I bet when you read that headline, you thought you'd be headed into Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Barolo territory. Nope, my top red wine of 2023 is a knockout Cabernet Sauvignon from a tiny new winery in the Walla Walla Hills of Washington.
Viognier reaches its most sublime expression in the tiny village and AOC of Condrieu, in the Northern Rhone. Francois Villard has his fingers on the pulse of this oft-difficult varietal, and I'm just gonna' call it -- this is my top white wine of 2023.
What is a Rosso di Montalcino? This DOC was created in 1984, and the idea was to create a fresher and more ready-to-drink style of wine that needed less ageing time than its grander sibling.
Many of you know and love the Red Burgundies of Capitain-Gagnerot. Guess what? They make excellent whites too, and their 2020 Les Guelottes comes from a 2-acre site on the north side of the famed Corton hillside.
No discussion of top Sonoma Coast producers would be complete without mention of Cobb Wines and Peay Vineyards. We've got 2 brilliant wines from these 2 wonderful wineries at great prices!
Over the past couple of months, I've tasted a bunch of reds from all parts of the globe. I was looking for THE ONE that I could tout as the Perfect Thanksgiving Red, and I found it in Torii Mor's 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
While Alsatian Pinot Blanc can be very boring and bland, the version from the young Vincent Stoeffler is quite the opposite. Highly aromatic, fleshy, and silky, it is my pick for the top Thanksgiving white on offer this year.
Cotes du Rhone Lovers Unite! Not only is Solitude's 2021 Cotes du Rhone absolutely delicious, it also comes from one of the oldest and most trusted estates in Chateauneuf du Pape.
If you want to get an idea of what a White Chateauneuf du Pape tastes like without dropping $40-$50, get a six-pack of this. I know it sounds like a stretch, but I just call it like I smell it and taste it!
Verduno's Pelaverga is 100% "geek juice," but I love it with all of my heart. With its spicy, red fruited character, it's such a joyful bottle of wine to smell and sip,
Lumassina is a very rare grape that is only found in coastal Liguria. Punta Crena is one of the top producers of this unique grape, and thank God for importers like Kermit Lynch for bringing lesser-known wines like this one to the US.
The Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon captures the style of Paso Robles Cab and then some. Quite rich, plush, and luxurious, it's my pick for the top US-made Cab value that we stock.
