the challenging-vintage-from-the-Northern-Rhône-or-bust crowd with its ripeness (it’s 15% alcohol), purity, classy oak, and utterly pleasure-bent style. Will it evolve like a great Hermitage or Côte Rôtie? Time will tell, but hats off to winemaker Charles de Bournet for a legit sensational Syrah. If you get a chance, buy this wine. | $100 | 98 |
| 52 | 2022 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir La Belle Promenade Vineyard | + | From a biodynamically farmed vineyard, the 2022 Pinot Noir La Belle Promenade Vineyard is a bright ruby/magenta hue and takes on more depth on the nose, with black raspberries, grenadine, a hint of purple flowers, fresh earth, and a touch of rosemary. A lovely, seamless wine, with a plush tannin structure, even acidity, a very supple texture, and a floating finish with a lightly salty, mineral iron tone, it feels more approachable now but should have a wide drinking window. Drink 2024-2038. | $55 | 95 |
| 53 | 2021 La Jota Vineyard Co. Merlot W.S. Keyes Vineyard | + | The 2021 Merlot W.S. Keyes Vineyard reminds me of a great vintage of Petrus, and if there’s a better Merlot out there, I don’t know of it. Incredible dark fruits (blackberries, darker cherries), leather, damp earth, graphite, and violet notes all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It’s heavenly today yet will cruise for 15-20 years in cold cellars. | $225 | 100 |
| 54 | 2021 Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo | + | Presenting a more youthful appearance, the 2021 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo is a complete wine already, with ripe, expressive fruit as well as notes of ripe cherry liqueur and pressed flowers. While the oak is going to need time to come together, the wine simultaneously displays broad tannins, power, weightlessness, and an intense mineral drive. It evolves rapidly in the glass, developing notes of pure cinnamon, and continues to reveal more layers over time.The Gaja estate was founded in 1859, although it was Angelo Gaja, the fourth-generation winemaker of this Barbaresco estate, who made the innovations that would help shape the region as it is today. The entire family shares responsibilities across their estates. Great attention is paid to their practice of sustainable and regenerative farming. The latest major development for the estate in Piedmont is a brand new winery exclusively dedicated to their still white wine production in Alta Langa, 16 kilometers away from the original estate. It was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Bo, who the family have worked with since 1982. The vineyards of Gaia & Rey and Brassica will remain the same, but fermentation and production have moved to this location, which was completed in time for the 2023 harvest. There is greater biodiversity in Alta Langa compared to Barolo and Barbaresco, with 60% of the land being undeveloped land and hazelnut farms, and only 40% vineyards, compared to Barbaresco, which has 80% of the land under vine. For this reason, as well as the higher elevations, this area is seeing an influx of attention across the region. In 2015, the family purchased 30 hectares of land that had been planted to hazelnut trees, at an average elevation of 650 meters, which they have converted to vineyard and indigenous plants of the area. Cascina Langa, the historical name for the property, has soils that are rich in sand and tuff, which they believe will be well-suited for adding structure for the white varietals of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. They also planted several other experimental vines to learn what will work well in the region. | $650 | 100 |
| 55 | 2021 Bella Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon | + | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon can perhaps be thought of as a mix of the 2018 and 2019 or a more concentrated 2018. Cassis, darker currants, graphite, crushed stone, and hints of violets all define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, with a concentrated, deep, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and outstanding length. This tiny site in Rutherford has again delivered a world-class wine that I think will surpass the 2018, and probably merit a perfect rating at maturity. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it will evolve for at least two decades. Bravo! | $295 | 98+ |
| 56 | 2021 Ledge Syrah Block 11 Bien Nacido Vineyard | + | The 2021 Syrah Block 11 Bien Nacido Vineyard brings another level of purity and precision, as well as concentration, compared to the 2022. All Syrah aged 20 months in 60% new barrels, its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a truly sensational Syrah that has a layered, nuanced bouquet of blackberries, smoked game, peppery herbs, iron, and bouquet garni-like herbal notes. It’s full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with a pure, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and that rare mix of purity, elegance, and richness. I would gladly put this side by side with the greatest Côte Rôtie out there, and it’s a magical, seamless Syrah that could come from nowhere else. Give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 15 years. | $85 | 100 |
| 57 | 2022 Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf Du Pape Les Gallimardes | + | All Grenache from the pebbly, rocky soils of the Gallimardes lieu-dit, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Gallimardes has an absolutely classic profile in its black raspberry and black cherry fruit as well as spring flowers, iron, and flowery incense. I love its overall purity, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ultra-fine tannins and a great finish. It’s a gorgeously classic, Provençal, satisfying release that’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. While there’s no Grenaches de Pierre, this certainly makes up for it and should be snatched up by Southern Rhône lovers! It will ideally be given 3-4 years and enjoyed over the following 10-15 years. | $75 | 97 |
| 58 | 2021 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon | + | All Cabernet Sauvignon from the old vines on the estate, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep ruby/plum hue to go with a classic, old-school-like vibe in its darker cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and freshly sharpened pencil notes. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet beautifully balanced, it has building tannins, gorgeous purity, and a great finish. | $210 | 97+ |
| 59 | 2022 Andre Perret Condrieu Chery | + | Where the Chanson is a step down over the 2021, this 2022 Condrieu Chery is clearly a step up and has Chateau Grillet-like aromas and flavors of white peach, honeyed flowers, incredible minerality, and a kiss of rose petals. This medium to full-bodied, salty, mineral-laced, incredibly pure Condrieu is absolutely magical today yet will easily evolve for a decade.Unquestionably, some of my favorite Condrieu, as well as Saint-Joseph, emerges from this tiny estate located off route N7, just south of Condrieu. Releasing three Condrieu, you can’t go wrong with any of them, and the base cuvée is well worth a case purchase each year. The two single vineyards always bring more richness and complexity, but they both have their own style depending on the vintage. And while their Condrieu get all the attention, Perret’s Saint Joseph Blanc is always outstanding as well. As to the reds, the classic Saint-Joseph comes from sites all in the northern part of the appellation and is destemmed and aged in roughly 20% new 400-liter barrels. They’ll also do an old vine Saint-Joseph Les Grisières in top vintages, a vineyard selection that’s all destemmed and sees a slightly longer élevage in 30% new oak. They age beautifully, hitting prime time 4-6 years after the vintage, and evolve for 10-15 years thereafter. They’re easily mistaken for a Côte Rotie in blind tastings. Lastly, while Andre is still fully involved, he has been joined in the cellar by his daughter, Marie, who previously made wine in both California and Chile. As I’ve written many times, Rhône lovers need to have these wines in their cellars. | $125 | 97 |
| 60 | 2021 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place | + | A wine that ranks with the truly crème de la crème of the vintage, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place is all varietal raised in 100% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a spicy, meaty, incredibly complex 2021 that has ample cassis and darker fruits, some spicy oak and tobacco nuances, full-bodied richness, velvety tannins, and just about flawless overall balance and purity. It’s a sensationally pure, seamless, compelling Cabernet Sauvignon that deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will cruise for 20-30 years if well stored. It’s a rich yet graceful wine. | $195 | 98 |
| 61 | 2020 G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi | + | Jeweled ruby in color, the 2020 Barolo Cannubi is very attractive on the nose, revealing aromas of raspberry liqueur, pink peppercorn, fresh roses, and toasted anise. Medium-bodied, it’s approachable and fresh, with a rounded midpalate and a weightless feel while having good concentration. Plush tannins float through the finish, as does its long-lasting fruit perfume. This is one of my favorite wines from Cannubi in this vintage and tasted over several days it continued to over-deliver. Drink 2024-2040.Based in Verduno, Fabio Burlotto leads the estate named after his great-great-grandfather. The holdings currently consist of 17 hectares in total, predominantly in Verduno, and a small portion outside of the commune with parcels in Cannubi (Valletta) in Barolo and most recently in Castelletto in Monforte d’Alba. In 2018, he produced his first vintage from 50-year-old vines at the higher part of their parcel in Castelletto, while the lower section was replanted and saw its first harvest last year. Their vision at the moment is that this fruit will become a part of their Classic Barolo. Aclivi is a selection of the best part of each vineyard site, with the traditional blended style of Barolo in mind, and stands in as a substitute for a Riserva bottling. Usually, the grapes are destemmed for the Aclivi, while the Monvigliero is fermented with whole clusters. There was no Aclivi produced in 2020. Historically, Fabio’s grandfather was fermenting all of his Barolo with whole clusters before 1967. When his father took over after he died in 1968, he began destemming the grapes until the 1982 vintage, when they moved back to utilizing whole clusters for the Monvigliero, which Fabio continues to this day. There is a great commitment and dedication to the other varietals of the region, with only half of the total production being Nebbiolo and the remaining half Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, Pelaverga, and Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation for the Barolo occurs in 20-year-old open-top French oak containers, with some punching down, but generally a gentle approach. In the cellar, they utilize 30-year-old large French oak casks, and when barrels need to be replaced, only Barbera or Langhe Nebbiolo will go into the new barrels on occasion. The majority of the wines in this report were tasted at the winery with Fabio in March of 2024, as well as with the Consorzio the same month. The style is marked by lift and energy, with the majority offering an outstanding bouquet of aromatics. They tend to lean toward a Burgundian aesthetic in that they are highly expressive and offer fantastic mineral texture in a medium frame. The indigenous grapes are not to be missed and offer some of the best-hidden gems at an insane value when and if you can find them. Though the US is certainly a major market for wines, Fabio is uniquely committed to having a substantial proportion of his wines distributed in Italy, and I personally intend to have the great fortune to enjoy them while abroad. | $350 | 97 |
| 62 | 2021 Epoch Estate Wines Syrah York Mountain | + | Based on 96% Syrah and 2% each of Roussanne and Viognier, the 2021 Syrah York Mountain has a juicy, medium to full-bodied, ripe, yet still somehow cool climate-like personality in its red, blue and black fruits as well as notes of peppery herbs, iron, black olive, and violet-driven aromas and flavors. It’s balanced and has a layered, sexy mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This magical Syrah flirts with perfection. It benefits from plenty of air (I followed this bottle for multiple days), and it’s going to see its 20th birthday in fine form (although I love it today). | $105 | 99 |
| 63 | 2021 Donelan Syrah Cardiac Hill | + | Pouring a saturated purple /magenta color, the 2021 Syrah Cardiac Hill is a potent and primal wine that’s expressive in the glass, with layered, brooding depth in its concentrated notes of graphite, black plum, polished leather, resinous herbs, and Kalamata olive. Full-bodied, it’s fantastically long and pure on the palate, with sweet, polished tannins and a decadent feel, while retaining lovely freshness and purity. Drink 2025-2040. | $80 | 97 |
| 64 | 2021 Cigliuti Barbera D’Alba Campass | + | The 2021 Barbera D’Alba Campass is from a single vineyard within Serraboella. It displays a deeper violet/purple color and is lifted in the glass with more spice and high-toned lift as well as more concentration in its notes of red cherries, candied blackberries, licorice, black pepper, and dried purple flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it’s ripe but has a vibrant spine of acidity, a lovely snap, and great length. Drink 2024-2032. | $50 | 93+ |
| 65 | 2020 Bodegas Muga Torre Muga | + | Lastly, the 2020 Torre Muga just about jumps out of the glass with its complex red and black fruits, savory flowers, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and graphite-like aromatics. Plush, full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully balanced, it shows the softer, more rounded style of the vintage and has ripe tannins and a great finish. | $145 | 97 |
| 66 | 2021 Ferren Wines Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard | + | The 2021 Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard saw 45% whole clusters and comes from a suitcase selection clone of Pinot Noir believed to be from Vosne-Romanée. In the glass, it reveals a deeper ruby color, and its more sanguine profile comes through on the nose with notes of orange peel, crushed stones, ripe raspberries, and layered spices. The palate offers a chiseled feel, with noble, ripe tannins, seamless acidity, and an exceptionally balanced, long finish. This is an outstanding wine in this fantastic vintage, and it’s only going to improve with time in cellar. Drink 2026-2040. | $90 | 97 |
| 67 | 2021 Clos Solene Cuvee Jean | + | The 2021 Cuvee Jean (there’s 3% Viognier) comes all from the Bien Nacido Vineyard and was aged in 40% new, 300-liter barrels. It has some crazy Bien Nacido white and black peppery notes as well as beautiful black and blue fruits, some gamey, bacon fat, cedar, and violet notes, medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant Syrah from this talented winemaker that has world-class character. | $110 | 97 |
| 68 | 2019 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Bucherchiale | + | The 2019 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Bucherchiale is incredible and refined, with floral layers of brilliant red raspberry, forested earth, and potpourri. This continues seamlessly to the palate with complexity and weightlessness, fine tannins, and a long finish. Notes of leather, cedar, and red cherry meld together in a medium frame. This beautiful wine is a stunner now but will also be a joy to revisit over the next 15 or more years. | $40 | 95 |
| 69 | 2022 Brooks Wine Riesling Orchard Fold Vineyard | + | Bright silver straw-colored, the 2022 Riesling Orchard Fold Vineyard comes from the last vineyard the estate harvests and has more pronounced and beautiful petrol notes lifting from the glass, with notes of savory earth, lemon lime, quince, and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied, it has just a kiss of sweetness, with a balanced feel and lovely, finessed tension. It’s dry but balanced, with a touch of ripe candied fruit. Drink 2024-2035. | $35 | 94 |
| 70 | 2019 Salvioni Brunello Di Montalcino La Cerbaiola | + | A jeweled red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino La Cerbaiola is wonderfully detailed on the nose with aromas of ripe cherries, cedar, dried roses, fresh leather, and mint. It carries beautifully onto the palate, with a medium to full-bodied frame and ripe tannins woven together with warming spice and fresh acidity. Everything you hope for, with lovely purity and fantastic length, this superb offering from Salvioni is complete and a benchmark wine for the vintage. Drink 2027-2050. 9900 bottles produced.In January I met with Alessia Salvioni in the original historic cellar that is based in the center of the town of Montalcino, and the estate also has a second cellar in the vineyard where the fruit undergoes fermentation before being transferred to the casks at either facility. They have 20 hectares in total, with only four hectares of vineyards that are all classified as Brunello vineyards, so in the years that they do produce a Rosso di Montalcino, it comes from the same vineyards. In the vineyards, they have two parcels, the original plantings with older vines planted in 1980 and 1985, and the second parcel originally planted in 1990, with replanting taking place in 2000 and 2017, all at 447 meters elevation. Harvest occurs when they feel the grapes have achieved full ripeness, which tends to be on the later side. Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel with vigorous pumpover. In the cellar, they take a pure approach using 20-hectoliter Garbellotto Slavonian oak casks. | $240 | 97 |
| 71 | 2021 Beckmen Vineyards Syrah PMV Block Six | + | Last of the Syrahs and from vines planted in 1999 by Steve Beckmen, the 2021 Syrah PMV Block Six (100% Syrah aged 23 months in 58% new barrels) reminds me of a great Hermitage with its darker currant and cassis fruit as well as scorched earth, smoked herbs, ground pepper, and violet-like aromatics and flavors. Concentrated and medium to full-bodied, with a focused mouthfeel, it’s up with the finest Syrahs I’ve ever tasted from this estate (and it pretty much stopped me in my tracks.) I love it today, yet it will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and blow you away over the following decade. | $80 | 97 |
| 72 | 2021 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Cote Patriarche | + | Coming from older soils (meaning they’re above the flood line) and two parcels in the Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima, the 2021 Syrah La Cote Patriarche is a sensational effort that brings everything you could want from Syrah. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as sensational notes of smoked meats, red, blue, and black fruits, ground pepper, smoke, and hints of lavender, this full-bodied Syrah has a gorgeously layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, flawless overall balance, and a great, meaty, mineral-laced finish. Just about sheer perfection, it deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for two decades.I was sad to hear that Betz Family Winery was sold yet again, being purchased by Ackley Brands early in 2024. Betz was founded in 1997 by Master of Wine Bob Betz and was later purchased by Bridgit and Steve Griessel in 2011. Bob continued to play a large role in these wines, with Louis Skinner coming on board as assistant winemaker in 2013 and later becoming the head winemaker, while Bob moved into a consulting position. Louis is incredibly talented and gradually shifted the style of the wines to slightly less powerful (and less inky colored, which is a trait loved by Bob) but still balanced and always classically styled. I believe that both Bob and Louis will remain on board. The sale also includes their Untold Story and SUNU labels as well. Looking at the two vintages reviewed here, 2021 is clearly a stronger vintage, and the wines are concentrated and powerful yet also have a beautiful sense of balance and restraint. I’d put this vintage up with the top handful of the estate. The 2022s are impressive as well, yet slightly less concentrated and powerful, with pretty, perfumed characters. | $75 | 99 |
| 73 | 2021 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard | + | The golden yellow 2021 Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard has an expressive and luxurious nose of lemon balm, custard, wet stones, and candied green apple. Persistent and long, it expands on the back palate, with lemon balm, savory saline, a soft texture, and a great, salty lift on the finish. It’s a very persistent yet elegant wine that’s going to mature at a slow pace over the next 10-12 years. | $130 | 95 |
| 74 | 2021 Ceritas Chardonnay Astra | + | A wine that will only be produced in great vintages, the 2021 Chardonnay Astra is a blend coming from both the Carex Vineyard (which lends the wine its structural backbone) and the Charles Heintz Vineyard (which provides an elegant, sunny warmth to the blend). It was raised in 75% new barrels, which disappear into the fabric and texture of the wine. Bright silver/straw-colored, on the nose it reveals a layered bouquet of green pear, raw honeycomb, rocky earth, saline, and orange blossoms. An outstanding textural Chardonnay, the palate is medium to full body, with a luxurious, rounded mid-palate, polished, chalky texture, and a crystalline finish. This is an exceptional wine that I highly encourage readers to snatch up if you can. Drink 2025-2040. | $120 | 98 |
| 75 | 2019 Il Marroneto Brunello Di Montalcino Madonna Delle Grazie | + | For lovers of this estate, you’re going to want to stop everything and go find the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Madonna Delle Grazie if you have the means. There’s simply nothing else like it, and it needs to be experienced. It pours a saturated, youthful ruby color and has an unmistakable and distinctive nose that is highly expressive, with layered aromas jumping from the glass and unfolding notes of cassis, wildflowers, orange marmalade, clove, and blackberries. (Words do this no justice.) Equally potent and layered on the palate, it continues seamlessly, with noble structure and profound concentration through a stunning and long finish that lasts for several minutes (or as long as I could give it until moving on). Remarkable and singular, it truly stands apart from the crowd, even in this phenomenal vintage, where it’s hard to do much wrong. Profound. It’s a showstopper now and will be one of the great wines of the region for decades. Drink 2028-2050.Il Marroneto was established in 1974 by Alessandro Mori, who today is joined by his son Iacopo as winemaker. Originally from Siena, Alessandro was looking to create a small winery and was encouraged by a priest in Montalcino to take a look at a church property on the northern side of the town, with its exposition overlooking Siena. It was there he found the home for his winery. Today, the Mori family’s approach to the vineyard and the winery remains traditional in that they work by more natural methods of temperature control, they do not implement green harvesting of the vines, and they do not work the soil, looking for nature itself to create its selection. The ground here is 75% sand, the ideal soil for Sangiovese. Today they own eight hectares of vineyard, with their prime holdings just outside the winery, the two hectares that make up Modanna delle Grazie sitting at 440 meters above sea level. All of their vineyards have a northern exposition, which is important for the cold winds in the early evening and through the night. | $380 | 100 |
| 76 | 2022 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Hill | + | A transparent deep ruby red color, the 2022 Zinfandel Jackass Hill is a refined wine, with serious aromas that continuously evolve in the glass, layered with elegant notes of sandalwood, menthol, red-berried liqueur, cherries, dried apricot, polished leather, and forest floor. Medium-bodied, it brings tremendous purity and concentration, with ripe tannins, mouthwatering freshness, and an incredibly long palate. It’s got real underlying structure that lasts for ages on the palate, with notes of wet stone and rich mineral persistence. It’s not a joyful wine, but it’s only going to improve if given a chance in the cellar. Drink it over the next 15 or more years. This is built for the long haul.One of the most historic names in Sonoma, the Martinellis are sixth-generation winegrowers based in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Prolific farmers, all of their wines come from estate-grown fruit, with 90% of the grapes sold off to other wineries. In addition to focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they also produce Zinfandel, Syrah, and Muscat of Alexandria. Courtney Robinett Wagoner joined the team in 2015 as the assistant winemaker before being promoted to winemaker in 2017. | $200 | 96 |
| 77 | 2021 Blankiet Estate Merlot Rive Droite | + | Reminding me of a great Saint-Emilion with its notes of darker cherry, white truffle, spring flowers, and chalky minerality, the 2021 Merlot Rive Droite hits the palate with full-bodied richness that carries a terrific sense of freshness, ripe, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. If there’s a better expression of Merlot from Napa, I’m unaware of it. This awesome wine will evolve for 20-25 years if well stored. | $250 | 98 |
| 78 | 2021 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon | + | Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep, dense purple color as well as a primordial nose of ripe black fruits, cassis, camphor, scorched earth, violet, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Reminding me of a young Leoville Las Cases with its closed, dense, structured style, it’s concentrated, has a pure, layered, focused style, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The blend of the 2021 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. | $200 | 98+ |
| 79 | 2021 Mail Road Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills | + | Crunchy black cherries, raspberries, leather, and peppery floral notes all emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, an incredibly pure, medium-bodied Pinot Noir that has fabulous concentration, a focused, nicely structured mouthfeel, and a great finish. It’s a hidden little gem of a Pinot Noir that readers should snatch up! | $52 | 95 |
| 80 | 2020 Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche Di Castiglione | + | A deep red hue, the 2020 Barolo Rocche Di Castiglione is very expressive and detailed on the nose with notes of pure cherry liqueur, fresh rosemary, lifted spice, blood orange, and rocky earth. Energetic and balanced, it reveals lovely tension on the palate, with fine tannins, an even, mouthwatering spine of acidity, and a long finish, with notes of apricot lasting on the back palate. This beautiful wine is only going to improve over the coming two decades.Helmed by fourth generation winemaker Elisa Scavino, the estate owns and manages 30 hectares spanning eight of the 11 communes of the Barolo region and is based in Castiglione Falletto. Sadly, Elisa’s father Enrico Scavino passed away earlier this year at the age of 82. He was an active part of his family’s winery until his passing. Since 2007, they have implemented the use of a netted, submerged cap cylindrical system developed by Enrico that achieves a delicate extraction during fermentation. They have moved to slower, longer fermentation periods and, as of 2018, are solely utilizing large casks. In the vineyard, they pay great attention to the soils’ compression, creating a sustainable ecosystem rich in oxygen and microorganisms and a sustainable approach. Their most recent acquisitions include those of Prapo and Ravera in 2015. Having lost their contract for Cannubi, they are no longer producing what was known as the Barolo Carobric, of which the Cannubi fruit was a major component. I continue to be impressed with the direction these wines have been taking toward a more expressive and pure sense of place, with wonderful diversity across the portfolio. I had the chance to taste the wines for this report twice. | $150 | 97 |
| 81 | 2022 Bethel Heights Vineyard Chardonnay Justice Vineyard | + | A brilliant straw/silver color, the 2022 Chardonnay Justice Vineyard moves to a higher gear with its notes of beeswax, almondine, white flowers, and honeycomb as well as pristine poached pear, and preserved, pithy citrus. Full-bodied, with a weightless feel, it has a fantastic texture with mouthwatering salty accents to balance it out. Drink 2025-2036. | $56 | 96 |
| 82 | 2019 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain | + | I would put the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain up against both the 2013 and 2016 as a potential reference point vintage for this cuvée. Checking in at 13.9% alcohol and revealing a deep purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of pure crème de cassis, scorched earth, graphite, bouquet garni, and hints of plum, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness carrying ultra-fine tannins, a flawless sense of balance and purity, and incredible length. It has plenty of classic Howell Mountain structure, but it’s far from the beast of a wine these were 10 to 15 years ago, and it clearly offers ample pleasure today. Nevertheless, it’s going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and, I suspect, evolve nicely over the following 20-30 years. Tasted twice with consistent results, hats off to Mike Dunn for this brilliant wine. | $180 | 98 |
| 83 | 2021 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon | + | The classic 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from this reference point estate checks in as 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Malbec raised 22 months in once-filled oak and neutral oval botti. Its vivid purple hue is followed by a perfumed, youthful bouquet of cassis and blue fruits that give way to more graphite, chalky minerality, violets, and spicy oak. It’s deep, rich, and medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a gorgeous mid-palate, ripe, building, polished tannins, and fabulous length on the finish. This absolutely brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years and will evolve gracefully over the following two decades. It’s another sensational wine from the talents of Chris Figgins. | $115 | 97+ |
| 84 | 2019 San Giusto A Rentennano Percarlo | + | Taking a similarly dark ruby hue, the 2019 Percarlo is a little slower initially to reveal its aromas of candied raspberry, fresh leather, sweet earth, and polished cedar. Although it’s medium-bodied, it penetrates and saturates the palate with pure concentration of fruit, ripe tannins, and a fantastically long and elegant finish, with a hint of warmth and orange peel citrus. Even all the way through, this is another remarkable wine from the team at San Giusto di Rentennano that has the potential for serious longevity over the coming 15 to 20 years, so readers should be in no rush to open it. | $140 | 97 |
| 85 | 2021 Samsara Syrah Zotovich Vineyard | + | Lastly, the 2021 Syrah Zotovich Vineyard is based on 100% Syrah that was not destemmed and was aged 22 months in neutral oak. It’s another gamey, exotic, complex Syrah that has savory red and black fruits, bacon fat, ground pepper, and spring flower notes to go with a medium to full-bodied, ripe, beautifully textured profile on the palate. It’s California’s answer to a great vintage of Jamet and is a spectacular Syrah to drink over the coming 10-15 years. | $59 | 97 |
| 86 | 2021 Ca’ Marcanda | + | Bottled in July of 2022, the 2021 Ca’ Marcanda has a dark saturated ruby hue and seamless aromatics of graphite, black cherry liqueur, cocoa powder, and forest herbs. Full-bodied on the palate, with great structure, focus and length, and wonderful richness, it’s incredibly even in its balance and has a very long finish. It’s going to need a few years to improve and show its best, but this is a remarkable wine from this stunning vintage. Drink 2026-2046.When the Gaja family purchased their Bolgheri property in 1996, it was home to 10 hectares of vines planted to Sangiovese and Trebbiano. The rest of the land was dedicated to olive trees, peach trees, and cereal grains. Angelo Gaja was drawn to the region by several factors, including its small size, which he always looked for when seeking out denominations outside of their Piedmont home. The Bolgheri DOC had recently been established in 1994 with only 1300 hectares in total. A very different region from Piedmont, Bolgheri has historically been land owned by noble people, whereas Piedmont was a region of farmers. Thus, the Tuscans were more connected to international travel, and you find people with international names and sensibilities. Other differences include the incredibly varied soils, with 27 different types identified due to the erosion from the Colline Metalifere. Additionally, constant winds come through the region that help both with ventilation and temperature control of the vines. My tasting occurred at the Bolgheri winery in November of 2023. Readers will find many of the wines tasted here are parcel selections of that will not be produced on their own but rather will contribute to other cuvées. This is something I have come to appreciate and expect when visiting the Gaja estates across Italy, and it’s a fascinating way to gather data points into their operations and thought process. Whether it’s in the vineyard or in the winery, the family and the team at Ca’ Marcanda are consistently evolving to raise the bar with a measured and steady hand. | $250 | 97 |
| 87 | 2021 Force Majeure Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley Estate | + | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley Estate comes from old vines (1998 plantings) and includes 5% Merlot and spent 22 months in 75% new French oak. Gamey red, blue, and black fruits, lavender, dried tobacco, and cedary oak notes all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, powerful mouthfeel, building yet ripe tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and blow you away over the following 15-20 years. | $150 | 97 |
| 88 | 2021 WeatherEye Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate | + | Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a deep purple/plum hue and has textbook Red Mountain Cabernet notes of red and black currants, spicy wood, savory herbs, and freshly sharpened pencils. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc aged in 75% new French oak, it reminds me of a great vintage of Léoville Las Cases with its inward, regal, tannic style. It’s certainly not for the instant gratification crowd, and it’s going to need 4-6 years, if not more, to shed some tannins, but this is clearly loaded with potential. | $125 | 97+ |
| 89 | 2021 The Vineyardist Cabernet Sauvignon Calarcadia Vineyard | + | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Calarcadia Vineyard is straight-up pure perfection in Cabernet Sauvignon, and I certainly couldn’t find anything it could do better. Incredible aromatics of black and blue fruits, smoked tobacco, dark chocolate, and hints of iron and minerality all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with a full-bodied, broad, expansive, multi-dimensional mouthfeel that is something to behold. Slightly more open and sexy compared to the more tannic and inward Heritage Ridge, this beauty has flawless overall balance, fine tannins, and a mammoth-sized finish. It reminds me of the 2009 Château Latour with its regal yet ripe, opulent, structured profile. It will blow you away even today, but give bottles just 4-5 years if you can. I suspect this will evolve for 30-40 years if well stored. | $300 | 100 |
| 90 | 2021 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In The Rocks | + | The 2021 Syrah In The Rocks was co-fermented with even more Viognier and checks in as 94% Syrah and 6% Viognier, all of which was aged in 25% new puncheons. It’s certainly exotic and perfumed, with lots of red and blue fruits, violets, flowers, shiitake mushrooms, and pepper aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, fresh, focused Syrah with a more focused mouthfeel, beautifully polished tannins, and a great finish. It’s a touch more inward and closed compared to the other releases here, so hide bottles for 3-4 years. It’s clearly another gorgeous wine in the lineup that will evolve gracefully. | $100 | 97+ |
| 91 | 2021 Liminal The Mountain Tower Vineyard Series | + | The 2021 The Mountain Tower Vineyard Series checks in as 52% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 18% Merlot aged 20 months in 40% new French oak. Darker, iron-laced blue fruits, crushed stone, sage, and lavender notes all emerge from this rocking 2021, another brilliant wine in the lineup that has medium to full-bodied richness, stunning purity of fruit, and building tannins that need bottle age. I wouldn’t think about opening bottles for at least another 3-4 years, and it should cruise in cold cellars over the following two decades. | $90 | 97 |
| 92 | 2020 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera | + | From 35-year-old vines and boasting a jeweled red color, the 2020 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is ripe and fruity on the nose, with a lot of spice to balance it out, revealing notes of baked red cherries, leather, toasted cedar, pine, and menthol. Medium-bodied, it offers a lot of freshness on the palate, with fine, approachable tannins and good, even freshness and acidity. Compared to the Case Mate, it has a more linear feel and offers a clean stony texture and more orange citrus fruit. It feels very balanced, and while it has a stamp of oak spice, it’s well-integrated. Give this another six months or so in bottle and drink it over the next 15 or more years. | $100 | 97 |
| 93 | 2021 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Block 8 Estate | + | The 2021 Pinot Noir Block 8 Estate was planted a couple of years after the East Ridge and West Ridge vineyards on soils with high iron content, which comes through as a sanguine tone in the wine with notes of blood orange and mouthwatering saline lift. In the glass, it pours a rich ruby red color and offers aromas of orange peel, wild lavender, grenadine, and cedar. Medium-bodied, it has an outstanding concentration of fruit without any excess weight, offering ripe, structured tannins, a persistent mineral undercurrent, and an incredibly long finish. This is an incredible wine with tremendous appeal to enjoy over the next 15-20 years.Located in Fort Ross, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, David Hirsch purchased his estate in 1978 and planted his first vines in 1980. His daughter Jasmine Hirsch took over as winemaker with the 2019 vintage. They have been practicing biodynamic viticulture since 2011 and were fully converted over in 2014. Their focus and attention are on the site, resulting in wines that offer elegance and purity, with transparency in regard to their sense of place. While I have been a fan of these wines for a long time, they are continuing to push the bar higher and higher, slowly evolving their style to find balance and a new level of completeness in the resulting wines today. For readers who have not checked in on the Hirsch wines in a while, I would highly encourage you to seek these 2021s out. | $105 | 98+ |
| 94 | 2021 Law Estate Wines Intrepid | + | The 2021 Intrepid is all Syrah and was raised 27 months in 73% new French oak. It has a saturated purple hue to go with heavenly notes of liquid blackberries, smoked meats, chocolate, and graphite. With a massive, full-bodied mouthfeel, tons of chalky minerality, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster finish, this heavenly Syrah is up with the legendary examples of this variety. I love it today, yet it deserves 2-3 years of bottle age and will drink well for at least 15 years. Hats off to winemaker Philipp Pfunder. | $105 | 100 |
| 95 | 2021 Turtle Rock Maturin | + | Named after the massive turtle from author Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, the 2021 Maturin checks in as 40% Graciano, 30% Syrah, 18% Mataro, and 12% Grenache that’s all from the James Berry Vineyard and spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. Jammy blue fruits, spring flowers, liquid violets, black pepper, leather, and cassis all give way to a full-bodied, powerful effort that has a deep, layered mid-palate, ripe tannins, a remarkable sense of freshness, and a great finish. It’s young and unevolved and needs 2-4 years of bottle age, but this is absolutely killer juice. | $95 | 98+ |
| 96 | 2020 Riecine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Gittori Gaiole | + | With a jeweled ruby hue, the 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Gittori Gaiole offers pure, impressively layered aromas of candied raspberries, roses, fresh thyme, anise, and peppercorn. Savory and sanguine, this medium-bodied red is refreshing, with red fruit up front, then moves to more blood orange notes and an iron-rich, salty mineral lift, with refreshing acidity and ripe fruit all the way through the finish. This is a very nice wine to enjoy over the next 15 years. | $110 | 93 |
| 97 | 2020 Le Macchiole Scrio | + | Moving to the varietal wines, the 2020 Scrio (which is always Syrah) displays a deep but transparent magenta hue. Floral and inviting, the nose offers beautiful aromas of fresh lavender, candied black raspberry, mocha, and sweet herbs. Full-bodied but weightless, with ripe tannins, its more savory Mediterranean profile shines on the palate with notes of black olive. It has a buoyant and mouthwatering finish that retains freshness of acidity while also offering notes of salty earth. This vintage seems to be much more lifted than I remember this cuvée being in years past and is more about its mineral texture, with undercurrents of spice lasting long on the finish. One stunner of a wine, it’s haunting, as it lasts on the palate for ages. Drink 2025-2040.One of the benchmark wineries of Bolgheri, Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli purchased this estate in 1983 and planted their first four hectares of vines. Today, Cinzia Merli is joined by her two sons, Elia and Mattia, who work together to run the estate. Their holdings now consist of ten parcels, eight in Bolgheri and two in Bibbona, just to the north. In the vineyards, they practice organic farming while also implementing some biodynamic practices. Paleo Rosso’s first vintage was in 1989, before becoming exclusively dedicated to Cabernet Franc in 2001. Today, they make some of the most compelling ranges of single-varietal wines. Messorio is dedicated to Merlot, Scrio to Syrah, and Paleo Rosso to Cabernet Franc. | $290 | 97 |
| 98 | 2022 Bergstrom Pinot Noir Bergstrom Vineyard | + | From the estate’s original vineyard, planted in 1999 and consisting of red clay on top of basalts, the 2022 Pinot Noir Bergstrom Vineyard pours a richer jeweled ruby/magenta hue and is lush with aromas of rosemary, black raspberries, and iron-rich, sanguine aromas as well as a hint of purple flowers. It’s seamless on the palate, with a supple, silky texture, even acidity, and a long, floating finish. It’s a fantastic wine to drink over the next 15 years. | $150 | 98 |
| 99 | 2021 Arkenstone Estate Red | + | Coming all from the estate on Howell Mountain (which is farmed by the Arkenstone team), the 2021 Estate Red checks in as 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec that was brought up in 100% new barrels for 22 months. More tight and inward, it has a deep, darker profile of black cherries, currants, smoked tobacco, lead pencil, and chocolate that takes time to unwind. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has fine, velvety tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This beauty deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and is another fabulous wine from Sam that will evolve for 30+ years. | $200 | 98+ |
| 100 | 2020 Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero | + | On pouring, the 2020 Barolo Monvigliero appears paler in the glass compared to the others tasted in this vertical of Monvigliero, but it opens to become spicy, bright, and complete, with notes of strawberries, spice, fresh flowers, cinnamon, and dusty earth. A great wine with the most distinct sense of place, it offers a tightrope of fine tannins, a snappy spine of acidity, and a long finish, with a fresh, balanced, and age-worthy feel as well as savory, mouthwatering tension and mineral undercurrents. Drink it over the next 20 years. | $110 | 96 |