If you’re at a restaurant and you don’t have time to read the wine list from cover to cover, here’s an easy tip to remember.

If they have any 2016 Côte Rôtie, grab one. It should be a safe bet.

Is it the greatest vintage in the last 20 years? No, that’ll be 2015, or perhaps 2010. There are individual wines from these two that fly even higher.

But after tasting nearly 30 examples, what 2016 offers is this: quality, classicism and consistency.

And almost all are ready to drink.

Slow and steady wins the race

After a mild winter, the season got off to a fairly late start, with Bernard Burguad writing in his notes that ‘budbreak occurred quite late compared to the average of recent years’. Spring was mild and quite wet, leading to outbreaks of mildew.

Flowering took place unhindered in mid-May, leading to plenty of fruit; the showers, however, continued. The season wasn’t looking terribly promising until July, when hot, dry weather finally arrived.

‘Harvest took place under excellent conditions,’ Burgaud notes, ‘yielding grapes with perfect ripeness and sanitary health.’

He didn’t finish picking until mid-October, ‘something we hadn’t done in a long time,’ he remarks.

As long as grapes reach full ripeness, late harvests can be a good sign in Côte-Rôtie; slow and steady ripening often results in delicacy and precision.

Jean-Paul Jamet says: ‘I like this vintage a lot, thanks to its gradual ripening, harvesting between 28 September and 12 October, which conferred a lot of elegance and freshness.’

‘A great classic’

Coming after the bold, concentrated 2015 vintage, the 2016 was clearly less powerful, but was notable for its sense of balance, freshness and its classic proportions.

They’ve aged well – better than expected in fact – thanks to these qualities. At 10 years, they are largely beyond that awkward phase around seven to eight years of age and are ready to open.

Only a handful would benefit from a few more years in bottle. Julien Barge says: ‘I am very fond of this vintage; it is evolving beautifully.’

In fact, I would open the 2016s before the 2015s.

What I particularly appreciate about the 2016s is how frank and easy to read they are, clearly reflecting their origins and house style.

In the words of Jamet, the 2016 vintage ‘reflects the terroir of Côte-Rôtie magnificently. A great classic’.

Burgaud agrees: ‘It is the most sincere expression of Syrah from Côte-Rôtie.’

All the typical Côte-Rôtie markers are there, and are true to their soil type: those from the more southerly Blonde side are perfumed and elegant, those from the Brune side are darker and more intriguing.

The harvest might have been late, but there were clearly no problems achieving ripeness – there’s no greenness or bitterness and the wines are texturally very fine.

None that I tasted were past their best. If kept well, most will age for at another seven to eight years, and the best will endure twice as long.

Sign of the times

That these wines were made 10 years ago was clear from the tasting. Several had (non-dominating) hints of brett, which is less common today.

Use of smaller barrels and new wood was more common too in 2016 than it is today.

Some wines that appeared oaky when tasted from barrel have successfully swallowed it, but a proportion still display marked oak flavour and tannins that can blur some of the more subtle details of the terroir.

Barge is one of many winemakers who have changed their approach since then.

‘In the cellar, the ageing periods used to be longer – typically two years in demi-muids. Today, I prefer shorter ageing in foudres to better preserve the wines’ freshness and expression,’ he says.

He continues: ‘Paradoxically, my work has become more traditional over time. I have gradually come to appreciate the value of the practices handed down by previous generations.

‘My evolution, therefore, stems not only from personal exploration or technical advancements but also from a more conscious return to that heritage. What appears simple in winemaking is often the result of long, careful reflection.’

The summer felt very warm at the time, but compared to this summer it would feel decidedly comfortable. Tasting these wines made me pine for another 2016.

And today, with refined winemaking practices, more organic viticulture and vines that are 10 years older, the resulting wines would be even better.

But that doesn’t detract from what was achieved in 2016 – a great classic indeed.

Côte Rôtie 2016

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Puligny-Montrachet is, for some, the centre of the white wine universe.

Although it is endowed with the smallest vineyard area among the ‘golden triangle’ villages of Meursault, Chassagne and Puligny, it boasts some or all of no fewer than four grands crus: Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet.

From this epicentre of grands crus, top-notch premiers crus radiate north, and village-level vineyards stretch down the slope.

It is a compact, ideally situated terroir. Superlative wine, though, requires more than a brilliant site.

It also needs winemaking talent, and Puligny today enjoys a rich array of talent ranging from experienced domaines with deep traditions to newer domaines and innovative young winemakers that make this a truly exciting village.

Puligny: Five family names to know

Domaine Leflaive & Olivier Leflaive

Domaine Leflaive is among the finest producers of white wine – not just in Puligny, but in the world.

Despite a period from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s when the domaine struggled with premature oxidation, the wines are today better than ever, thanks to the efforts of previous winemaker, Pierre Vincent.

A recent tasting of the 2024s showed that his replacement, Amandine Brillanceau, is carrying the domaine forward in style.

The domaine farms an enviable portfolio of vineyards, from the grands crus of Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet (where it is the largest landowner), to Chevalier-Montrachet and on to the equally compelling premier cru offerings, making magical wines that age supremely well.

This domaine, however, is not the only Leflaive in town. Olivier Leflaive produces a range of delicious wines under his eponymous négociant business, alongside his brother Patrick.

Although Olivier became co-manager of Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent in 1982, in 1984 he founded his négociant operation, and by 1994 he had departed the family business to focus entirely on this business.

The Olivier Leflaive négociant business has flourished; his Bourgogne Les Sétilles is among the most reliable entry-level white Burgundies.

He always makes wines from his own vineyards, marked ‘Récolte du Domaine’, which include Chevalier-Montrachet and the Puligny premiers crus Pucelles and Folatières.

The winemaking today is overseen by Solène Panigai, successor to Franck Grux, who had been the technical director for 35 years.

Chartron

Another luminous name in Puligny is Chartron. The domaine produces delightful wines throughout the range, but is known above all for its three clos: Clos des Chevaliers, Clos du Cailleret, and the Clos de la Pucelle monopole.

The family has owned these plots since the early 20th century. Portions have been replanted over time, and the oldest vines date to the 1950s and 1960s.

Jean-Michel Chartron is the fifth-generation owner and the winemaker. His style is elegant and sophisticated: the wines are concentrated and focused without showy amounts of reduction or oak, making them wines of restraint and timeless beauty.

The Carillon clan

The Carillon family has lived in Puligny longer than either the Leflaives or the Chartrons, tracing their ancestry to the 16th century.

Well into the years following World War II, however, the family was selling the majority of its production to négociants.

By the 1990s, the domaine, then known as Louis Carillon, was run by brothers Jacques and François. With the 2010 vintage, the brothers split the vineyards between them.

Jacques got the slice of Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, premiers crus Referts, Champs Canet and some of the Perrières, and labels under Domaine Jacques Carillon.

François farms the Folatières, Combettes, Champs Gain and the balance of the Perrières and produces village-level wines from Enseignères, Aubues and Clos du Vieux Château, labelling under Domaine Franc.çois Carillon.

François’ sons Paul and Mathis have recently branched out on their own as Carillon Frères, and are producing delicious wines.

To date, there is the village-level Noyer Bret, and a premier cru Cuvée Loulou blended from the family sites and named for their grandfather.

Pernot

Another winemaking dynasty in Puligny is the Pernot family. The older wines from Domaine Paul Pernot age gracefully, while young Alvina Pernot is among the most exciting new voices in the village.

The granddaughter of Paul Pernot, she and her husband Philippe Abadie began their own domaine in 2018.

Alvina’s style is beguilingly taut, slightly reductive, with a racy finesse that suits the character of the village.

She presses the grapes as whole bunches without sulphur under the press and ferments with native yeasts in mostly used barrels.

The grands crus from Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet are superb, but the entire range bears investigation, particularly the premiers crus Peux Bois, Champs Canet Clos de la Jaquelotte, Clos de la Garenne, Clos des Folatières, Caillerets and Pucelles, and the village-level Rue aux Vaches and the Clos des Noyers Brets.

Thomas-Collardot

I was seduced on my most recent visit by the wines from another relative newcomer, Domaine Thomas-Collardot, whose vineyards were leased out until 2010.

The mother-and-son team of Jacqueline and Matthieu Collardot began bottling the wines under their own label in 2015 and received organic certification in 2023.

The wines are fermented and matured partly in barrels (mostly used) and partly in glass globes.

They produce delicious village-level Puligny wines from Enseignères, Nosroyes, Derrières les Velles, Houlières, Au Paupillot and Rue aux Vaches, along with a blended wine called Les Climats.

The range is completed by the premiers crus Hameau de Blagny and Folatières Au Chaniot.

Change is in the air in Puligny, and the village’s unique combination of established domaines and a new generation of players augurs well for the future of great white Burgundy.

Eight wines to try

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Don’t be in a rush to drink it

Most of us think of Sauvignon Blanc as an aromatic, early-drinking style, but Sancerre offers so much more.

Do as the growers do and wait a few years for the primary fruit characters to soften, revealing the complexities of the terroir.

The 2022 vintage is drinking beautifully right now.

Check out cuvées parcellaires

Small-batch wines from specific sites have proliferated in recent years, reflecting the appellation’s complex geology.

While there are no designated premiers crus in Sancerre, look out for wines from premium vineyard sites such as Monts Damnés, Cul de Beaujeu and Chêne Marchand.

The significance of silex

Following the success of the late Didier Dagueneau’s wine Silex, the name has almost become a brand in its own right, featuring on many Sancerre labels. ‘Silex’ is a reference to flint or silica.

These soil types make up a minority of the vineyard area in the region and produce wines said to possess a distinctive, powerful and smoky minerality.

It’s a great destination for wine lovers

One of the prettiest villages in France, Sancerre is perfect for a tasting trip. There are countless opportunities to visit and taste, often paired with a plate of the local goat’s cheese.

The vineyards are crisscrossed by a network of hiking paths and cycle trails for those wishing to get up close and personal with the vines.

Producer name is key

Sancerre sells at a premium these days, so it pays to seek out good producers.

Happily, there’s no shortage of winemaking talent, to be found at domaines Tabordet, Paul Prieur, Denizot, Claude Riffault and Jean-Philippe Agisson, to name a few.

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Five years ago in an article for Decanter I made a claim that Cinsault was the most underrated red grape variety in the world. I’ve held this belief for some time, and I stand by it still.

In 2021, I organised a blind tasting of Cinsaults from all over the world and it revealed countless brilliant examples of this wonderful grape.

So, five years later, it was time to repeat the exercise to see how Cinsault has progressed.

I was joined by two top tasters – Natalie Earl, Decanter’s regional editor for France, and author and podcaster Henry Jeffreys – and together we worked our way through 52 examples of this unsung grape.

A stellar variety

It turns out there has been an important development in the world of Cinsault since the last tasting. A group of like-minded winemakers has formed a body to promote this under-appreciated grape, called Les Cinsónautes.

One of the founders is Guillaume Baron of Clos de la Barthassade in Aniane, Languedoc. ‘I’ve always loved Cinsault,’ he says, ‘its drinkability, lightness, suppleness and its ability to translate terroir.’ He describes it as a cross between Gamay, Pinot Noir and Grenache.

He’s also part of Les Aligoteurs, a group formed in 2018 to promote another underrated grape – Aligoté. ‘I realised that Cinsault shared the same poor treatment that Aligoté suffered from in the past,’ says Baron, and so he wanted to help reverse its fortunes.

For too long, Cinsault has been widely considered a second-class grape variety, cropped highly to bulk out blends, make cheap rosé or basic vin de soif.

In fact, some believe the grape’s name comes from cinq sauts, meaning five buckets: if you crop it highly enough, one vine will give you that many grapes.

But with lower yields, gentle handling and appropriate care, Cinsault can make beautiful wines. What’s more, it ripens at just 11.5%-13.5% abv.

The tasting

Five years ago, it was South Africa that dominated the leaderboard. Since then, France has improved dramatically.

The top 10 this year contained five wines from each of these countries – but France took the top three places.

‘One of Cinsault's real strengths is its beautiful soaring fragrance,’ says Earl, ‘and that was really on show in the French wines… Many examples felt extremely well handled and cared for.’

Some of the French bottlings felt clunky and over-extracted last time, but now the grape’s innate delicacy and tenderness is being embraced and celebrated.

‘The French are clearly doing something exciting, they’re rediscovering it,’ says Jeffreys.

South African examples don’t seem to have progressed quite so quickly, and are stylistically more varied.

‘The South Africans weren’t as strong as last time but there were some absolute stand-out wines, especially from Natte Valleij,’ says Jeffreys.

There were very good individual wines from Chile and the USA, too.

Brightest stars

We all picked our top seven from the tasting, and occasionally our favourites overlapped. Four wines were chosen by two tasters:

- Domaine Allegria, Spirale, Pays d’Hérault, Languedoc, France 2024

- Mas Cal Demoura, Belle Fiolle, Vin de France, Languedoc, France 2024 (grown near Terrasses du Larzac)

- Leeu Passant, Old Vines Basson Cinsault, Wellington, South Africa 2023

- Domaine Sainte Marie de Crozes, L'Escapade, Vin de France, Languedoc, France 2024 (grown near Corbières)

Two wines were unanimously selected as favourites by all three tasters:

- Alain Chabanon, Cinq Saut, St Guilhem le Désert, Languedoc, France 2023

- Domaine du Pas de l'Escalette, Ze Cinsault, Pays Hérault, Languedoc, France 2024 (grown near Terrasses du Larzair

There was one main criticism however: the grape is prone to reduction, which caused certain bottles to show rubbery aromas on opening.

But there were fewer instances this time round, and usually a brief decant helps reduce this.

Cinsault doesn’t produce blockbusters or icon wines. Rather than structure, power and complexity, what it offers is freshness, aromatic precision, lacy tannins and a sense of purity and levity.

And it’s delicious on its own, lightly chilled.

‘They were incredibly drinkable, concentrated but not cumbersome or heavy, with refreshing acidity. A wine for modern times,’ says Earl.

The stars have aligned, and it’s Cinsault’s time to shine.

Matt Walls 20 highest-scoring Cinsault

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Anne Krebiehl MW, Freddy Bulmer and Roger Jones tasted 163 wines, with 6 Outstanding and 57 Highly recommended

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Panel tasting scores

163 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 6

Highly recommended 57

Recommended 90

Commended 10

Entry criteria: UK retailers and agents were invited to submit their latest release, still, dry Sauvignon Blanc wines from any region in New Zealand

Over two days, three of us tasted 163 New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that presented a brilliant overview of what’s on the market right now.

Most wines, four-fifths in fact, hailed from Marlborough and most, just under two-thirds, from the 2025 vintage.

Two things stood out.

First: while Marlborough still rules the Sauvignon Blanc roost and provided all the top-scoring wines, other regions offer worthwhile alternatives. Second: the 2025 vintage is weaker than 2024 but still holds plenty of treasure.

Sauvignon Blancs submitted from Central Otago where temperatures differ between day and night scored really well, while wines from warmer Hawke’s Bay were weakest, showing that the latter is a better hunting ground for other varieties.

2025s are good to go

As regards the vintages, 2025 with its higher yields and tricky growing season, featuring a cool January, i.e. midsummer in the southern hemisphere, meant we could really tell the wheat from the chaff.

Vines needed careful handling and management to ensure full ripening and thus aromatic development of the crop load.

Roger Jones put it succinctly when he noted that ‘wines that had some love and care, with time on lees, or with some careful oak age, but not necessarily always with oak’, did best.

This means that you should enjoy the 2025 wines while they are young and alive with primary fruit and flavours.

Those who adore varietal Sauvignon Blanc aromas in the greener spectrum will be in for a treat, especially with wines from the Awatere Valley sub-region, which is vibrant in 2025 with pea shoot, lime and green asparagus.

Freddy Bulmer noted another clear and positive development, particularly pertinent for 2025.

He found the wines well-integrated ‘with relatively few that seemed to compensate for underripe fruit by adding sweetness, which has been a particular issue at the entry level in the past’.

See all notes and scores from the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tasting

The judges

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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Oregon and Washington helped lead the United States to its best performance ever at Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) in 2026, with an Oregon Pinot Noir earning one of only 50 Best in Show medals awarded globally. In addition, a Washington winery claimed its second consecutive Platinum award – the second vintage in a row that its Cabernet Franc has notched that honour.

The Awards helped solidify the reputations of two established Pacific Northwest appellations in particular, as their wines showed ‘a strong level of consistency’, according to Oregon-based DWWA Panel Judge Bree Stock MW. ‘Oregon’s best Pinot Noirs were very compelling, particularly from established Willamette Valley sub-AVAs such as Dundee Hills, where the wines showed aromatic definition, layered spice and the capacity to age’.

The Washington wine submissions showed ‘real strength and perform well, with Walla Walla Valley standing out for Cabernet Franc and Syrah that has depth, savoury complexity and a clear regional voice’, Stock added. ‘Royal Slope Riesling was another bright point’.

Oregon excellence: Pinot Noir, Cabernet and white wines

Domaine Serene, one of Oregon’s top producers, took home Best in Show – given to just 0.3% of the nearly 17,000 wines tasted in 2026 – for its 2023 Aspect Pinot Noir. The wine is sourced from the winery’s highest-elevation estate vineyards in the Dundee Hills, one of Willamette Valley’s prime winegrowing appellations. In fact, every one of the previous three Best in Show winners from Oregon (in the 2016, 2020 and 2023 competitions) has been a Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills.

The judges gave Aspect a score of 97 points, noting its ‘impressive craftsmanship’, ‘outstanding fruit’, supple palate and ‘textbook Dundee Hills aromatics of cherry cola and sassafras’. Domaine Serene also earned a Gold medal and 96 points for its ‘seductive’ 2023 Grace Vineyard Pinot Noir, a single-vineyard bottling from its Evenstad Estate, as well as Silver medals for three other Pinot Noirs and two sparkling wines.

To be recognised with a collection of medals ‘is deeply meaningful to our entire vineyard and winemaking team’, said Michael Fay, Domaine Serene’s vice president of winemaking and viticulture. ‘These awards reflect our commitment to wines expressing the character of the Dundee Hills and Willamette Valley while representing the world-class quality Oregon brings to Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. This recognition gives us an important opportunity to introduce more consumers to our wines and the remarkable region we are proud to call home’.

Another 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, an ‘elegant’ and ‘stylish’ selection from Alexana’s sustainably farmed estate vineyard, won a Platinum medal, scoring 97 points. ‘I see it as a high water mark for us,’ said general manager Jeff Lewis.

‘It’s the coalescence of so many things’ – including the work of new head winemaker Tresider Burns, new director of viticulture Drew Herman, the estate’s conversion to organic farming and a shift in winemaking approach.

Being recognised as ‘one of the great wines of the world’, Lewis added, ‘is a validation of the direction in which our team – in terms of farming and winemaking – had been evolving after 20 years, continuing to push ourselves in a really meaningful way to make wines of unique personalities that express what we feel is so special about Alexana and the Dundee Hills’.

Oregon wineries also collected three other Gold medals, for a total of four, including for Amaterra’s excitingly complex 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (96 points) and Watermill’s rich, supple 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (95) from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in Walla Walla Valley, where Bordeaux varieties and Syrah thrive. And bhn’s compelling, layered, off-dry Oregon Riesling 2023 (95) became the first orange wine from the state to receive Gold at DWWA.

In all, the state racked up 72 medals, a new high.

Washington wine winners: Walla Walla and Wahluke Slope reds

Washington winery Echolands earned a Platinum for its ‘lush,’ ‘harmonious’ 2023 Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc (97), from one of the coolest sites on the Washington side of Walla Walla Valley. This follows the same wine’s Platinum success last year for the 2022 vintage – quite an achievement for a winery that was founded in 2018 and released its first wines in 2020.

‘The Walla Walla AVA is an incredible place in the world to grow winegrapes’, said Echolands winemaker and general manager Brian Rudin. ‘There is a great diversity of options for winemakers: the higher-elevation, cooler and silt-laden slopes are a sweet spot for Bordeaux varieties, especially when aromatics and elegant textures are the goal’.

The state also saw its strongest-ever Gold medal performance in 2026, with five diverse wines achieving that honour. ‘Washington State continued to have a strong showing with their characteristic powerful styles of wine,’ said James Tidwell MS, DWWA Regional Chair for the USA and Central America. Its medal total for the year came to 46.

While most of the Washington winners were red wines, Echolands’ harmonious 2024 Frenchman Hills Vineyard Block 1 Riesling (96) became the first Gold medal winner from the Royal Slope AVA. ‘We’ve always revered these two vineyards [Blue Mountain and Frenchman Hills] as the best-suited sites in Washington for their respective varieties’, commented Rudin.

UpWest’s 2023 Syrah (95) secured another first: Gold for Washington’s Wahluke Slope appellation.

Two Washington icons also took home Gold. L’Ecole No. 41 demonstrated the benefit of working with a suite of mature vineyards with its 2022 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (95), from vines averaging more than 20 years old. That was just one of its four medals. Like Echolands, Spring Valley Vineyards put Cabernet Franc in the foreground in its 2023 Uriah (96), a blend with 40% Merlot, also from Walla Walla Valley.

Walla Walla’s parallel strength with red Rhône varieties was on display in the robust, meaty Francisca’s Vineyard Syrah 2023 (95) from Hoquetus Wine Co., a tiny producer with a wide range of wines, from Riesling to Roussanne and Nouveau-style Syrah to amphora-fermented Mencía.

Decanter’s annual awards: a guide to global wine standouts

Launched in 2004, DWWA is widely regarded as the global benchmark for wine quality based on its rigorous tasting process, its international reach and the expertise of its judges (245 of them in 2026, more than one-third of them Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers). ‘With so many choices available, consumers often look for reassurance when selecting a bottle, and the DWWA medals help simplify the decision’, commented DWWA Co-Chair Ronan Sayburn MS.

Twenty-three years on, DWWA has become the world’s largest wine competition, awarding medals in five tiers: the 50 Best in Show, then Platinum and Gold (all scoring 95+ points), followed by Silver and Bronze.

In 2026, US wines won a total of 466 DWWA medals – nearly double the country’s previous highest tally. With two Best in Show wines, five Platinum and 32 Gold (one in the Top 35 Value Golds list), this is the biggest haul of top-tier medals the country has brought in at the competition.

Although California, Oregon and Washington continue to dominate, Texas took home its first Gold medals, while Virginia and Pennsylvania both achieved their third consecutive years with Gold medals. Wineries in Massachusetts, Missouri, Colorado and North Carolina claimed Silver medals.

The full list of 2026 winners from around the world can be found at awards.decanter.com.

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Albariño is lovingly known as 'the wine of the sea' in its birthplace, the rain-lashed Atlantic coast of north-west Iberia. Locals have enjoyed it with seafood dishes for centuries, but Albariño is no longer a well-kept Spanish secret.

This popular grape has emerged as one of the wine world’s great success stories, and it’s now thriving everywhere from Portugal and California to New Zealand and even England.

Why is International Albariño Day on August 1?

The date is a nod to the grape’s spiritual home. Every year, the Galician town of Cambados hosts the Fiesta del Albariño, a week-long festival of tastings, concerts and fireworks that culminates on the first Sunday of August.

This festival now draws crowds of around 150,000 people, but the party has surprisingly humble origins. In 1953, two local growers challenged each other to a friendly contest to decide whose wine from the previous vintage was the best.

Bernardino Quintanilla was a Vigo-based lawyer who tended a small Albariño vineyard that produced just a handful of bottles. His friend, Ernesto Zárate, was a local landowner and a far more experienced winemaker in the Salnés Valley.

Quintanilla, Zárate and seven other growers presented their wines at a dinner in a friend’s garden. The menu was suitably absurd: 28 kilos of lobster, six chickens, piles of crabs, nine bottles of Champagne and 32 litres of local red wine to wash down the Albariño they were supposedly there to judge.

After the blind tasting, the votes were tallied, and neither man won. The victor was José Rodiño, a farmer from the neighbouring town of Carballal, who wasn’t nearly as wealthy as his competitors. A rematch took place the following year, and this time Zárate won, with Quintanilla finishing second.

The rematch became an annual tradition, the tradition became a festival, and the festival helped propel Albariño to worldwide fame. International Albariño Day, which falls during the celebrations, invites the rest of the world to join in.

Monks, myths and the Camino

As with many great grapes, legend long clouded Albariño’s true origins. The romantic version held that medieval monks carried the grape to Galicia from France or Germany along the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. Modern research tells a different story: Albariño is a true native of the Iberian Peninsula, cultivated in the region for centuries – possibly as far back as the 12th century.

Its heartland is Rías Baixas, the Denominación de Origen established in 1988 along Galicia’s fjord-like Atlantic inlets. Here, thick-skinned Albariño grapes shrug off the damp maritime climate, often trained high on granite pergolas to catch the breeze, producing whites of mouth-watering freshness with a signature saline streak.

Scroll down to see 15 award-winning Albariño wines to try

One grape, two names

Cross the Miño river into Portugal and Albariño becomes Alvarinho, a star grape of Vinho Verde. The finest examples come from the Monção and Melgaço sub-regions just over the border, where the style is typically light, aromatic and gently fresh, sometimes with a subtle spritz.

Further afield, the grape’s love of cool, coastal conditions has helped it flourish in various pockets of the world. California’s Central Coast and Oregon’s Willamette Valley produce vibrant, fruit-forward examples, while New Zealand and Australia are turning out zesty, aromatic takes of their own. It has even found an unlikely foothold in England, where the mild maritime climate of Kent echoes the conditions of its Galician homeland.

Wherever it grows, Albariño holds onto its calling cards: bright acidity, perfumed stone fruit and a whisper of sea air. International Albariño Day is the perfect excuse to pour something fresh and delicious.

Spain

Pazo de Señorans, Selección De Añada Albariño, Rías Baixas 2015
Best in Show, 97 points
This is the fifth appearance of a Rias Baixas Albariño in our Best in Show selection, and triumphantly endorses local traditions for long lees ageing followed by bottle age: the wine is now in its eleventh year since the fine 2015 harvest. Our previous winners had been aged for 9, 5, 2 and just 1 year; indeed the popularity of this ‘heroic viticulture’ category means that there is now intense commercial pressure to hurry the wines to market, so classical long-aged alternatives can be hard to find. Pour it into the glass, though, and you'll be amazed: the colour is still pale gold, while the aromas are fresh though complex: expect notes of nectarine, apricot, honeysuckle and citrus zest. The only clue to the wine's age is its mushroomy aromatic back-tones. On the palate, age has brought softness and amplitude but the cut-stone acidity has kept its buoyant freshness; the delicacy and charm remain uncompromised while the stony finesse almost seems to emerge more memorably with time. A masterclass in regional tradition. Alcohol 13%

Bodegas Aquitania, Aquitania Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Platinum, 97 points
A highly distinctive style, capturing both the white peach and pear fleshiness and incisive limey precision that defines the grape. Warming nutty tones are joined by a lip-smacking saltiness that glides towards the long finale. Alc 13%

Paco & Lola, Prime Albariño, Rías Baixas 2021
Gold, 96 points
Dazzling white peach, nectarine, orange and honeysuckle perfume underscored by a vivid saline sensation. Textured and refreshing with citrus acidity and a long. Alc 13%

Rectoral Do Umia, Alectum Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Gold, 96 points
Arresting aromas of fresh herbs, crushed shells, lime and tangerine energise the pithy consistency and rounded, pear-imbued structure and fuse with the long, saline finish. Alc 12.5%

Terra De Asorei, Selección Privada Albariño, Rías Baixas 2022
Gold, 96 points
Punchy and peachy, with hints of white tea cutting through the palate. Moreish and sapid with lots of chewy texture and expressive acidity carrying the fruit. Alc 13%

Eidosela, Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Gold, 95 points
Inviting sea salt and grapefruit pith on the nose, with white peach, plum and citrus peel filling the palate. Salivating and mineral with mouth-watering length. Alc 13%

Granbazán, Etiqueta Verde Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Gold, 95 points
Distinctive notes of honeyed fruit, candied lemon peel and steely minerals set the tone, emboldened by the weighty structure and pithy acidity. Fluid and rapturous. Alc 13%

Pazos de Lusco, Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Gold, 95 points
Resplendent aromas of orange blossom, honeysuckle and white peach with a haunting mineral drive. Refreshing and saline with a stunning lemon acidity rippling at the end. Alc 13%

Torre Penelas, Blanco Granito, Rías Baixas 2023
Gold, 95 points
High-tone floral aromatics of honeysuckle and peach blossom build the foundations with bounteous peach melba juiciness and tantalising lime zest acidity layered on top. Divine. Alc 12.5%

Celdina, Albariño, Rías Baixas 2025
Silver, 93 points
Delicate and focused nose, with varietal notes of citrus fruit, white peach and blossom. Nicely textured, crystalline palate. Alc 12.5%

Mar De Frades, Finca Monteveiga Albariño, Rías Baixas 2021
Silver, 91 points
Some aromas of grapefruit, rhubarb and green apple with saline nuances. Energetic and refreshing, powerful palate with a mineral finish. Alc 12.65%

New Zealand

Tohu, Whenua Matua Albariño, Upper Moutere, Nelson 2025
Gold, 95 points
A frisson of kaffir lime, orange oil and honeyed herbals patrols the nose, while saline mineral characters frame the palate. Gorgeous grapefruit sherbet charges the length. Alc 13.5%

Waimea, Albariño, Waimea Plains, Nelson 2025
Silver, 92 points
Peachy aromatics, a touch of creamy citrus. Characteristic varietal palate with mineral base notes, breezy acidity. Real energy. Alc 13.5%

South Africa

Spier Wine Farm, Villa Blue Albariño, Stellenbosch 2025
Top Value Gold, 95 points
Ripe red apple and mango with flecks of citrus zest. Broad, creamy and concentrated, offset by vibrant acidity and a lingering saline finish. Alc 13.5%

United States

New Clairvaux, St. James Block Albariño, California 2025
Silver 93 points
Fresh green apple and pear nose with white blossom undertones. Refreshing and vibrant with a tingling acidity. Persistent finish. Alc 12.4%

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‘Everyday drinking’ is an important concept, but what, exactly, do we mean?

A topic such as this should write itself, yet I found the subject slippery while actually writing it.

Part of the reason is that it is necessarily a moving target, changing with the seasons and the weather, where one is located, and with whom one is dining.

The other difficulty is that one is spoiled for choice – how can the topic be narrowed to a reasonable scope if each day brings an exciting new possibility?

Below are my coups de cœur (heart throb) Burgundy producers, as the French would say; the vignerons I turn to for excellent mid-week drinking.

These personal choices are made on impulse rather than logic, and they are organised geographically for simplicity's sake.

The necessary criteria are quality, availability and price. To qualify for everyday drinking, it must be good, readily available in shops or restaurants, and at least reasonably affordable.

Chablis/Auxerrois

A quick look at my personal website reveals a profusion of Chablis. Once ridiculously undervalued, Chablis in recent years has taken off in renown, and in price, yet northern Burgundy still holds surprising value.

Domaine Jean-Hugues & Guilhem Goisot is not as well-known, particularly to anglophone drinkers, as the best Chablis producers, but it also sits at the top of the hierarchy.

It is based in the charmingly obscure town of St-Bris, where the appellation wines are Sauvignon de St-Bris, a close Kimmeridgian cousin of Sancerre.

The Goisot clan produces perhaps the most expressive versions available of this appellation (often on north-facing slopes, sometimes co-planted with Sauvignon Gris), but when the exposure or soils are better suited to Chardonnay (east-facing) or Pinot Noir (south-facing) these grapes are grown and bottled as Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre.

At an extraordinarily reasonable price point, they also produce a winning Aligoté that is widely available.

Côte de Nuits

The Côte de Nuits is the land of grand cru Pinot Noir and one might imagine a struggle to find everyday wines. Luckily, this is not the case at all.

Even top producers can still make wines here that are beautiful and affordable, and Domaine Trapet must surely be at the front rank.

Given the quality here, all the wines could qualify as reasonably priced, but the Passetoutgrain à Minima, a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ in Gevrey, is a true bargain, as are the Gevrey village-level cuvées 1859 and Ostrea.

These are cuvées produced by Domaine Trapet Père & Fils, formerly directed by Jean-Louis Trapet, whose sons Pierre and Louis are now at the helm.

They have also launched their own label, Pierre & Louis Trapet, where they produce classic styles and some more experimental bottlings.

Worthy of note, the wines from Trapet’s cousin domaine, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, are also of extraordinary value from superb terroirs.

For the summer months it may be useful to highlight Burgundy’s only ‘cru’ rosé from Marsannay. I often mark the beginning of summer by buying in a case of pink for hotter weather.

The classic producer is Domaine Bruno Clair, whose careful combination of direct press and maceration on the skins produces a delightfully elegant summer rosé.

Bruno’s cousins at Domaine Bart and his neighbour Sylvain Pataille also offer worthy renditions.

Côte de Beaune

The wines of Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson are among the most frequent weekday visitors on my dinner table. The domaine is located in St-Romain, where they farm 19ha of certified organic vineyards.

Although the family has lived in the village since the 12th century and trace their work as vignerons to 1758, they have bottled wine under the family name only since 1947, the year in which the village received its own appellation.

Before 1947, St-Romain was considered part of the Hautes-Côtes, tucked away in a valley behind Meursault in the region’s upper slopes, which is why the village is less well-known to many.

The higher elevations meant that in the past the grapes ripened with difficulty, but with a changing climate, St-Romain has come into its own to produce wines with lush, forward fruit that still retain plenty of structure, making them excellent companions to food.

The vineyard-designated St-Romain wines are the star of the show at Buisson, but the red and white Bourgogne-level wines are delicious as well at an eminently affordable price.

Côte Chalonnaise

The Côte Chalonnaise is home to many diverse wine styles. One producer has mastered several: Bruno Lorenzon is producing some of the finest wines anywhere in the Côte Chalonnaise.

Although he is based in Mercurey, known for red wines, his 30 years at the family domaine have given him the experience to produce stunning wines in both colours.

He now produces wines from 9ha of vines, six in Mercurey and three in Montagny. As he noted: ‘I’m a white wine guy who makes Pinot Noir in a Chardonnay way.’

He sometimes delights in running counter to received wisdom, deriding the early-picked, reductive style currently in fashion for Chardonnay in very amusing terms, quoting Henri Jayer: ‘A wine must be good from the beginning’.

He presses whole bunches of Chardonnay delicately and vinifies in a minimalist way without chaptalising, acidifying, or adding sulphur, to sublime results.

In either colour or terroir, the master of Mercurey delivers beautiful wines of precision and impressive depth of flavour.

Mâconnais

The Mâconnais is a fertile hunting ground for the everyday value wines that often appear at my house.

The region is broad and varied, and numerous producers are making great wine at great prices.

Across the appellations of the Mâconnais, from Pouilly-Fuissé premier cru to Mâcon-Villages and beyond, however, the style pioneered by Jean-Marie Guffens and Julian Desplans at Maison Verget consistently delivers satisfaction.

They adapt the winemaking style to each cuvée across a broad range, but in general, the wines are concentrated and aromatic, with a slightly smoky, reductive edge imparted by the winemaking.

Despite picking fairly ripe fruit, the wines never lose their balance and retain a lively freshness that makes them refreshing even in a warm vintage.

Even in an era of skyrocketing prices, these producers show that Burgundy still offers abundant choices for everyday drinking.

Favourite Burgundy producers for everyday drinking

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Washington is a winemakers’ playground. Unburdened by strict rules, they can freely experiment with grape varieties, wine styles, vine-growing practices and blends to produce some of the most impressive wines in the US.

Here, Rhône varieties such as Syrah are transformed into wines that don’t mimic their predecessors, but rather express their own regional character or follow winemakers’ unbridled imaginations.

‘You’re free to make your own wine the way you choose,’ says Brian Rudin, winemaker and general manager of Echolands Winery, a two-time Decanter World Wine Awards Platinum winner that also makes multiple Syrah bottlings.

‘You don’t need to make it the way your grandparents did.’

Syrah has been a leader among these experiments since it was planted in Washington 40 years ago, with a rapidly developing range of styles true to the terroirs of the Walla Walla Valley, Red Mountain AVA and beyond.

The grape variety appeals to winemakers and wine lovers for creating approachable, food-friendly wines with ripe fruit flavours, complexity and general lushness.

The rise of Washington Syrah

‘Syrah can be a good introductory wine to newcomers – and we certainly need newcomers – but, at the same time, satisfy the needs of the most advanced wine aficionado,’ says Dick Boushey, a pioneering Washington grapegrower.

‘Syrah’s diversity and adaptability are its strengths. Syrah can take the increased heat that we have seen up and down the West Coast. So, it is a variety that is sustainable for the future.’

The first Washington Syrah plantings are credited to Mike Sauer and his family in 1986, in their Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima Valley.

By contrast, Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced to the state in 1941, with Merlot following in 1965, according to the Washington State Wine Commission, bringing the state renown with bottlings from the likes of Leonetti Cellars and Quilceda Creek.

However, Syrah is now a close competitor with Merlot for the second most-planted red variety, with more than 6,300 hectares to Cabernet’s 19,400+ hectares.

Besides being bottled as a single-varietal wine, Syrah is also used in many blends with other Rhône varieties or Cabernet, a decisive factor in its growth.

Producers such as Columbia Winery and now-closed McCrea Cellars encouraged the early plantings of Syrah, while the bold, modern wines from the likes of K Vintners and Cayuse Vineyards helped put Washington Syrah on the radar of a wider range of wine drinkers.

How Washington Syrah styles differ by region

Washington’s major wine regions yield several distinctive styles of Syrah, according to Boushey.

In the warmer parts of the broad Columbia Valley AVA, the wines tend to be inky, ripe and dark – similar to bold California wines.

In cooler areas, like the foothills of Yakima Valley, the wines show more acidity, savoury notes and lower alcohol levels.

In southeastern Walla Walla Valley, where the AVA spreads across the border between Washington and Oregon, Syrah has become the signature variety of The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.

Here, the cobblestone-filled soils become the main story, leading to wines with signature notes of earth, meat, iodine and herbs.

‘The radiant heat from the exposed basalt stones contributes greatly to the profile that Rocks wines carry,’ says Trey Busch, winemaker of Sleight of Hands Cellars, a Washington winery that owns Stoney Vines Vineyard in The Rocks. (Because the district falls entirely within Oregon, many Washington wineries end up making wines from both states.)

Busch continues: ‘The vines spend more time "shut down" during the hottest days, preserving energy and simply surviving in such a harsh climate. The vine roots also go extremely deep since there is not much soil or moisture-holding capacity.’

How Washington Syrah styles are shaped in the vineyard

Straddling the windswept ridgeline of Red Mountain, WeatherEye Vineyards makes its own Syrah and provides fruit to wineries such as Liminal and MTN/ART.

There, vineyard manager Ryan Johnson has been fine-tuning the viticulture to coax out Syrah’s best qualities. Working with a little less than three hectares of the 16-hectare vineyard planted with Syrah, he became one of the few Washington growers to use the échalas system, with each vine is trained on its own tall stake.

Since Red Mountain is hot, windy and dry, Ryan increased the vine density, creating more natural shade to protect the fruit. As a result, he gets complex, singular wines from this site.

‘Syrah is very site-driven and also very strongly influenced viticulturally,’ Johnson explains. ‘You can farm it conventionally, you can grow it like Cabernet, you can treat it in the cellar like generic reds, and you'll get a generic red wine. But if you match the right training system, the right terroir and the right clone, and then manage your irrigation and nutrition at the highest level, you’ll get that ultimate expression.’

Responding to current market demands, more young Washington winemakers are turning towards lighter wines, Syrah included.

Since 2019, Kelsey Albro Itämeri of Itä Wines has been picking the fruit she sources from Les Collines Vineyard in southeastern Walla Walla very early to avoid overripeness.

That way she doesn’t need to make water or acid additions to adjust the alcohol level and balance of the wines. As a result, Itä Syrah comes in at only 12% abv, with low levels of tannins.

‘If you want to taste the place, Syrah does an excellent job of doing that,’ says Itämeri.

‘It is also delicious. It’s a little bit wild and a little feral and has some magnetism to it. It’s not just fruity. It is also savoury. It has the edge. It makes you think. As people grow in their love of wine, they don’t just want a fruit bomb, they want a wine that is interesting.’

11 Washington-made Syrahs to try

Wine selection and tasting notes by Gwendolyn Elliott

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Few grapes have travelled the world as successfully as Shiraz. Born in France, made famous in Australia and now thriving everywhere from South Africa to California, it’s one of the most widely planted red varieties on the planet – and one of the most versatile, capable of everything from savoury, peppery elegance to rich, velvety power.

Why the fourth Thursday of July?

A Sydney-based wine marketing agency called Mastermind Consulting established International Shiraz Day in 2020. The agency chose the fourth Thursday in July, as it falls in the depths of the Southern Hemisphere winter, when a glass of warming Shiraz feels just right. However, it also neatly coincides with barbecue season north of the equator.

If you’re posting about the event, the official hashtag is #shirazwineday, not #shirazday. The latter belongs to a different celebration entirely, held each May in honour of the Iranian city of Shiraz.

French roots, Persian myths

That Iranian connection is no coincidence. According to popular folklore, the grape originated in the ancient Persian city, before Crusaders or pilgrims brought it to France. It was a nice story, but DNA testing in 1998 finally settled the matter.

Shiraz is in fact a native French grape, the natural offspring of two obscure varieties from south-eastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.

The grape’s spiritual home is the northern Rhône, where it is known as Syrah. It produces the legendary wines of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie – savoury, perfumed reds layered with black pepper, smoked meat, olive and violet alongside the dark fruit. There’s a separate celebration, International Syrah Day, held annually on February 16, to honour the grape.

Two names, one global grape

Shiraz and Syrah are genetically identical, but the two names have come to signal two broad styles. ‘Syrah’ usually points to the restrained, savoury European model, while ‘Shiraz’ – the name adopted when the grape reached Australia in the 1830s – suggests a bolder, riper, fruit-forward wine.

Today the grape flourishes on almost every wine-producing continent. Australia remains its most famous New World home, from the old-vine blockbusters of the Barossa Valley to elegant cool-climate examples from the Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley.

South Africa’s Stellenbosch and Swartland regions produce smoky, spice-laden wines that split the difference between the two styles, while California’s Paso Robles and Washington State lean plush and powerful. Chile and Argentina offer superb value, and even Spain, Italy and New Zealand have carved out their own takes on the grape. Wherever it grows, Shiraz keeps its signature: dark fruit, warmth and that unmistakable crack of black pepper.

International Shiraz Day is the perfect excuse to open something special. Fire up the barbecue, pour a generous glass and join the celebration.

15 award-winning Syrah wines to explore from DWWA 2026

Australia

Ferngrove, The Orchid Collection Dragon Shiraz, Frankland River, Western Australia 2023
Best in Show, 97 points
There's a lot more to Western Australia than just Margaret River, as all those who love Australian wines will know – but, until this year, no other region in this vast state has managed to win its way through to Best In Show. Happily, this outstanding Shiraz from Frankland River, one of the star zones in the vast expanse of Great Southern, has come bustling through this year to stake its claim. Our judges applauded the refinement, delicacy, purity and limpidity of this poised Shiraz midweight: floral perfumes suffusing red-fruit charm dominate the aromas, while the palate is ‘classy, effortless and long’, and sees the fruits modulating towards something just a little bit more savoury, though the full development of these characters will need to wait a year or two longer. It has texture, and acidity is well-judged, balanced and unobtrusive. Poise and refreshment await you. Alcohol 14.5%

Château Tanunda, 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz, Barossa, South Australia 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Generous blueberry, black pepper and milk chocolate aromas unravel onto the salivating palate, seamlessly integrating satin tannins and a warming shortbread backbone. Rippling violet florals gather steam ahead of the long, rousing finish. Definitive terroir portrayal. Alc 14.5%

E.J. McDougall, Old Vine Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2024
Platinum, 97 points
A masterstroke of the Rhone-style in an Australian context, emanating dark floral, purple fruit and gun powder aromas. Intoxicating and intense with elegant structure and a quivering pink peppercorn nerve that captures the mood perfectly. Alc 14.5%

Hare's Chase, Vigilance Marananga Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Lashings of plum, blackcurrant and mulberry charm decadently complemented by a splash of soy sauce. Big and bold, furnished with velvety tannins, enriching fleshy texture and commanding pencil-shaving length. Plenty more to give in the future. Alc 14.5%

Katnook Estate, Prodigy Shiraz, Coonawarra, South Australia 2024
Platinum, 97 points
Bountiful blackberry, dark cherry, plum and damson fruit on a backdrop of eucalyptus and floral violet lift. Wonderfully silky smooth with a tangy acid momentum and fine, shapely tannins. Deliciously long, projecting incredible regional character. Alc 14.4%

Monteperle, Vineyard Selection Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2024
Platinum, 97 points
An all-consuming blackberry, liquorice and tar fragrance sizzles implacably around the nose, conjoining with spine-tingling peppery spice on the palate. A contemporary style, with abounding plush juiciness enveloping the core and varnishing the powerful finish. Alc 15.1%

Argentina

Bodega Puna, 2600 Syrah, Cachi, Salta 2025
Gold, 95 points
Pungent blue fruit, violet and black pepper perfume shimmers across the nose, diving into the concentrated palate with its tense acidity and full, distinguished tannins. Alc 13.1%

France

Maison Delas Frères, Seigneur De Maugiron, Côte Rotie, Rhône 2023
Best in Show, 97 points
Eleven Best In Show appearances for the Rhône Valley but never a Côte Rôtie… until this year. It's a wine from the 2023 vintage – a very good one in Côte Rôtie, since the deluge of rain that affected other parts of the Northern Rhône in mid-September spared this northernmost appellation almost entirely, and the slow start to the summer accelerated gratifyingly during an August when the terraces genuinely roasted. We don't, as we taste, know the precise vineyard sources for this wine, but in style it seems more Brune than Blonde: dark in colour, with splendidly smoky, tapenade-like aromas (some found undergrowth and stone) rather than pronounced floral lift, while the palate is poised, lively and vivacious but underscored by ample backbone and tension, too. Look out for the salty finish behind the fruits and the attractively forthright tannins. It's both classic and generous and would make a good prospect for ageing – though there's nothing overly forbidding for those who would like to start sooner. Alc 13%

Domaine De Castelnau, L'Etendoir des Fées, IGP Pays d'Oc, Languedoc-Roussillon 2023
Platinum, 97 points
Sensational tapenade, black pepper and herb aromas lead the charge, colliding diligently with the blackberry juice intensity that flows liberally through to the finish line. Such amazing typicity, the sort of wine to dive right into. Alc 14.5%

Spain

Bodegas Piqueras, Nature Syrah, Almansa 2025
Gold, 95 points
Inspiring, fresh and approachable, combining black cherry and lifted floral aromas that flow continuously across the palate. Textural and fluid with polished tannins and appealing length. Alc 14.5%

United States

Hoquetus Wine Co., Francisca's Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Washington State 2023
Gold, 95 points
Earthy and robust with abundant tapenade, black pepper and dark berry aromas. Chewy oak tannins and meaty texture with a dusting of tobacco to end. Alc 14%

South Africa

Boschendal, Grande Syrah, Stellenbosch 2022
Gold, 95 points
A scrumptious array of beef rib-eye, mocha, dark cherry and prune aromas that swirl around the leathery texture and sleek tannins. Resplendent in charm and poise. Alc 14%

Kasteelberg, Carbonic Syrah, Swartland 2025
Gold, 95 points
Glorious blackberry, violet and rose petal aromatics tempered by a savouring black olive dimension. Crisp and bright with a glossy textural veneer. Evocative high altitude style. Alc 13.9%

New Zealand

Greystone Wines, Vineyard Ferment Syrah, Canterbury 2023
Platinum, 97 points
Wonderfully executed Syrah, spot on for its sense of place and character; black cherry, pomegranate, raspberry and black pepper spice thrives on the nose, tapered by the smart mineral core and effortless fluidity. Exquisitely long. Alc 13.%

Mudbrick Vineyard, Oscar, Waiheke Island, Auckland 2024
Gold, 96 points
Cool-toned dark cherry, blackcurrant and plum amplified by a black peppercorn and herbal elegance. Svelte and luxurious with salivating acidity and taffeta tannins to complete. Alc 14%

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High up on the Col de Durbize, near the top of the Chiroubles appellation in Beaujolais, the view is breathtaking.

Due south, across a rippling wave of vineyard-covered hills, the mounded form of the Côte de Brouilly towers over the landscape. Beyond it, a flat plain spills away towards the Saône river.

On a cloudless day you can often catch a glimpse of Mont Blanc in the far distance, its snow-capped shoulders marking the highest point of the Alps.

The sloping vineyards to the north of the col are punctuated by copses of trees and sunshine-yellow gorse bushes.

Even though you’re less than 3km from the village, it’s peaceful up here, the silence interrupted only by the loud song of blackbirds and the occasional quiet hum of a peloton of cyclists whooshing by.

It’s not just the view that takes your breath away. Even on a sunny spring day, you can feel the wind that blows over the col.

Its name, Durbize, is a portmanteau of bize, the moniker used in the Alps for a cold, dry mountain wind, and dur (meaning ‘hard’), a reference to just how biting that wind can feel when it really gets going.

The bize is often keenly felt by the producers working the steep vineyards that spread out over the slopes beneath and behind the col.

It’s worth bearing in mind that although the Col de Durbize, perched at 500m above sea level, is one of the highest points in the region, some of the Chiroubles vineyards are situated even higher.

Work your heart out

Furthermore, not only is Chiroubles the highest of the 10 crus of Beaujolais – its highest-quality sub-regions – it also features the region’s most vertiginous slopes.

Toiling up and down the sharp inclines in this hilly cru is not for the faint of heart or the weak of limb.

The growers’ task is made even harder by the nature of the vines they’re tending. The vineyards of Beaujolais’ crus are largely populated by ancient bush vines, almost entirely Gamay, many of them so low to the ground that they look like bonsai versions of the more vigorous plants seen elsewhere.

Bending and kneeling to prune these vines, and to harvest the low-hanging bunches, takes a physical toll on Chiroubles’ growers over time.

‘I love being up there in my vineyards. I love the landscape, and the feeling that I’m surrounded by nature, and I love the views,’ says Domaine de la Grosse Pierre’s Pauline Passot.

Then she sighs. ‘It’s incredibly hard work and I have to work my heart out. The vineyards are so steep they just can’t be mechanised – everything has to be done by hand.’

But although those steep slopes, buffeting winds and old vines may be a tribulation for grape-growers, they are a distinct advantage in the context of climate change.

While the Chiroubles cru may have struggled to ripen its grapes in past years, when chaptalisation (adding sugar to the fermenting must to increase potential alcohol) was the norm in the region, the freshness derived from elevation and wind is now a positive blessing in a changing climate, when those tending vines grown in riper sites sometimes struggle to keep alcohol levels under control.

Rocky descent

The final piece in the puzzle of the distinctive terroir of Chiroubles is geology. It’s the only one of the 10 crus to be composed exclusively of the pink granite soils for which the region is renowned.

Even Fleurie, the cru most strongly associated with pink granite in most people’s minds, has a fan of alluvial soils situated in the southeast of the appellation.

In some parts of the Chiroubles appellation, geology and topography combine to create incredibly shallow soils in which the bedrock lies exposed, while elsewhere these rocks have decomposed to create relatively deep, free-draining granitic sands.

It’s this combination of elevation, cooling influences and granite soils that gives the wines of Chiroubles a unique tension and energy, while vine age (many of these plants are well over 80 years old) lends concentration and focus.

Chiroubles is typically fine-boned and perfumed: the Beaujolais equivalent, perhaps, of Volnay or Chambolle-Musigny.

Unfortunately for the region’s growers, however, Chiroubles doesn’t command anywhere near the price of the wines of the Côte d’Or, despite their stylistic similarities.

As a result, it’s perhaps unsurprising that over the course of the two years I spent researching my book The Wines of Beaujolais (£35 Académie du Vin Library, September 2025), Chiroubles lost nearly 15% of its vineyard area – and a recent trip to the region suggests that a further 5%-10% of vineyards have been abandoned in the past 12 months.

All this in a cru that is already the second smallest of the 10 in terms of area.

Commercial realities

‘Lost’ is a euphemism in this particular context. What typically happens is that, when a grower retires, he struggles to find anyone to take over his vineyards. These are then left to lie fallow, the grasses growing wild between the tightly spaced vines.

For many growers, farming a hectare or two of Chiroubles is, it would appear, far more trouble than it’s worth.

As Passot points out: ‘Very few people want to take on these difficult vineyards, especially when it’s hard to make a return on the investment in the time and money it takes to farm them.’

She’s not wrong. A quick back-of-an-envelope calculation suggests that the steepest hillside vineyards in Beaujolais cost two or three times more to farm than those that lie on flatter land – possibly even more if you farm organically, as many of the best producers do.

The story of Jules Métras’ La Montagne, one of the finest wines made in Chiroubles, is a perfect illustration of the potential loss to the wine world.

The 2024 vintage of this wine – and of its stablemate, the Vieilles Vignes Chiroubles – is the last Métras will ever bottle.

When I visited him last year, he told me he was giving up his long-term lease on the vineyards with great regret, but with a pragmatic eye on both the commercial realities of the situation and his own physical limitations.

Métras’ father Yvon, one of the pioneers of the natural wine movement in Beaujolais, has recently retired from the viticultural fray, handing over the management of his Fleurie vineyards to his son.

Métras, having decided that he wanted to keep his production on a small enough scale to enable him to operate as a one-man band, was faced with a decision about whether to keep his father’s vineyards or the ones he’d been farming under his own label.

Ultimately, much as he felt an affinity for his plots in Chiroubles, Métras’ calculation was driven by the pragmatics.

‘It’s just far easier to sell Fleurie than it is to sell Chiroubles,’ he shrugged, adding that another factor that influenced him was having watched some of his relatives farm Chiroubles’ sloping vineyards until they reached their 60s.

‘All those years of climbing up and down those hills, tending those low-lying vines, simply wore them out,’ he told me.

And there’s a further issue that makes Chiroubles a challenge for any producer. The hailstorms that sweep through the region with increasing frequency seem to strike the cru with both monotonous regularity and devastating consequences.

Most of the growers in Chiroubles tell me that they count on losing a significant proportion of their crop at least one year in three.

Sometimes, when the hailstorms roll through, they’ll escape with relatively minor damage, but in the worst-case scenarios, 70% or 80% of a vineyard’s potential harvest can be lost in the space of half an hour or so.

For the love of it

And yet this troublesome, capricious cru has a way of working its way into the hearts and souls of those who take the trouble to get to know it.

‘The people who farm these vineyards are doing it for love,’ says Michele Smith of Domaine Chapel, who farms 3ha of vineyards spread across three of Chiroubles’ lieux-dits (‘named locations’).

‘They’re doing it because they believe in the cru. I think that eventually this will resonate with people. Chiroubles deserves the same amount of respect as the more prestigious appellations – maybe even more because of the challenges that it brings. These wines just have the most amazing energy and vibrancy.’

But if the wines of Chiroubles are so good, why are they so difficult to sell?

One of the cru’s greatest problems is that, unlike the larger, more famous crus of Morgon and Fleurie, Chiroubles doesn’t have a big winemaking name – either in its past or in its present – to drive its image.

Most of the grapes grown in the cru have been absorbed into big (and often rather bland) négociant blends, humdrum wines that aren’t likely to attract discerning palates or turn collectors’ heads.

Nevertheless, the wines recommended below are evidence that great winemakers – if not famous ones – are prepared to carry a torch for Chiroubles.

Another issue that may play its part in Chiroubles’ travails is that the distinctive identity of each of the 10 Beaujolais crus isn’t yet widely recognised.

One importer told me, off the record, that the typical response from retailers and restaurants (ones that happily list a couple of dozen wines from Burgundy or a generous handful of Piedmontese Nebbiolos) is: ‘Thanks, but we already have a Beaujolais’.

Given that, for an outlet that believes that listing Beaujolais is a box-ticking exercise, the first cab off the rank is usually either a Morgon or a Fleurie (or possibly a Moulin-à-Vent if they’re feeling really adventurous), poor little Chiroubles rarely gets a look in.

The exhortation to ‘use it or lose it’ is a familiar one to any gym-goer over the age of 40, but it’s less frequently heard in the context of wine.

Nevertheless, the clock is ticking for Chiroubles. It’s time we all realised that the hills of Beaujolais conceal a hidden treasure.

If we don’t, there’s a risk that this particular pot of elegant, perfumed vinous gold will disappear from our lives forever.

Gamay at the extreme: Natasha’s pick of 10 Chiroubles to try

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Melania Battison, Andrea Briccarello and Bruno Besa tasted 61 wines with 3 Outstanding and 25 Highly recommended.

North Italian Pinot Grigio: Panel tasting scores

61 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 25

Recommended 30

Commended 3

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their Pinot Grigio wines, from any vintage, from a northern Italian region: Aosta, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Piedmont or Veneto.

Quality and diversity

Tasting 61 Pinot Grigios might sound like a dream to some, or a slow-burning endurance test to others. I’ll admit I approached it with cautious optimism.

And sure enough, somewhere between glass number 15 and 40, I was reminded why this grape deserves far more credit than it often gets.

Having spent time in Friuli Venezia Giulia, in Italy’s northeast, I’ve seen first-hand what Pinot Grigio can achieve when it’s taken seriously – and how frustrating it is that so much of the good stuff rarely travels beyond Italian borders.

The denomination is evolving rapidly, not just in volume but in quality and demand.

Three key regions in northern Italy were represented in this tasting, each with distinct traits that genuinely help consumers navigate the category, whether browsing a wine list or standing indecisively in a supermarket aisle.

Friuli Venezia Giulia, in particular, refused to be boxed in. As Bruno Besa neatly put it: ‘There isn’t a common denominator here.’ Quite right.

'There is a style for everyone’

The range moved from bright, youthful examples to bottle-aged wines and traditional yet adventurous, copper-hued ramato styles – a result of the natural greyish-pink pigments in the grape’s skins, which will colour the wine if extended maceration is allowed.

Represented in four of the top six wines, ramato stole the show: textured and characterful, they’re proof that Pinot Grigio has a backbone and personality.

Yet across all styles, elegance was the unifying thread in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Veneto, meanwhile, reminded us why Pinot Grigio conquered the market in the first place. The quality-to-price ratio remains unbeatable. These wines were defined by freshness, energy and accessibility – less contemplative perhaps, but joyfully drinkable.

Alto Adige (Südtirol) felt shaped by its alpine climate, delivering precision and consistency: zesty acidity, citrus clarity and subtle texture, thanks in part to the grapes’ thicker skins and the cooler nights.

As Andrea Briccarello concluded: ‘There is a style for everyone.’

After 61 glasses, I can agree and confirm that Pinot Grigio’s greatest strength is versatility without pomposity.

See all notes and scores from the north Italian Pinot Grigio tasting

The judges

North Italian Pinot Grigio panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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For New Zealand’s aromatic whites ‘small but mighty’ could become the catchphrase – excluding Sauvignon Blanc, which obviously needs no introduction.

Making up just a tiny fraction of New Zealand’s total production, and often representing a labour of love for those who champion them, these aromatic varieties are nevertheless behind some of the country’s most thrilling and distinctive white wines.

Collectively, they make up less than 8% of New Zealand’s total planted area (including reds), bolstered considerably by the rise of Pinot Gris, whose plantings are nearly five times that of Riesling (see box), which in turn dwarfs Gewurztraminer. Albariño, generating real excitement in recent years, still boasts just 65ha, while semi-aromatic Chenin Blanc has dwindled to a mere 22ha, albeit in dedicated hands.

There aren’t a lot of these wines around, but they offer exceptional quality and remarkable value for drinkers willing to seek them out.

Paul Pujol, winemaker and general manager at Prophet’s Rock in Central Otago – and formerly the winemaker at Alsace’s Kuentz-Bas, the first non-family member to hold the position in the domaine’s 200-year history – is a passionate producer of Pinot Gris and Riesling (alongside a soon-to-be-released four-variety blend including Gewurztraminer and Muscat).

‘Outside Europe, there aren’t many places you can achieve the vibrancy, purity, intensity and freshness, and the true cool-climate expression of aromatic whites that we get in New Zealand,’ he says.

He feels that the varieties have been overshadowed by Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

Perfect conditions

The quality and distinctiveness of these varieties stem from New Zealand’s southerly, largely maritime-influenced growing conditions.

These create long, cool, generally sunny seasons, often combined with significant diurnal temperature shifts, that intensify varietal expression while enabling a wide range of styles, from bone dry to botrytis-affected.

Most wines are made with at least a few grams of residual sugar, offset by vibrant natural acidity that gives the best examples appealingly clean finishes.

Winemaking is largely centred around the use of stainless steel containers to preserve fruit purity, though producers are increasingly turning to older oak, concrete and clay amphorae, with ageing on the fine lees adding texture and complexity.

At Framingham in Marlborough – renowned for producing half a dozen (or more) Riesling styles each season – winemaker Andrew Brown notes that the commercial realities remain challenging.

These wines largely depend on cellar door and retailer hand-selling to find their audience.

‘We are passionate about making the best examples of Riesling we can; the scope may be restricted if we didn’t have the cellar door as a sales channel,’ he says.

But he sees heads increasingly turning.

‘There are some really great examples coming out of NZ at the moment – more textural, restrained and ageworthy.’

Anna Flowerday (pictured, above) of Te Whare Ra, whose Riesling and Gewurztraminer vines are among Marlborough’s oldest, puts it simply: ‘We truly believe that aromatic whites are the unsung heroes. Overseas visitors are constantly blown away by the quality.’

New Zealand's finest non-Sauvignon aromatics

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After being walloped by what he called a ‘cosmic brick’ – a lifelong love of Pinot Noir from Burgundy – David Lett embarked on a quest to see where else, if anywhere else, this fickle grape could reach the same pinnacle of quality.

His search led him to Oregon’s Willamette Valley and, in 1965, he established the region’s first plantings of Pinot Noir.

The connection between Burgundy and Pinot’s new promised land, once merely cosmic, was now concrete.

We last reported on the France-Willamette Valley connection in 2019 and, as you might expect, much has changed.

Here’s the latest, along with reviews of 10 noteworthy Oregon wines from French-owned wineries.

New French investments and appointments: Beaux Frères and Ponzi

The famous Beaux Frères winery, founded by Michael G Etzel in the 1980s, was acquired in 2017 by French firm Maisons & Domaines Henriot.

In 2022, Henriot merged with Artémis Domaines, the fine-wine hegemon behind Bordeaux first growth Château Latour and Burgundy grand cru Clos de Tart.

Big changes ensued. Mikey (Michael D) Etzel, who had taken over winemaking duties from his father in 2017, remains Beaux Frères’ CEO and technical director, but has passed the winemaker title to Evening Land alumnus Damien Lapuyade.

Don’t let the French surname fool you: Lapuyade is a strapping American, born and raised in Napa Valley.

Lapuyade revels in the resources that Artémis provides. ‘It opens the door to all these prestigious domaines that have centuries of experience farming and growing grapes and making world-class wine,’ he says.

‘The transfer of knowledge, the cross-pollination – it’s an amazing opportunity.’

Pioneering winery Ponzi Vineyards, which was acquired by Champagne Bollinger in 2021, also looks different at the top.

Jean-Baptiste (JB) Rivail, a sharp-dressed Frenchman raised in the Rhône Valley, is now CEO of the estate, which had been headed by a Ponzi family member since its founding in 1970.

Rivail, whose own family has a nearly two-century history in the wine business, arrived with Bollinger’s checkbook and license to use it.

‘The trust they put in us is just unbelievable,’ he says. Translation: What Ponzi needs, Ponzi gets.

This is a welcome change for Max Bruening, the Ponzi veteran who inherited the winemaker role from Luisa Ponzi in 2024.

‘I didn't know what CapEx was!’ he says, noting how, before Bollinger, the winery had to make tough maintenance and investment tradeoffs.

Growing resources

Now, Ponzi has a $500,000 Bucher sorting line, new stainless steel and concrete tanks, more land, and a consulting contract with Italy-based vine consultants Simonit & Sirch, who work with elites like Burgundy’s Domaine Leroy.

‘The knowledge here in Oregon has been built on great people and cross-collaboration,’ Rivail says. ‘But international investors come with things you know are working in other regions.’

Some locals welcome the outside capital. ‘It validates everything we've been working for,’ says Josh Bergström, a homegrown Oregon vintner who studied in France and is married to a Burgundian.

‘It lends gravitas to the region, to the pioneers who knew Pinot could be great here. With other beverages taking [wine’s] market share, we need families who have been around for generations on our side.’

Not everyone is enthused. 'Neutral at best' is how independent winemaker Saul Mutchnick of Championship Bottle describes the overall effect of outside money on the Willamette Valley.

Though he acknowledges the important role such investments have played in establishing the region, Mutchnick laments how small labels often lose access to prime vineyard sites when moneyed interests move in.

He cites the Koosah Vineyard (purchased by Résonance Wines, which is owned by French stalwart Louis Jadot) and Bunker Hill Vineyard (Lingua Franca/Constellation Brands) as examples.

A two-way street: Burgundy also benefits

Burgundy has long been the world’s Pinot Noir lodestar and, at one time, inexperienced Willamette Valley vintners were eager to glean any knowledge they could from their winemaking idols. But these days, the knowledge flows both ways.

‘When we travel to Burgundy now, there’s a sense of collegiality that I don’t think used to exist,’ says Lapuyade. ‘There seems to be this mutual respect, where they’re asking as many questions to Oregon winemakers on what’s working and what’s not working.’

Véronique Boss-Drouhin, head winemaker for both Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Maison Joseph Drouhin, says the family’s Burgundy team is inspired by their Willamette Valley counterparts, noting events like the annual Oregon Pinot Camp. ‘Burgundy should have done that years ago!’

For Louis Jadot, Résonance serves as a model for effective customer relations; in 2027, the winery will host a cruise through Burgundy for its clients.

Naturally, the trip will include a visit to Jadot, and Résonance winemaker Guillaume Large will be on board.

‘How you make somebody fall in love with the wines and the brand and the story isn't through leading with the sales pitch,’ says Taylor Theis, the winery’s director of consumer sales and marketing,

Oregon Chardonnay rising: New project Atomique3

Chardonnay is on a tear in the Willamette Valley, and many vintners trace its success to Dominique Lafon, who came from Burgundy in 2007 as consulting winemaker for Evening Land.

‘He started bringing some cultural practices on how to translate this terroir,’ says Mikey Etzel, showing the locals when to pick (earlier) and how much fruit to extract (less).

Atomique3, a superb Chardonnay-only Willamette Valley label launched in the 2021 vintage, bears the influence of another Burgundy legend: Meursault’s Jean-Marc Roulot.

Atomique3’s principals – Felipe Ramirez, a Chilean who earned his Master’s degree in Montpellier in the south of France, and renowned soil expert Pedro Parra – recruited Roulot to consult.

Atomique3’s four core Chardonnays are based on soil type, which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows Parra, who has built a career on soil and even authored a book about it.

Ramirez, who drives around the Willamette Valley with chunks of basalt on the dashboard of his truck, is no less obsessed.

‘The only thing that never changes is the soil,’ he says. ‘The weather changes every year, people change, decisions change. The plans change. But the soil – you need thousands of years to see those changes.’

The Hills are still hot: Résonance, Drouhin and Nicolas-Jay

In 2022, Résonance expanded to the Eola-Amity Hills, purchasing the outstanding Koosah Vineyard, a former Christmas tree farm planted with vines in 2016.

This acquisition doubled Résonance’s Chardonnay holdings, and it now bottles a single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the site.

The same year, Domaine Drouhin purchased Methven Family Vineyards, adding to the Eola-Amity Hills presence it established in 2013, when the family purchased Roserock Vineyard (which it has now spun into the Roserock label).

The 80-acre Methven property has 30 acres of vines, but the move was largely logistical: Methven is a 15-minute drive from Roserock, which lacks a dedicated production facility.

With an existing winery, water, power and ample space, Methven ticked all the boxes. ‘We were blessed to find this place,’ says Boss-Drouhin.

The facility is now known as Roserock North, and the winemaker there is French-born Drouhin veteran Isabelle DuTartre, Boss-Drouhin’s lifelong friend and her partner in Caballus Wines, which also makes Willamette Pinot Noir.

In the Dundee Hills, Nicolas-Jay, the partnership between Jean-Nicolas Méo and Jay Boberg, acquired a 52-acre site on the AVA’s north side in 2019.

They planted 25 acres of vines and renovated the property’s barn into a production winery and tasting room. In 2026, Noah Roberts was named production winemaker.

An Oregon wine legend bids adieu

Laurent Montalieu, who came to Oregon from Bordeaux in 1988, established himself as a juggernaut over the next three-plus decades.

In 2003, he founded NW Wine Company, the Willamette Valley’s first custom-crush facility – although he prefers the term ‘custom winegrowing,’ which he believes better captures the company’s range.

Over the years, NW Wine Company grew to encompass brands like Hyland Estates and Domaine Loubejac. In 2021, Montalieu sold it in what was the largest transaction in Oregon wine history.

He retired from NW Wine Company in 2024 but is still on the board, and French-born Anne Sery is now director of winemaking.

Montalieu also remains owner and winemaker at Soléna Estate, which he founded in 2000 and named after his daughter, Soléna Andrus Montalieu.

One day the winery will be hers, but it’s hard to imagine her father sitting idle in Oregon. Says Montalieu, ‘I will never retire from Soléna’.

10 fantastique Oregon wines with a French Connection

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When Ulster immigrant John Martin stopped at the Ruamāhanga River in 1875, near the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, it was wilderness.

Using gold-rush earnings, he laid out the streets of a village in the pattern of the union flag, naming it after himself: Martinborough.

Not much had changed in the region’s economy a century later, when in 1980 sheep and dairy farmer Clive Paton of Ata Rangi and three other growers first planted vines, at the suggestion of a government agronomist.

‘You’re basically on the road to nowhere here,’ says John Kavanagh, chief winemaker at Te Kairanga. It is cooler than across the Cook Strait in Marlborough, with very few days over 30℃ and big diurnal temperature swings. Rainfall is low.

Yet cold southerlies blow straight up from the Antarctic: grape yields are low, with the wind adversely affecting flowering and fruit set.

‘This has its pros and cons,’ says local wine writer and author Joelle Thomson. ‘Smaller crops and bunches reduce production but the Pinots from here seem to strut a deliciously savoury taste as a result.’

And so, in the space of 40 years, Martinborough has established itself as one of the world’s top sources of Pinot Noir.

Down to earth

The 1980s pioneers planted on the Martinborough terrace. This uplifted river terrace of alluvial gravels and clays, five kilometres long and a kilometre wide, remains the heart of the wine district.

‘The corporates never really got involved because there weren’t big enough tracts of land,’ says Guy McMaster, winemaker at Palliser Estate.

Then in 1999 Larry McKenna, founder of pioneer Martinborough Vineyard, planted on Te Muna Road, a few kilometres southeast of the town, an area of free-draining gravels.

The same year, Craggy Range planted 100ha of land there, a project of Australian-American millionaire Terry Peabody.

Since then, Martinborough’s scene has exploded, with wine tourism an important component. Today there are more than 20 cellar doors and an annual wine festival.

Clones and varieties

Given the relative lack of soil variation, clonal selection is especially important.

The first Pinot Noir plantings used the Abel clone, named for the customs officer said to have confiscated cuttings purloined from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche vineyard.

It remains popular for Pinot Noir, though Dijon clones have since gained ground.

There is also excellent Chardonnay: ‘Martinborough Chardonnays have natural balance,’ says Martinborough Vineyard winemaker Tom Turner.

More recently, Sauvignon Blanc has inevitably made major inroads.

Perfect for Pinot

But Pinot Noir remains Martinborough’s speciality. ‘I definitely think there’s been the evolution of a style,’ says Ata Rangi winemaker Helen Masters.

‘Back [in the 1990s] the benchmark was Burgundy – high-toast new oak, three to five punch-downs a day – so a lot of the wines were monsters.’

Now, she says, they pick earlier, at 23 Brix, punch down much less, and use less new oak: ‘For me it’s a distraction from the place. The wines are more expressive, less extracted, lighter on their feet.’

While the best Martinborough Pinot Noirs can age well, they tend to be made ready to be enjoyed younger.

But while Martinborough has become a benchmark for New World Pinot Noir, it remains a challenging environment.

As Te Kairanga’s Kavanagh says: ‘To produce wine here, you need to be passionate about what you do.’

Six Martinborough names to know

Ata Rangi

Pioneer Clive Paton has retired now but Helen Masters, one of the few female New Zealand winemakers, has been in the cellar since 2003; she also grows some of the fruit on her own property.

Her trademark is elegant, structured and savoury Pinot Noirs. Despite Masters’ long experience here, her favourite vintage is 2024. ‘The wines were easy to make,’ she says. Certified organic.

Craggy Range

When Craggy Range first planted in the late 1990s, it doubled the size of Martinborough’s vineyards.

It remains the biggest producer, having added 132ha since then. Steve Smith MW, who established it, has moved on; today winemaker Ben Tombs vinifies this fruit at Craggy Range’s main base in Hawke’s Bay. Silky, elegant Pinot Noirs; a lot of Sauvignon Blanc too.

In organic conversion.

Dry River

One of the first group of pioneer wineries, Dry River was planted in 1979 by Neil McCallum.

It has always been a boutique producer, now producing an average of just 17,000 bottles a year.

Winemaker Ben McNab works with obsessive detail, washing the fruit before selecting berry by berry. These are fine, expressive Pinot Noirs, made to age.

Part certified organic.

Oraterra

Wilco Lam was a respected winemaker at Dry River before moving with the whole winemaking team to start Oraterra four years ago.

The operation still has the buzz of a start-up. They have 10ha planted – Pinot Noir plus Chardonnay and Pinot Gris – and an innovative approach.

‘It’s liberating if there’s no preconception of how the wine should be,’ says Lam.

Certified biodynamic.

Palliser

Palliser began in 1984 but now has 74ha of vineyards, making it one of the area’s largest producers.

Complex, elegant Pinot Noirs are its trademark, though it are also one of the few local wineries to make sparkling wines.

Chief winemaker Guy McMaster (ex-Escarpment) did a stage in Champagne in 2019. Impressive Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc too.

Certified organic.

Te Kairanga

Now owned by California’s Foley wines, Te Kairanga was first planted in 1984 on a bluff at the eastern edge of the Martinborough terrace.

With 95ha of vineyards, they are one of the larger producers at over 350,000 bottles a year. Slightly plusher Pinot Noirs.

They host one of the area’s biggest cellar door operations, including an impressive restaurant.

Top Martinborough wines

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I’m not a Sauvignon Blanc denier, but I am all too often disappointed with thin, one-dimensional examples.

At its best, however, Sauvignon Blanc can be gorgeously textural and expressive, with weight but no heaviness, and richness balanced by salinity and succulence.

Its aromatic and zingy nature makes it one of the world’s most popular grape varieties, and flavours and aromas vary depending on where and how it's grown – climate, pruning and trellising systems, even the yeast strains used in fermentation.

Expect anything from tropical and exotic to citrusy and zesty, grassy and herby, or stony and mineral.

Organic Sauvignon Blanc – not an easy task

Despite its popularity, Sauvignon Blanc is fairly tricky to grow, and needs careful work in the vineyard to keep it healthy.

‘Sauvignon is relatively complex to work organically or biodynamically,’ says Jonathan Pabiot, a biodynamic winemaker in Pouilly-Fumé. 'It's sensitive to powdery and downy mildew, so in humid years treatments have to be very regular.'

Yet Pabiot says the vine's flower is very sensitive to copper, which is problematic for organic growers because copper-based Bordeaux mixture is one of the only permitted fungicides used to protect against powdery mildew.

For Pabiot, Sauvignon Blanc's very sensitivity to climate and disease stressors is what makes it so responsive to biodynamic farming. ‘Biodynamics helps us overcome these climatic risks, but it isn't magic either,' he says. ‘What it does do is help build living soil.'

Biodynamic winemakers in Languedoc Patricia and Luc Bertoni, of Domaine les Eminades, believe that it is precisely the nearly 20 years of organic farming that has made their Sauvignon particularly resilient to disease – as well as the clement climate of the south.

My Sauvignon Blanc moment

The moment I realised the heights and depths that great Sauvignon could reach was when tasting Andreas Tscheppe’s Blue Dragonfly, from south Styria in Austria, near the border with Slovenia.

Tscheppe and his wife Elisabeth farm their terraced vineyards biodynamically, at 500m altitude. These vineyards, like the wines, are full of life: picture lush vegetation, myriad plants, weeds, flowers, grasses, bugs, beetles, bees, dragonflies and birds.

Fermented with natural yeasts and minimal sulphur, and aged for almost two years in large old barrels, it tastes like wildflowers and wild grasses, sun-warmed orchard fruit, lemon and brine, with an intricate texture like a crispy snowflake.

For me, this is one of the purest, most stripped back and alive versions of Sauvignon Blanc – far removed from the pungent blast of Marlborough.

Of course, not everyone is looking for this hyper textural, nuanced version of the grape. Sauvignon has become something of a celebrity accessory,: Gary Barlow and Graham Norton both have their own brands, though Taylor Swift has, tellingly, traded up to Sancerre.

Has the grape’s cultural moment peaked?

Not if this summer’s internet wine trend is anything to go by – dropping frozen dill pickles into a glass of Sauvignon Blanc suggests it’s found a new, slightly unhinged lease of life.

Either way, here are seven delicious organic bottles to satisfy the Sauvignon-seekers this summer – pickle optional, but not advised.

Seven Sauvignon for summer sipping

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One of the main myths debunked by Rioja’s spectacular (and exciting) shake-up since the turn of the millennium, is that the region is synonymous with Tempranillo.

The ubiquity of high-yielding Tempranillo clones, replacing field blends where multiple varieties had grown alongside each other, is relatively recent; a process that happened in the last third of the 20th century.

It’s unsurprising, therefore, that with the backlash against the Rioja region’s ‘industrialisation’ coupled with renewed interest in origin and terroir came an interest in the vineyards and varieties of yore, and in the once-dominant Garnacha in particular.

And it’s certainly not by chance that many of the Vino de Municipio or Viñedo Singular wines submitted for tasting for this year’s report were either single-varietal or Garnacha-led blends – you’ll find plenty here.

Nuance & precision

And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Garnachas being produced in Rioja are marked by nuance, precision, delicious drinkability and an ever greater sense of place.

Those are, ultimately, the purposes of the renewed interest in the variety.

‘It surprises me that Garnacha from Rioja continues to surprise – if that makes sense!’ says Beth Willard.

‘There’s been a focus on Garnacha for quite some time and there have been wonderful wines bubbling away under the surface. Perhaps the really interesting, more recent development is the advance of more specific identities for different sub-regions, even different towns.’

Handled by mindful winemakers, Garnacha has a notable transparency, expressive of both origin and winemaking philosophy.

The realisation has impacted on the region’s wines more broadly – there are echoes of this newfound fragrant lusciousness in the finesse and genius loci (‘spirit of place’) gained in recent years by the Crianzas and Reservas (and to an extent even Gran Reservas).

Reversing genetic and historical erosion is not only a tale of Garnacha: it also explains Rioja’s ‘White Revolution’ , as well as the exploration of other red varieties.

Mazuelo once again performed well in our tastings, with standout examples really showing the grape’s balance of elegance and rusticity.

And we had a surprising flight of Maturana Tinta wines: a modest but clear prelude of better things to come.

‘There are many really interesting Maturanas, but it is a variety that still has a way to go in terms of finding its identity and a connection with the final consumer,’ concludes Willard.

The wines we tasted suggest that it’s a worthwhile quest.

Garnacha & friends: Highlights from the 2026 Rioja Report

Garnacha

Mazuelo

Maturana Tinta

Garnacha & Friends - Full score table

This lists red wines tasted for this report whose dominant variety is not Tempranillo that scored 89 points and above. Wines are listed by score and in alphabetical order.

Read the full tasting notes by searching the wines here.

More from the report

It’s a season where most of us will have at least one bottle of white chilling in the fridge. But while summer always sees an expected surge in white wine sales, the category maintains a surprisingly significant market share year round.

Sales data tracked by online retailer vino.com shows white wine volume share peaking at an average of 32% of total wine sales in July/August, but holding strong at 20% even in January.

Red wine, in contrast, plummets from a 52% share in January to 24% in July.

According to OIV data reported by Decanter in December 2023, white wine consumption grew by 10% globally over two decades – driven largely by an increased demand for sparkling wine – yet global red wine consumption had declined by 15% since its peak in 2007.

It also found that the US is the world's largest consumer of white wine. US white wine consumption rose by as much as 65% between 2000 and 2021, a trajectory that spans all four seasons.

So how well do you know your white grape varieties beyond the usual suspects?

A handful of dominant grapes rule the supermarket shelves, but they represent a fraction of what’s out there. We know that Decanter readers enjoy embracing new grapes and styles, so test your knowledge with our 12-question white grape variety quiz, and do us proud!

Take Decanter's white grapes quiz

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Both 2023 and 2024 had their challenges for winemakers, but that doesn’t mean these vintages are void of great value-for-money wines.

This year’s value picks focus on chillable, quaffable annatas rather than bottles which rise above their station.

But as a reminder that Chianti Classico offers amazing value throughout its ranks, in addition to the entry-level annatas I've also included one Riserva and one Gran Selezione that won’t break the bank.

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With a young generation embracing it, and historical estates continuing to defend it, Chianti Classico Riserva remains resilient to the vagaries of vintage, climate and trends.

Even as former Riservas continue to be upgraded to Gran Selezione, Chianti Classico's middle tier is still seeing its share of new wines.

Sofia Ricasoli, who represents the 33rd generation of the region’s most legendary wine family, has chosen Riserva for her one and only Chianti Classico made under her own label.

‘It’s a more historical category than Gran Selezione’, she rationalises. Launched with the 2021 vintage, Innesto means ‘graft’ and references a return to her deep roots after studying and practising law, while at the same time looks toward the future.

Challenges aplenty

Aware but undeterred by the myriad of challenges facing the wine industry today, Ricasoli asserts, ‘The greatest is climate change – more so than market or economic conditions.’

Indeed, climate challenges were front and centre in 2023, with a significant reduction in quantities due to peronospora (downy mildew), hail and drought.

After losing 80% at his Monte Bernardi estate, Michael Schmeltzer essentially folded what are typically three separate bottlings into a single soulful Riserva. Other estates didn’t bottle a Riserva at all.

The Riserva 2023s that were bottled reveal some issues managing ripeness and volatile acidity. Several examples were already fully evolved, contradicting the spirit of the category.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, my top picks come from the region’s cooler pockets: Castello di Querceto in the upper reaches of Greve, Castello di Volpaia in the fresh, forested subdistrict of Radda, and Castellaccio’s Lama dei Cortacci above the hamlet of Lamole at a lofty 700 metres.

I would recommend drinking these over the next five to eight years. San Giusto a Rentennano’s reliably excellent Le Baròncole is an exception and needs more time in bottle.

Chianti Classico's up-and-comers

Read the rest of Michaela's Chianti Classico analysis:

2022 and other late releases

2022 is shaping up to be a far more consistent vintage than 2023. Revisiting some 2022s released last year alongside some 2022s debuting this year reveals a highly successful cohort.

Combining density with grip and zip, they offer a solid decade of drinking potential. Among this year's releases, L'Erta di Radda and Val delle Corti are highlights, while Podere Ferrale is yet another promising new name.

Meanwhile, the category's stalwarts continue to live up to their formidable reputations, highlighted by Castello di Monsanto’s vivacious 2022, Badia a Coltibuono’s refined 2021, and Castell’in Villa’s intricate, age-worthy 2020.

Michaela's pick of Chianti Classico Riserva

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Elevated from Riserva to Gran Selezione for the 2023 vintage, Maurizio Alongi’s standout Vigna Barbischio proudly touts the UGA (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive) of Gaiole – one of eight subzones now permitted on Gran Selezione labels.

Similarly, Cigliano di Sopra has debuted its first ever Gran Selezione, from a single vineyard in San Casciano planted in 2016.

Maddalena Fucile admits that it’s unusual to declare this lofty status for fledging vines – for context, the estate’s Riserva features 50-year-old plantings.

‘If a vineyard is born with the right stuff, it can be a Gran Selezione even from its youth,’ she reasons.

I was also charmed by Il Poggiolino’s resinous Le Balze and Poggio al Sole’s glossy Casasilia. Both hail from San Donato in Poggio and offer satisfying drinking over the next decade.

As the majority of 2023 Gran Seleziones won’t be released until at least next year, I will reserve final judgement for now – however, several estates including Tregole and Castello di Ama have already indicated that they will skip the vintage for their Gran Selezione.

And while Rocca delle Macìe did produce its Fizzano Il Crocino label, the family chose to use the fruit from their prized plot usually destined for their flagship Sergio Zingarelli bottling in the Riserva instead.

2022 and 2021: Perfect scores and changing rules

The 2022 and 2021 Gran Selezione releases cast a brilliant spotlight on the classification, offering cellarworthy gems promising 10 to 15 years of evolution.

Notably, Castello di Ama’s magnificent Bellavista 2022 earns the distinction of receiving my first ever 100-point score for a Chianti Classico.

Enjoy its longstanding signature blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Malvasia Nera while it lasts, as it will soon be tweaked to conform with revised regulations due to come into effect for the 2027 vintage, which stipulate a minimum of 90% Sangiovese.

Furthermore, because the updated protocol for Gran Selezione will prohibit Merlot altogether, the estate has withdrawn its La Casuccia bottling from the Chianti Classico denomination as of the 2022 vintage.

An 80/20 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, it is now labelled as a Toscana IGT.

Marco Pallanti, who launched the wine in 1985 and was instrumental in establishing the Gran Selezione category, expresses regret.

‘I have always believed that the best wines of the zone should be Chianti Classico,’ he states. While a loss for the denomination, La Casuccia will find itself in good company among the region’s exceptional Super Tuscans.

The majority of Gran Seleziones today are made exclusively from Sangiovese, having been conceived relatively recently or evolved with foresight of the category’s direction.

Castello di Fonterutoli’s Badiòla is one such example, and rings out in 2022 as a clear reference point for Radda’s cool, radiant and racy profile.

Expanding horizons & new projects

Fully embracing the UGA endeavour, Antinori’s new trio of Gran Selezione from San Casciano, Castellina and Gaiole shine for the second consecutive year.

In other news, the company announced that it has taken over management of Castello di Cacchiano, a historic property once part of the original Ricasoli empire. Expect a facelift there.

With the 2022 vintage, Fèlsina marks its 60th anniversary. Throughout this time, the Poggiali family have been steadfast champions of Sangiovese.

Their Colonia wonderfully captures the wild, earthy sunbaked allure of Castelnuovo Berardegna.

From the same UGA, San Felice’s second vintage of La Pieve combines structural and fruit richness in an approachable package.

Now under the direction of Carlo De Biasi, San Felice is embracing regenerative agriculture. Through the LIFE VitiCaSe project, they have established four pilot vineyards, in collaboration with Castello di Albola and Tenute Ruffino, serving as an educational hub for improving soil health and increasing carbon capture capacity.

Other noteworthy nascent Gran Selezione bottlings from 2022 include Castello di Gabbiano’s Vigneto Cerbaiola, sourced from a single parcel in San Donato in Poggio, and Pomona’s Vigna del Termine.

The latter will eventually bear the UGA of Vagliagli – one of three additional subzones permitted from 2027.

Don't forget the 2022s

Not to be outdone by the 2022s, the late-release 2021s offer as much pleasure as cellaring potential.

Among my personal highlights, Castagnoli’s transportive Salita and Nardi’s effusive Vigna del Pino both wave the flag for the Castellina UGA.

Built for the long term, Castello di Monsanto’s celebrated Vigna Poggio from San Donato in Poggio is outstanding. Likewise, Panzano-based Le Cinciole comes out with its best ever vintage of Aluigi.

Finally, after years in the making, Querciabella has released three new Gran Selezione representing Greve, Radda and – another UGA-in-waiting – Lamole.

‘This was Sebastiano’s dream,’ says long-time winemaker Manfred Ing. However, Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni ceded ownership of the winery to his sister Mita Castiglioni and her son Andrea before seeing the project reach fruition.

The wines are a stunning testament to his legacy, with the Radda bottling getting my top vote.

Ultimately, no single subzone triumphs above the others. Instead, the exciting and diverse wines emanating from across the region serve to reinforce the UGA project, cementing the ongoing commitment of Chianti Classico's top estates to the Gran Selezione category.

Read the rest of Michaela's Chianti Classico analysis:

Michaela's top Gran Selezione released this year

Gran Selezione: Best of the rest

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Old-school or contemporary? Chianti Classico’s wineries argue that 2024 is both.

‘They recall the Chianti Classicos produced in vintages of yesteryear,’ says Monteraponi’s Alessandra Deiana, who describes them as elegant, fine boned and lively.

At the same time, wineries are hopeful that these chillable, chuggable reds will appeal to today’s tastes. ‘It’s what wine drinkers are looking for now’, asserts Paolo Paffi at Casa Emma.

What is the 2024 style?

Stylistically, the 2024 Chianti Classico annatas are slender and frisky, with modest alcohols typically hovering between 12-13%.

Quality, however, is mixed. Those that shone are vivacious, agile and refreshing, exhibiting lovely perfumes and extraordinary lightness with satisfying flavour.

Some are less charming, even a bit angular, while the weakest examples reveal lean and diluted wines with green, unripe tannins.

Embodying the beauty of 2024, Badia a Coltibuono is my top annata. Other highlights include Monteraponi, Jurij Fiore & Figlia’s unoaked Sonocosì, and Principe Corsini’s Villa Le Corti for value.

Viticcio spent less time in wood to allow for an earlier release and is all the better for it. Both San Giusto a Rentennano and Poggerino show a bit more density and structure relative to their counterparts without forsaking the identity of the vintage.

While the annata category is often a treasure trove of wines that overdeliver, this is less prevalent in 2024. Even so, most sit comfortably and modishly within their station.

I am less inclined to put away a few bottles ‘for science’ as I often do; instead, it is a vintage for immediate and uninhibited drinking.

For those – like me – who love lithe sprightly reds, the vintage’s successes are worth buying. Who knows when a profile like 2024 will come around again?

Clinging on to organics

Chianti Classico 2024: Vintage in depth

The 2024 vintage of Chianti Classico is certainly unlike any other in the last decade. A wet spring, followed by the dry and progressively hot summer somewhat resembled 2023.

September and October, however, were marked by cool temperatures and unremitting rain, the likes of which growers had not seen in years.

‘That extended ripening cycle gave us lower alcohol, brighter acidity, and a freshness and luminosity in the wines that I find genuinely exciting,’ raves Roberto Stucchi at Badia a Coltibuono.

While many echo his enthusiasm, others are less convinced. Matteo Buccerelli at Antico Podere Casanova decided against bottling a Chianti Classico altogether, claiming that the wine is ‘too thin’.

By all accounts, the growing season was gruelling. The wet spring brought high disease pressure, and after devastating losses to peronospora (downy mildew) in 2023, agronomist teams were extra vigilant about staying on top of spraying.

The vines rebounded from the low yields of 2023 with a bumper crop. The Chianti Classico consorzio reports a total production of 305,000 hectolitres in 2024, which is 50% more than 2023, and the highest since 2019.

At San Giusto a Rentennano, Luca Martini di Cigala says that green harvesting was ‘fundamental’ to achieving full ripeness.

He dropped 25-30% of bunches between July and August, and another 10-12% at the beginning of September. ‘Too often, grape thinning is done too late or not at all,’ he emphasises.

The heavy loads were exacerbated by the rain in September, which plumped up berries and slowed ripening, particularly in areas with less sun exposure. The once common practice of deleafing became vital again.

According to several growers, achieving phenolic ripeness was a challenge, especially in vineyards where the summer heat had blocked photosynthesis. However, waiting for ripeness increased the risk of rot.

The long and onerous harvest lasted well into October and required multiple passages in between downpours.

Thin, delicate skins demanded gentle vinifications. Winemakers cited everything from less pumping over, avoiding punching down and shorter macerations.

The latter was also due to logistics, as there were just so many grapes to vinify – estates scrambled to get their hands on more vats to deal with the surfeit.

‘2024 was undoubtedly difficult to manage, and costlier compared to other years,’ says Angela Fronti at Istine. ‘Nevertheless, it was highly rewarding in the end.’

Read the rest of Michaela's Chianti Classico analysis:

Late release – A look at the 2023s

Michaela's pick of Chianti Classico 2024 (& late releases)

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There's no shortage of great Pinot Noir in the world.

Obviously it all starts with Burgundy. But, equally, there are a lot more countries and regions getting their due now too.

Everywhere from New Zealand and Australia to Germany, South Africa – and the US, especially Oregon's Willamette Valley and Sonoma in California.

And as Burgundy is increasingly out of reach for most wine drinkers, these other sources of high-quality Pinot are really coming into their own.

There are exciting things happening all around, but I want to focus in particular on Sonoma.

And what I can tell you is that Sonoma not only delivers excellent Pinots but does so in a range of styles.

While this caters for many palates, it also makes Sonoma difficult to understand. But that’s precisely its appeal.

That Sonoma is large is hardly breaking news. Less obvious is how much more clearly its differences have come into focus over the past two decades, as a growing number of the county’s producers have become a lot more invested in showing just how little sense a one-size-fits-all idea of Pinot Noir makes at this scale.

Shifting styles

There has been a gradual move away from making wines that follow imported styles to a commitment to sustainable farming suited to each site.

In the cellar, there’s often a more deliberate touch, less interventionist in some cases.

The idea is not terribly complicated: a healthy, expressive vineyard plus less new oak and other manipulations means winemakers can be a lot more confident in letting the wines reflect where they come from.

Ensuring fruit is not picked overripe, and the increased use of whole bunches in fermentations to enhance freshness has also been a turning point.

Within the 19 AVAs of Sonoma, you’ll see anything from cold and fog-bound coastal vineyards to dramatic high-elevation mountain sites, warm inland pockets, windy corridors, and a remarkable variety of soils and geologic formations.

There are differences so nuanced they can sometimes be noticed just a mile apart by producers sharing the same fence line.

Which might explain the growing thirst for vineyard-designated Sonoma Pinot bottlings.

In the glass, Sonoma Pinot serves a palate looking for saline, savoury, and almost electrically tense wines, as well as generous, plush, and fruit-forward ones, through to darker and more structured versions, and a lot more in between.

Cast assumptions aside

In any case, long-held assumptions about what Sonoma Pinot Noir should taste like are worth revisiting, as the wine styles and identities are as diverse as the county is large.

That seems to serve an eclectic market quite well, with consumers always on the hunt for different things, making Pinot a ‘democratic’ grape in Sonoma.

The same region that produces wines to make collectors queue for allocations each season, also produces bottles that are just easy and delicious.

'West Sonoma Coast producers tend to draw wine collectors and more intellectually curious drinkers,' says Alex Sarovich, sommelier and wine educator.

'When it’s juicy, fruit-driven, and not overly tannic, Pinot Noir is a really good grape for easing people into the drier styles of wine,' she adds.

Trying to make a list in this context feels daunting. The wines selected here are excellent – among the best Sonoma has to offer right now – but they are not the full picture.

No list of 10 bottles could hope to capture a region this large, but together they offer a glimpse into what makes Sonoma such a compelling place to explore through Pinot Noir: a collection of exciting and often contrasting expressions.

10 Sonoma Pinot Noirs

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The final masterclass of the day at the 2026 Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York began at 4pm.

Despite a full day of tasting already behind them, attendees packed the room for a retrospective look at Heitz Cellar hosted by Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, president and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates, which owns this benchmark Napa Valley winery, among others.

The lineup of wines spanned nearly five decades, and guests were encouraged to taste while McCoy and I discussed the history of this iconic producer.

One of the more interesting topics was how little the winemaking itself has changed over the decades.

McCoy explained that Heitz continues to ferment its Cabernet Sauvignons in large neutral wooden tanks, blocks malolactic fermentation in the reds, and ages wines in large oak foudres.

The objective, he said, is to preserve freshness and 'express site character above all'.

While some American oak was used in the first few decades of Heitz’s founding, today, it’s French.

Scroll down for notes and scores of the 10 Heitz Cellar wines at the DFWE NYC 2026 masterclass

Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 1979

Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 1985

Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2010

Heitz Cellar, Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2021

Heitz Cellar, Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 1999

Heitz Cellar, Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2013

Heitz Cellar, Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2021

Heitz Cellar, Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2015

Heitz Cellar, Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2016

Heitz Cellar, Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2021

Standouts from the line up

It was a rare opportunity for Masterclass attendees to experience mature and current Heitz releases side by side, including the 1979 and 1985 Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons.

I've tasted the 1979 Martha's Vineyard on three separate occasions, and it continues to impress for its freshness, complexity, and unmistakable aromatic profile.

The bay laurel, mint, and eucalyptus notes that have become synonymous with the wine remain remarkably vivid nearly 50 years after harvest.

Two of the three oldest wines stood out on the day: the aforementioned 1979 Martha's Vineyard as well as the 1999 Trailside Vineyard.

The 1985 Martha's Vineyard, poured from magnum, showed a touch of cellar funk on the nose, but broadened beautifully across the palate.

The younger wines were equally compelling, though still firmly in their developmental phase.

Martha's Vineyard

Located in Oakville, Martha's Vineyard remains one of Napa Valley's most famous Cabernet Sauvignon sites.

When founder Joe Heitz first put ‘Martha’s Vineyard’ on the label of his 1966 bottling, it was the first time in Napa that the name of a site appeared on a wine label.

Martha's Vineyard takes its name from Martha May, the wife of vineyard owner and grape-grower Tom May.

The Mays purchased the Oakville property in the early 1960s. The roughly 34-acre (13.7ha) vineyard is known for producing wines marked by freshness, structure, and the distinctive bay laurel and eucalyptus character that has become its hallmark (eucalyptus trees line the perimeter).

While the fruit from Martha’s was exclusively sold to Heitz for decades, McCoy revealed that, for the first time in the vineyard's history, Heitz will not purchase the entire crop from Martha's Vineyard.

'I'm excited to see what other producers do with this exceptional fruit,' he said.

Trailside Vineyard

Purchased by Heitz in 1984, Trailside Vineyard is planted to 85 acres (35.3ha) in the Rutherford AVA, divided into 16 distinct blocks, based on a diversity of soil types, of gravelly loam and clay-loam.

The site is farmed organically, with biodynamic inputs. Several Cabernet Sauvignon clones are planted, along with Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Musque clones.

Trailside often shows a rusticity and dusty mineral character of red fruits, plus notes of sage, dried herbs, and fine tannins.

The 1999 Trailside, from a small, concentrated crop, showed the power and intensity possible from the site. Judging the wine on colour alone, you would think it was produced in the last five years.

The flavours, though, were so profoundly layered with loamy earth and tobacco nuances, along with the site’s characteristic freshness, that, save for those emerging secondary notes, it was almost hard to believe the wine was 27 years old.

Linda Falls Vineyard

Linda Falls represents Heitz's mountain-expression Cabernet Sauvignon.

Purchased and planted in 2002, at 1,500 feet (457m) elevation on Howell Mountain near the Linda Falls Preserve (a popular hiking destination with locals), only seven acres of the 42-acre (16.9ha) property are planted to vines.

The volcanic soils and higher elevation produce a markedly different profile from the valley-floor vineyards.

Dark fruit, conifer accents, crushed-stone minerality, and a firmer, more robust tannic structure define the wine, marked by the freshness so characteristic of Heitz and perfectly in place with the wines, thanks to the deft cellar work of winemaker Brittany Sherwood.

The library vintages across all three vineyard sites tasted in this Decanter Masterclass offered a compelling look at the longevity of Heitz Cellar’s iconic Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Heitz Cellar masterclass: Five decades, back to 1979

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Earlier this year at the Millésime Bio organic wine fair in Montpellier, I tasted with Pierre Caizergues of Pierre & Antonin, a micro-négociant based in Malepère on Languedoc’s western frontier.

I’ll admit it was the wine labels that first caught my eye – frolicking foxes and unapologetically bright colours (I have a soft spot for foxes, especially the urban ones that have adopted my small London garden), but other aspects soon piqued my interest beyond the aesthetic charm: lightweight bottles, organic viticulture, minimal sulphur, indigenous yeasts – and, most strikingly, disease-resistant grape varieties.

Embracing hybrid grapes

Although they’re both from Languedoc, Pierre and his business partner Antonin Bonnet met in New York in 2010 while working in sales. After a decade of fermenting ideas, they returned to France and launched Pierre & Antonin in 2020.

Initially, they worked with a mix of classic varieties and hybrids. Gradually, though, they’ve shifted almost entirely to disease-resistant grapes such as Souvignier Gris, Cabernet Cortis, Artaban and Floréal, making red, white, rosé, orange and pét-nat wines.

They persuaded a small collective of growers to plant small plots, guaranteeing to buy the fruit.

Now their aim is to explore the potential of these hybrid grapes – showing that the wines can be made with minimal intervention, but can also be delicious and, crucially, affordable.

Vibrant, well-priced wines to be opened and shared

How can these factors be achieved? Due to the hybrids’ resistance to downy and powdery mildew, the cost of treatment products and labour are much lower and the lightweight bottles (only 370g) not only reduce carbon emissions during transport, but are also cheaper.

In a region where margins are tight and climate pressure is intensifying, these savings are no small consideration. And the elimination of fungicides means that fermentations start easily, so it’s easy to rely on indigenous yeasts.

The result is wines that are vibrant, unfussy, fruity, low in alcohol and well priced – bottles designed to be opened and shared rather than cellared.

This is arguably the ideal region to plough this furrow – the stakes aren’t as high as they would be in Beaune or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, say, and land is cheaper.

Later, I kept thinking back to how Pierre had referred to the hybrid grapes as ‘resistants’. In my mind this rang out as ‘resistance’.

There’s an undeniable semantic link – resistants/resistance – and the implications are strong. The word ‘resistance’ carries a lot of weight, but what does it mean in this context?

The wine world is at an uneasy juncture, so this is about resistance not only against vine disease, but against shifting tastes, climate chaos and economic volatility.

And then there’s resistance in the form of resilience and adaptation – not accepting that sustainability inevitably makes wine more expensive and less accessible. Opening a wine made from disease-resistant varieties is in itself an act of resistance.

Antonin believes that hybrids will be part of the future of wine – that they’ll be, at least in part, tomorrow’s answer to climate change.

‘There are masters of Syrah,’ he says. ‘There are many masters of Pinot Noir all over the world.’ But who will be the masters of Souvignier Gris, Cabernet Cortis and Floréal? Perhaps we’re about to find out.

Sip to make a difference

Souvignier Gris was Pierre and Antonin’s gateway grape. Alongside the still white Pierre & Antonin, Petit Sauvage Blanc, Languedoc, France 2025 (91pts, £17 Vindependents), they also make a pét-nat and a skin-maceration wine with it.

‘We love Souvignier Gris so much that we made it three ways,’ says Pierre. It’s bright and zesty, with fresh acidity, tropical fruit, some spice and a cool minty note, bringing great refreshment to sun-filled days.

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Lambrusco, Emilia-Romagna’s sparkling red wine, is on-trend for being pairable, chillable, and more complex than once presumed.

But besides Lambrusco (and Sangiovese), there's another grape worth considering – the region's signature white grape, Albana.

Albana has long been overlooked due to its primary application in sweet, late-harvest passito wines, which has obscured the grape’s true potential.

Yet did you know that Albana di Romagna DOCG was the first white wine in Italy to receive DOCG designation, in 1987?

Capable of making dry and sparkling styles as well as the more ubiquitous sweets, the golden hued grape's versatility hinges on attention to terroir and technique.

So here are three reasons to pick up a bottle of Albana this summer.

1. Authenticity

Many winemakers in the region are commited to Romagna’s indigenous varieties, including Trebbiano, Sangiovese, and of course Albana.

This ensures that a sense of true identity and authenticity can be found in the bottle, tied to microclimate and soils for true terroir expression.

Open valleys support some maritime influence from the Adriatic Sea and abundant sun exposure, while inland sites offer a greater balance of clay in the soil for water retention.

Albana thrives in a composite of calcareous, sandstone, and clay soils, where it expresses acidity, salinity, and minerality.

For example, Elisa Valpiani – co-owner of Marta Valpiani in Castrocaro Terme – applies low-intervention winemaking in ‘Delyus’, a bright white with a lovely salty freshness, grown on south-facing slopes 500 metres above sea level.

2. Versatility

Full in body and with a plush texture, Albana's dry wines typically express savouriness and freshness, with tension and equilibrium between citrus, stone fruit, herbal and floral notes.

Notes of honey complement sweeter wines.

Albana’s thick skins lend phenolic structure, which makes it particularly suited to orange/ skin contact expressions, as well as supporting sweet wines.

The grape's natural acidity is beneficial for making sparkling wines, and also perfectly counterpoints the residual sugar in botrytis and late-harvest sweet styles.

Vinification in concrete or stainless steel preserves Albana's dynamism, while the use of oak brings out more complexity and enhances texure.

Lees stirring is used for even more weight and texture.

3. Food friendly

With phenolic structure, acidity and freshness, Albana is a fantastic white wine for the dinner table.

Dry versions in particular are substantive, full-bodied counterparts to the region’s signature pasta dish, cappelletti, as well as structured seafood, pork, and poultry dishes.

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Verdejo has cemented its status as Spain’s most popular white wine after winning legions of admirers. Wine lovers enjoy its zesty acidity, citrus flavours and distinctive herbal notes. It makes an ideal aperitif, but Verdejo also pairs beautifully with a wide array of foods, from salad and seafood to guacamole and Asian dishes.

Most Verdejo is produced in Rueda, which is located in the heart of Spain’s Castilla y León region. In 2012, the Designation of Origin (DO) Rueda reported 11.3% annual sales growth, driven by the soaring popularity of Verdejo.

However, 85% of sales were made within Spain, while only 15% went to export markets. That inspired the DO Rueda to create World Verdejo Day in 2013.

The rise of World Verdejo Day

World Verdejo Day started out as a small celebration in a handful of US cities, but it expanded rapidly in the ensuing years. By 2018, it had become a global event, with promotional activities across the US, Mexico, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and beyond. The event takes place on the second Friday of June each year.

Exports have also increased at a brisk pace. In 2025, DO Rueda exported 17,481,944 bottles, with Verdejo accounting for 88% of sales. The UK has developed a particular fondness for Verdejo, with sales exceeding 1.3 million bottles in 2025 alone.

A millennium in the making

Verdejo has been grown in Castilla y León for more than 1,000 years. For most of that time, it was used to make oxidative, sherry-style wines. The grape was almost wiped out by the phylloxera epidemic in the early 20th century, and for decades afterwards it was used for producing simple, often forgettable whites.

Verdejo was then reborn in the 1970s, when celebrated Rioja producers identified Rueda as the ideal place to make serious white wine in Spain. The DO Rueda was established in 1980, and the grape has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Today, Rueda still accounts for the vast majority of Verdejo plantings. The grape thrives in the region’s stony soils and high-altitude vineyards, which are often 700 to 900 metres above sea level. Those altitudes produce dramatic day-night temperature swings that preserve acidity and aromatic intensity.

However, Verdejo has now started to expand out of its Spanish heartland. Pioneering producers in Argentina, Australia, the US and further afield are starting to produce high-quality Verdejo, pointing to a bright future for this popular grape. The second Friday in June is the perfect time to celebrate its rise by enjoying a glass of Verdejo with friends.

Scroll down to see award-winning Spanish Verdejo wines from DWWA 2025

DWWA 2025: Award-winning Spanish Verdejo wines

Fortified

De Alberto Gutiérrez, De Alberto Palido, Rueda NV
Gold, 95 points
A beguiling austerity of smoky saline and iodine aroma that fuses with the mouth-watering limpidity of braised celery and fennel seed that enhances the creamy texture. Alcohol 15%

Still whites

Bodegas Rodríguez Y Sanzo, Palo Norte Verdejo, Rueda 2020
Gold, 95 points
Intricately laced with dried chamomile, dried herbs and mace on the nose, with a flourish of delectable lemon peel acidity and a long nutty finish. Alc 13.5%

Cuatro Rayas, Vendimia Nocturna Verdejo, Rueda 2024
Silver, 94 points
The nose has a character of ripe peaches, lemon oil, chamomile, lemongrass and lilac flowers. Chalky on the palate. Alc 13.5%

Viñas Murillo, Chapirete Seleccion Verdejo, Rueda 2024
Silver, 94 points
Beautiful nose, displaying delicate aromas of orange blossom, lemon zest and marmalade. Tangy and bright, with a delicate saline character. Alc 13.5%

Marqués De Riscal, Finca Montico Organic Verdejo, Rueda 2023
Silver, 94 points
Lovely bright floral notes with nuances of tobacco leaf, tarragon, ripe peaches, guava and dragon fruit. Harmonious, with a long finish. Alc 12.8%

Valdecuevas, Cuvèe Verdejo, Rueda 2023
Silver, 94 points
Limey nose with floral tones of lilac, violets and honeydew melon. Rounded acidity, very refreshing, with a pithy finish. Alc 13.5%

Bodegas Campo Eliseo, Rueda 2022
Silver, 93 points
Nutty nuances with hints of vanilla, smoke and peaches. Citrusy on the palate, with a very long and fresh finish. Alc 13.5%

Javier Ruiz, Verdejo, Rueda 2024
Silver, 92 points
Subtle and perfumed, with apples, passion fruit, roses and a touch of pickles on the nose. Vibrant acidity, great mouthfeel. Alc 13.5%

Bodega Cuatro Rayas, Amador Diez Verdejo, Rueda 2020
Silver, 92 points
The nose shows aromas of mulberry, mistletoe, white fruits and dried herbs. Elegant on the palate, very well made. Alc 13.3%

Bodegas R&G, Parcela 23, Rueda 2022
Silver, 92 points
Lifted aromas of flowers, ripe fruits and some saline edge on the nose. Textural palate, with a long pithy finish. Alc 13%

Pedro Escudero, Bestia Parda, Castilla y Léon 2020
Silver, 92 points
Complex aromas of custard cream, lime, lemon and green tea leaf with some toasty and floral undertones. Succulent and creamy. Alc 13%

Finca Tresolmos, Classic Verdejo, Rueda 2024
Silver, 91 points
Restrained on the nose, showing fresh and pure aromas of lemon and fennel. Creamy texture and pleasant acidity. Really appealing. Alc 13%

Coming soon: Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 results

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The third Sunday of June might be Father’s Day but the third Friday is a special date for wine lovers: International Drink Chenin Blanc Day. Since the first edition of the Chenin Congress, the Fédération Viticole Anjou Saumur, has further extended celebrations for the whole third week of June under the hashtag #FandeChenin.

Time to celebrate the Loire native, South African pioneer variety in all its characterful diversity. And a great pretext to explore the many styles and producers that have earned it worldwide fame.

Indigenous to the Loire, rooted in South Africa

Chenin Blanc is indigenous to the Loire, where it has been grown for centuries, possibly more than a millennium. The French Renaissance polymath, and Touraine native, François Rabelais (1494–1553) mentions the variety, both as Chenin and its common Loire synonym Pineau, in his writings. Other local synonyms were Anjou, Plant d’Anjou, Gros Pineau, Pineau d’Anjou and Pineau de la Loire. The variety’s enduring name has its most likely origin in the monastery of Montchenin, from where it was propagated across the Touraine region, to then return to its birthplace in Anjou under its new name.

However, although Chenin Blanc has its historical origin in the Loire, where its most classical and diverse expressions hail from, it found a second spiritual home in South Africa, the country where some of the variety’s oldest plants, dry-farmed bush vines, can be found.

Further afield, Chenin Blanc can also be found in California’s Central Valley (although mostly for the production of cheap wines from high-yielding vineyards), Australia, New Zealand and throughout South America.

Classical versatility

Chenin Blanc shares important characteristics with Chardonnay and Riesling; it has the former’s capacity to respond to different winemaking approaches without losing its character, and the latter’s ability to express minute terroir variations and produce wines across a range of styles. With both, it shares the medium to high acid and the adaptability to different growing conditions, expressed through an aromatic spectrum that ranges from stern minerality to ripe orchard fruit. As such, although perhaps not as highly regarded as those other two historical counterparts, Chenin Blanc can rightly be placed among the wine canon’s must-know classical varieties. Its long history and the quality and diversity of the wines it produces certainly justify it!

The fact that it is a vigorous and fertile grape (although vigour is greatly impacted by soil type) made it a favourite of growers in high production areas such as the Californian and Chilean Central Valleys. But it is on poor challenging terroirs – like Loire’s Savennières schist slopes – where yields are naturally kept in check, that Chenin thrives. In cooler climates, allowed to hang on the vine long, its susceptibility to noble rot produces some of the world’s most elegant and balanced sweet wines.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring Chenin Blancs

The latter is the case in the middle of the Loire valley, where Chenin Blanc dominates (further inland Sauvignon Blanc is the main variety, and Melon de Bourgogne reigns supreme as the river meets the Atlantic) and it produces wines across an excitingly diverse range of styles; from traditional method sparkling to age-worthy botrytised sweets, by way of mineral-driven whites that could not speak more of terroir.

In South Africa, where one in every five vines is a Chenin Blanc (or Steen, as it is known locally) plant, the variety was, for a long time, material for less than interesting cheap plonk. In the last decade of the 20th century, however, a renewed interest in the country’s unique stock of old vines – which prompted the creation of the Certified Heritage Vineyards programme – along with a burgeoning community of young, quality-minded producers, has elevated it to national treasure. Names like Ken Forrester, AA Badenhorst, David & Nadia, Eben Sadie and Mick and Jeanine Craven, are producing world-leading examples, focusing on the quality of fruit from historial bush-trained plots and experimenting with skin-maceration and fermentation/ageing in different vessels.

DWWA 2025: Award- winning Chenin Blanc wines

Sparkling

France

Bouvet Ladubay, Ogmius Brut, Saumur, Loire 2015
Platinum, 97 points
A cascade of crushed rocks and seashells shower over the zesty citrus and green apple fruit with a compelling savoury complexity spilling out. Delightful lemon acidity infuses the soothing creamy mousse and decadent mineral length. Alcohol 12.5%

Monmousseau, Cuvée Ciselée Brut, Crémant de Loire NV
Gold, 95 points
Jubilant aromas of green apple, freshly picked white flowers and pastry with a fine mineral backbone, energetic mousse and pristine saline conveyance on the finish. Alc 12%

Ackerman, Bulle Royale Brut, Saumur, Loire NV
Gold, 95 points
A harmony of greengage, green apple and pear drop entices and entangles with the creamy effervescence. Beautifully concentrated and mouth-filling with an attractive grapey finish. Alc 12.1%

Still White

France

Aubert, L'eveil des Sens, Vouvray, Loire 2023
Gold, 96 points
A delightful interplay of succulent tropical fruits, honeyed florals and bright minerals with a mouth-filling texture, poised acidity and ravishing fruit culmination at the end. Alc 13.5%

Domaine Des Fontaines, Confidence De Novembre, Bonnezeaux, Loire 2022
Gold, 95 points
Laden with lemon curd, custard, marmalade and Tarte Tatin opulence which oozes over the voluptuous palate and is lifted by the saline crunch of acidity. Stunning. Alc 11.9%

South Africa

Simonsig, Langbult Steen Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2024
Gold, 96 points
Glorious honeysuckle florals and blossom aromas combine beautifully with juicy melon and white stone fruit whilst enhancing the crisp sherbet acidity and long, elevating finish. Alc 13%

Donkiesbaai, Steen, Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal Mountain 2024
Gold, 95 points
Typical old vine Citrusdal Mountain character unleashing honeyed melons, apples and peach cordial onto the superb waxy texture and lime zest acidity, with a long fennel finish. Alc 13.5%

Endura, Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Voor Paardeberg, Paarl 2023
Gold, 95 points
Deeply golden and clingy with intense peach, yellow apple and orange fruit interspersed with spiced ginger crumbs. Generous and entrancing with a long, herby finish. Alc 14%

Ken Forrester Wines, The FMC, Stellenbosch 2024
Gold, 95 points
An scrumptious glassful of apple compote and honeysuckle with a delectable twist of mineral brine and grapefruit acidity to invigorate, finishing up with a quenching tug of quince. Alc 13%

Bellingham, The Founder's Series Freda, Coastal Region 2021
Gold, 95 points
Smacked with oyster shell and gun flint charm over rippling lime curd layers of creamy texture. Generous and bold with a savoury tension on the finish. Alc 13.5%

Survivor, Reserve Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2022
Gold, 95 points
Bold toasted brioche, baked peach and custard aromas welcome and entice with a seamless freshness that runs through the palate to the long chalky finish. Alc 13.5%

Spier, 21 Gables Chenin Blanc, Cape Town 2022
Gold, 95 points
Steely, cedary and sophisticated on the nose, giving way to a lush buttered brioche and lime marmalade complexity on the palate, finishing with crisp juicy apples. Alc 14.5%

Nederburg, Heritage Heroes the Anchor Man Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024
Gold, 95 points
A delightful perfume of citrus blossom, peach skin and pineapple layers nicely over the profoundly concentrated palate, offset by a fresh acidity and stylish mineral streak. Alc 13.5%

Cederberg, Nieuwoudt Five Generations Chenin Blanc, Cederberg 2023Silver, 94 points
94 Silver
Pink Lady apple and greengage overlay peach blossom and lemongrass, leading to zippy acidity, gentle oak influence and mineral-tinged length. Alc 13.5%

Chile

Longaví, Cementerio, Maule 2023
Gold, 95 points
Boundless Chenin typicity: honeyed spiced apples, stone fruits and florals which overlap with the earthy, savoury complexity and an ethereal acidity that persists to the finish. Alc 13.5%

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Julia Rose Hoyle and Kelby James Russell are too busy for pinch-me moments.

The pair launched their Finger Lakes-based winery, Apollo’s Praise, in 2023 and are deep in the work.

Partners in life and love, they’ve got their hands full, from farming to fermenting, bottling to selling.

‘We’re working phenomenally hard on the back end because we recognise that we’ve been given the chance to help push the Finger Lakes forward,’ explains Russell.

With a charge like that, there is little time to pause – even when the praise is good.

Within three months of launching, inventory sold out, and scores reached up to 98-points, which is among the highest the region has received to date.

The duo keeps moving, popping up across the US and internationally as they introduce a brand that has brought a fresh new energy to Finger Lakes wine.

Finding Apollo

'Thus, then combining, hands and hearts joining, sing we in harmony Apollo’s praise. Here ev’ry gen’rous sentiment awaking, music inspiring unity and joy. Each social pleasure giving and partaking, glee and good humour our hours employ.'

These are the lyrics of ‘Glorious Apollo’, the 18th-century glee written by composer Samuel Webbe. They end every quarterly zine designed by Hoyle for Apollo’s Praise.

Russell first encountered Glorious Apollo at Harvard College, where he studied Orchestra Management and sang in the Glee Club.

His admission to the Ivy League school felt like a one-way ticket from his small Finger Lakes hometown that he’d eagerly been awaiting.

While there, he won a fellowship to study food in Italy.

‘I went for the mortadella,’ he laughs. To stretch the funding, Russell found lodging in exchange for work at a ‘quirky castle’ surrounded by vineyards.

‘It was a romantic spot. I fell in love with the lifestyle, got the wine bug, and decided – to my shock – to move back home and get into wine.’

A few hundred miles away, Hoyle traded northern Pennsylvania for Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

She picked up seasonal work in the tasting room at Fox Run Vineyards, but found herself fascinated by winemaking: ‘I wanted to learn more about this product that there’s no firm answer on – I wanted to know more all the time.’

Russell arrived at Fox Run two weeks after Hoyle, dressed for an interview, only to be handed a shovel on what would become his first day of harvest.

He and Hoyle quickly fell for the industry, the region, and eventually for each other.

As their careers progressed, each traveled across hemispheres, gaining experience by chasing harvests while staying connected through handwritten notes.

While in Paris in 2012, they eloped.

Building Lahoma

Through all their travels, the Finger Lakes kept pulling them home.

‘There was a lot of interesting energy and evolution happening. It was still a real underdog of a region, and to be here was a choice,’ explains Russell, who settled as lead winemaker for Red Newt Cellars on Seneca Lake.

Hoyle took the reins of winemaking at Hosmer Winery on Cayuga.

‘There’s an excitement you can’t replicate going to a region that already has the accolades,’ he continues.

‘Getting to demonstrate and earn those accolades for an underdog region is really enriching.’

Hoyle shares the ambition: ‘I want to make the best wines of the region. That is the end goal.’

Their work is heavily influenced by Austria and Germany, especially the idea of Grosses Gewächs, given they both work with distinguished vineyards.

Russell’s work at Red Newt introduced him to Ken and Harlan Fulkerson, the original farmers behind Lahoma Vineyards.

Once planted with apples, pears, peaches, and cherries, the celebrated vineyard is now 22.2ha of vinifera and hybrid grapes, including Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay, and the first commercial planting of Scheurebe in New York.

High on a knoll

Within the parcel sits a notable 0.8ha plot of land named The Knoll, known for its rare sandstone soils and unique expression in the glass.

Russell has sourced fruit from this block for over a decade, crafting structured, muscular, and textural Rieslings that earned him a devoted following.

As the wines gained traction, so did the property, with Russell proudly touring the vines with journalists and buyers.

The Fulkersons quietly took note and secretly designated Russell and Hoyle as a potential succession plan.

The offer came in 2022 when Russell called the Fulkersons in search of Chardonnay. There was none, but they had a counteroffer: the farm itself.

Hoyle, who calls herself Russell’s co-conspirator, could see his vision: ‘At the end of the day, the deep trust we have for one another is what’s guided a lot of our decisions.’

They closed on the property in April 2023.

A frosty beginning

Within a month of closing, an unprecedented frost decimated half their crop. It was a once-in-50-year event.

Russell couldn’t sleep as temperatures dipped overnight. He got to the farm at sunrise to find the Fulkersons already there.

‘The plan was to sell 95% of the crop, and keep a few tons to tinker with. But, we knew we had to start a winery and make a new business plan to save the farm.’

They were more than ready. They already had the name. They had the label artist, Christi Lopez, whom Hoyle found on Instagram and bookmarked for this moment.

And, they quickly learned the region had their backs: neighbors offered unclaimed fruit, and Harlan Fulkerson even personally advocated for them at the bank, noting that you can’t predict the weather.

‘You can’t do it alone,’ Hoyle smiles. That winter, Apollo’s Praise launched their Wine & Glee Club and Skurnik Wines added the brand to their portfolio – the first and only brand contracted without a tasting.

The wines posted some of the highest scores in the region. Within three months, their inventory was completely sold out.

A warmer future ahead

Three years in, and the Apollo’s Praise team remains busy. They’ve since purchased the 1850s farmhouse next door, which houses their offices, a hosting space, and a seasonal Airbnb.

In the cellar, Russell and Hoyle operate on a 60/40 split, respectively – each producing their own wines that work in concert across the full portfolio.

‘We did not want to work together–especially in production,’ laughs Russell, though they have one exception: a single wine called Lovejoy: a blend of Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling grown on The Knoll.

They’ve also built a company culture that reflects everything ‘Glorious Apollo’ promises. Alongside Hoyle’s joyful zines are Russell’s inspired music pairings on the back of every label.

General Manager Sarah Tuttle leads a small team that they call smart and quirky. Staff are given room to be fully themselves.

‘Sometimes it seems very crazy that the universe just lets us do this,’ says Tuttle.

That permission is not accidental, but deliberate. ‘I have an open door to anyone who wants to work hard. I’ll give people a shot because a lot of people wouldn’t do that for me,’ says Hoyle.

‘It’s important to get new voices at the table every time.’

Russell sees the same opportunity through the wine itself: ‘How do you get more people to love wine? It’s a really simple answer. Make exciting wine at a price point people can afford.’

Three tiers of wines are currently offered, ranging from approachable offerings under £20 to small-production single-vineyard bottlings that can command £100 and above.

From the outside looking in, Apollo’s Praise is more than a winery. It is the culmination of Hoyle and Russell’s hard work and preparation for this particular moment.

From chasing harvests and trading handwritten letters, to starting a brand authentic in its representation of the duo, it all folds into something that feels less like a business plan and more like a calling.

As the lyrics of Glorious Apollo go, they are giving and partaking in equal measure – and it seems the Finger Lakes are singing back.

Apollo's Praise wines

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An opaque, intriguing history

America’s oldest vineyards are a sight to behold.

Marked by gnarled old vines planted in the 1880s, often by Italian immigrants, they provide a palpable sense of history in this so-called New World.

Many of them are field blends, the common practice at the time – a melange that may include Alicante Bouschet, Palomino, Carignan, Mataro, Syrah or Petite Sirah.

The Old Patch at Ridge’s Lytton Springs estate, first planted in 1882, includes 24 different grape varieties. The foundation, though, of these old sites is almost always Zinfandel.

‘The Dickerson vineyard in Napa was planted in the 1920s, and it’s 100% Zinfandel,’ Joel Peterson, ‘the Godfather of Zin’, tells me, while we’re standing in his old-vine Sonoma site, Bedrock vineyard.

‘The very old vineyards, like this one or Old Hill, are a mix of more than 20 varieties.

They were some of the first vineyards planted after phylloxera (both during the 1880s), so they really leaned on an old way of doing things.’

Once thought to be native to the US, Zinfandel’s origins have long been muddied.

For many years, it was believed to be closely related to the Italian variety Primitivo, maybe hailing from Puglia.

However, DNA testing at the University of California, Davis, chased its origins across the Adriatic to the coast of Croatia.

It turns out that not only are California’s long-standing signature variety and Primitivo genetically identical, but both of those grapes are also genetically identical to Dalmatia’s Crljenak Kaštelanski (also known as Tribidrag).

Peaks and valleys

The notion of quality in Zinfandel has also had a tumultuous history, particularly recently. It was the original American fine wine.

Early California bottlings of Zinfandel were sold from trains on the east coast and they made waves at the Paris Exposition of 1889.

Over time, though, its reputation has waned, owing in many ways to the great commercial success of White Zinfandel (the inexpensive, typically not dry ‘blush’-style rosés) and a lingering reputation and perhaps unfair stereotyping as a one-dimensional wine of bombast, high alcohol and little else.

‘Somewhere in the 14%-15% range is where the variety hits its stride,’ Peterson instructs. ‘There it has acid, edge and spice without the unfortunate gloopy, overripe character.’

Through all of that, it remains California’s third most planted variety, behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Joel’s son Morgan Twain-Peterson MW is at the forefront in efforts to preserve many of northern California’s old-vine sites.

His commitment to forward-thinking viticulture, regenerative and organic practices, and a fresh take on the wine his father made famous, are evident in the brilliance and site clarity of his Bedrock wines.

Thanks to folks such as Twain-Peterson, Tegan Passalacqua at Turley and the team at ArnotRoberts, old-vine Zinfandel is resurgent.

While America’s fine wine regions are often left referencing their Old World counterparts, Zinfandel offers something uniquely, historically American, in spite of its Adriatic origins.

Pursehouse's pick of America's most enticing Zinfandel

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