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

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

Full score table coming soon

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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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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Taste Cloudsley Cellars wines with Adam Lowy in New York

Meet Adam in person and taste Cloudsley Cellars wines in the Grand Tasting room at Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter New York on 6 June.

At the table with Adam Lowy

Food and wine pairing

Visiting Niagara: Top travel tips

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Readers should bear in mind that the 2023 growing season offered Napa producers the luxury of time: a long, relatively mild growing season with extended hang time for grapes and above-average yields – the kind of year that’s being widely described as ‘the vintage of a lifetime’.

And while official narratives can be rhapsodic, a more straightforward description might be that 2023 represents the ideal Napa Valley vintage: a year when the vines had everything they needed without the pressure of damaging heat or rain.

Many 2023s will end up among the era’s greats, but a small percentage of wines bear surprising lightness, likely a result of overcropping and extraction choices that over-taxed the tannins, leading to dilution.

I’ll add that there is also a compelling argument that the denser, more inherently concentrated 2021s may give the 2023s a run for their money, even if only long-term cellaring will settle the matter.

Rain at the right time

Nevertheless, the stage was set for an exceptional vintage, with winter rains helping ensure the vines were in a really good place to kick off the year, with good moisture in the soil.

More than 457mm of rain fell across Napa Valley between October and December of 2022 – double the typical amount.

Another 324mm fell in January, 121mm in February, followed by 249mm in March, just before bud break.

Temperatures from December 2022 through the end of March 2023 hovered between 10°C and 18°C in the daytime, dipping to 2°-7°C at night.

That coolness held consistent from spring through summer and into harvest. Daytime highs ranged from the low to mid-20s°C from June through October, with only one day over 38°C in early July.

Peak highs reached about 36°C just a few times between August and October. Most notably, September was unusually cool, with no days above 32°C, meaning growers had to be extra patient, hopeful for an Indian summer with no rain.

Thankfully, nothing beyond a centimetre or so of rain fell in October.

Canopy management

Rombauer Vineyards’ Richie Allen recalls a cold spring, with bud burst quite delayed, which put back flowering and pushed harvest out several weeks into late October and early November.

‘It never got quite warm, and we thought it was going to be another 2010 or 2011, with tons of rain and everything not getting ripe,’ he says.

Instead, Mother Nature was kind. Orin Swift’s Dave Phinney said 2023 reminds him of 1997 in Napa when there was ‘no weather pressure or rush to free up fermentation tanks’.

Nickel & Nickel winemaker Joe Harden says: ‘It was a dream for winemakers. If you managed your canopy, kept enough leaves to the end to maintain dappled sunlight, you got polished, silky tannins and supreme elegance, and it was incredibly welcome after the hot, challenging 2022 vintage.’

‘Abundant’ and ‘friendly’ are the two words that describe the 2023 vintage for Dominus Estate owner Christian Moueix.

‘If you have good growth, you let the ends of the vines grow to get out excess growth and arrive at a certain balance in terms of the size of the canopy,’ he says.

‘In every berry, you have all of the universe of the vintage, and you want each berry to get over the finish line.’

Too much of a good thing

For some, bigger canopies are welcome and easier to maintain. ‘I knew early on that there was a decent amount of fruit,’ recalls Arkenstone’s Sam Kaplan, ‘and I saw cooler days, so crop adjustment was the storyline of the season.’

Consulting winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown agrees that mitigating crop load was essential to success.

‘If there’s a downside to 2023, it was a big crop year, and if you had a site that couldn’t handle that size of crop, there would be dilution in the wines if you didn’t thin,’ he says.

‘Berries never shrivelled in 2023,’ meaning fruit concentration couldn’t come from selective raisining – it was all about reducing the number of bunches appropriately.

Indeed, during the four months I spent visiting producers and eventually tasting more than 600 wines, I found that just 10% of wines or so felt somewhat diluted, lacking the structured, ripe tannins I’d expected to find in abundance across all wines.

And while certainly pleasant, they lacked the integrity of the vintage and resulted in my lowest-scoring wines (having said that, low scores were very rare, likely because of the calibre of producers who presented wines).

Marcus Notaro of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars says that as late as September, there were ‘some lingering green berries through veraison, so you needed extra-long hang time’.

He adds: ‘For us, we had a nice combination of ripe grapes – not super-sugar-loaded grapes, because of the coolness, but the length of time let us get the tannins to a nice, ripe level.’

Jonathan's wines of the vintage

• Kinsman Eades Anjea, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Yountville) (100)
• Dalla Valle Vineyards, MDV Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (100)
• O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (99)
• La Pelle Wines Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (100)
• Monsieur Etain (by Scarecrow) Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Rutherford) (98)
• Merryvale Profile Napa Valley (St Helena) (98)
• Robert Mondavi Winery 60th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (98)
• The Debate Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
• Bryant Estate Bryant Family Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (99)
• Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Rutherford) (98)
• Cathiard Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (100)
• Facets Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (95)
• JCB Surrealist Napa Valley (97)
• Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Calistoga) (96)
• Nickel & Nickel Winery, Element 28, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon (99)

Back to the old ways

Over and over, during the many weeks I spent tasting at wineries, winemakers across the valley commented on the psychological shift required after 2022.

‘We felt deeply scarred by the 2022 vintage,’ said Brown. ‘We had a really wet winter, so there was plenty of groundwater, and we had a pretty big fruit set, and we just kept holding our breath for bad things to come, and they never came. You had to learn to be patient again. You had to pay attention to tannin maturity because if you harvested any grapes too early, you’d be harvesting unripe tannins.’

Jason Moulton, winemaker for Whitehall Lane, was reminded of 2016, when ‘the crop load was heavier, but you had perfect [flavour and tannin] extraction during fermentation, to the point that you’re not forcing a post-ferment protocol to extract more’.

Michael Scholz, vice president of winemaking and vineyards for St Supéry, noted that the moderate temperatures ‘allowed vines to keep working through the season without stopping for any heat spells’, thereby aiding both ‘flavour and phenolic development, giving us great flavours, ripe tannins that were not big and not so aggressive, and above all, vibrancy and freshness in the wines’.

‘We learned that tannins and colour are heat sensitive, and when we don’t have those issues, we have darker-coloured wines with beautifully fine-grained, resolved tannins,’ said Freemark Abbey winemaker Kristy Melton.

Cathiard Vineyard winemaker Justine Labbe echoed that sentiment, noting, ‘we had integrated tannins right after fermentation’, a structural factor that has clearly played out even with time in bottle.

For Sullivan Rutherford Estate winemaker Jeff Cole: ‘This vintage felt like the way Napa Valley operated years ago, when you weren’t thinking about picking Cabernet in September.’

Luc Morlet of Morlet Family Vineyards, was reminded of the excellent 2016s, which benefited from rains that finally ended the drought years of 2013-2015.

‘The wines have energy and freshness that will make them a true vanguard that we’ll be able to cellar for multiple decades.’

Cristaldi’s pick of the top 2023 Napa Cabernets to buy – and to keep

The wines below includes a representative selection scored between 93-100 points. For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

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Buying a fantastic bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from an exceptional vintage, while ‘on a budget’, may require a bit of a mental recalibration.

Most of us think of budget-buys as great bottles under $30 or $40 per bottle.

And while those exist, certainly in supermarkets and many retail shops, for most high-end producers of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, you have to approach buying on a budget with the mindset that somewhere between $50 and $100 is more the norm.

Here are a few reasons why: The cost of grapes alone is formidable.

The California Grape Crush Report cites a 2023 weighted average of over $8,770 per ton of Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon, before barrels, bottle, labour, and sales even enter the frame.

Bear in mind that one ton of grapes amounts to roughly 150 gallons of wine, or about 60 cases (720 bottles).

Factoring in additional production costs means that you’re looking at a per-bottle price of around $85 and up.

But The Valley’s best grapes cost winemakers between $15,000-$60,000, per ton. And these costs trickle down to the bottle price, which has been steadily trickling up since the early 2010s.

Meanwhile, broader Napa Valley pricetags have climbed too – the average basic tasting fee ranges between $40 and $100+ per person.

Tightening the lens

So, here’s the practical takeaway from my 2023 Napa Cabernet taste-through.

While the median price per bottle of all the Napa Cabs I tasted is around $150, a solid value-play would steer us into the under‑$100 lane.

So, I tightened the lens again to $85‑and‑under (around 70 wines total), and then chose the best bottles on quality, not just thrift.

What emerges is a consistent pattern: the best values tend to be broadly sourced Napa Valley blends rather than single-vineyard wines or those bearing a single appellation on the label.

They come from largely tried and true producers who have extensive holdings or long-term grape contracts that allow them to source from multiple sites throughout the valley to create harmonious blends that, simply put, don’t break the Napa Valley bank.

20 featured 2023 Napa Cabernets at $85 and under

1. St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (91, $63)
2. Black Stallion Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (92, $35)
3. Argot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (93, $75)
4. The Vice, The House, Cabernet Sauvignon, Batch #181, Napa Valley (94, $36 )
5. Charles Krug, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $40)
6. Raymond Vineyards, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $50)
7. Force & Grace, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $55)
8. Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (94, $55)
9. Ashes & Diamonds, Cabernet Sauvignon, No. 2, Napa Valley (97, $70)
10. Materra, Cunat Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $72)
11. Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $75)
12. Cliff Lede, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $80)
13. Rombauer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $80)
14. Jax Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, (94, $80)
15. Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $82)
16. Mi Sueño Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (94, $85)
17. Burgess, Contadina Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (95, $50)
18. Blackbird Vineyards, Arise Red Wine Napa Valley (95, $60)
19. Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (95, $80)
20. Louis M. Martini, The Gryphon Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (97, $85)

For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

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For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 100-points

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 99-points

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 98-points

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 97-points

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 96-points

Napa Valley 2023 Cabernet Sauvignons: 95-points

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Spend enough time outside the wine industry and a curious pattern emerges: almost no one thinks about buying wine to open decades from now.

Among the parents of my daughter’s friends and most people I meet outside professional wine circles, the idea rarely even comes up.

Wine is something to drink tonight, maybe this weekend, perhaps next year – but 20 or 30 years down the road? That seems almost unimaginable.

Part of the hesitation is practical. Many people assume that aging wine requires a wine cellar.

In reality, all it takes is a thoughtful purchase and a cool, dark place to store a bottle properly. If you want to make the effort truly worthwhile, look for wines in large formats – magnums, double magnums, or even larger.

These bottles age more gracefully because the ullage (volume of air to liquid) is so small, making oxidation even slower, while the flavors and textures evolve more slowly and beautifully over time.

Buy a bottle from the birth year of your grandchild, store it carefully, and hold onto it for two decades or more.

But don’t wait 20 years to tell the story. When your grandchild is eight or nine years old, show them the bottle and explain why you bought it.

Tell them about the people who grew the grapes and the place where the wine was made.

Explain that wine is simply fermented grape juice that – if all goes well – transforms with time into something extraordinary.

The joy of old bottles

One day, perhaps at a wedding, an anniversary, the purchase of a first home, or another milestone worth celebrating, that bottle will be opened.

The cork will ease out, the wine will swirl in the glass, and the aromas will rise: savory, expressive, captivating. The flavours will be layered and complex, the textures deep and hauntingly delicious.

That is the gift of aged wine—the taste of something remarkable shared at a moment that matters.

I would not have understood this myself had it not been for the family I married into.

My wife’s parents quietly held onto special bottles for decades, keeping them at proper cellar temperature until the right occasions arrived.

When we married, they brought some of those bottles out, and the experience added a certain magic to the evening.

I can still remember one in particular: a bottle of 1982 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Carte Or Brut we enjoyed over dinner at Gary Danko in San Francisco in 2008 (a 26-year-old Champagne!).

The wine had turned a deep golden hue, the bubbles were fine and persistent, and the aromas exploded from the glass – toasted hazelnuts, truffle, and something wonderfully savoury and complex.

I remember the elegance of my soon-to-be bride, her joy and joie de vivre, and the pride her mother took in sharing a bottle she had patiently saved for years.

That is what a well-chosen bottle can do. It captures time, preserves a story, and waits quietly for a moment when life deserves to be celebrated.

I hope you consider creating that kind of memory for your children or grandchildren.

To help you get started, here are a few 2023 vintage wines worth buying – ideally in large format – and setting aside for the future.

18 Napa Valley 2023 Cabernets to cellar

1. Dalla Valle Vineyards, MDV Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (100)
2. Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
3. Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Spring Mountain) (100)
4. The Debate Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
5. Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
6. Ad Vivum Sleeping Lady Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Yountville) (99)
7. Bond Pluribus Red Wine Napa Valley (99)
8. Cliff Lede Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (99)
9. Colgin Cellars IX Estate Red Napa Valley (99)
10. Louis M. Martini Bruadair Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (99)
11. O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (99)
12. Annulus Cellars Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (99)
13. Stony Hill Côte Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Spring Mountain) (99)
14. Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (98)
15. Corison Winery Sunbasket Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (98)
16. William Selyem Beckstoffer Vineyard To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
17. Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (98)
18. Impensata Las Posadas Vineyard Proprietary Red Napa Valley (Howell Mountain) (97)

For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

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In past vintage reports, we have published separate features highlighting select Napa Valley sub-appellations – often eight or so of the valley’s 17 nested AVAs – typically focusing on those regions that submitted enough wines to warrant deeper exploration.

This year, with the 2023s, we are taking a slightly different approach, highlighting the 'Stars of the AVAs' in a single list, again guided by the regions with the strongest representation in submissions.

These are wines worth seeking out because they capture, in crisp detail, the defining characteristics of their respective appellations.

Top Coombsville 2023 Cabernets

Coombsville is situated at the southern end of Napa Valley, and among the coolest of the sub-AVAs, strongly influenced by marine air and fog drifting in from San Pablo Bay.

The best Cabernet examples tend to be dark-fruited yet bright and energetic, with lifted aromatics, ultra-fine tannins, and a sense of tension and length that distinguishes the wines of this windswept corner of the valley.

• Favia Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• La Pelle Wines Ceniza Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Paul Hobbs Nathan Coombs Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Rewa Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• AXR Bennett Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (97)

Top Stags Leap District 2023 Cabernets

Vines in the Stags Leap District AVA are planted from near valley floor elevations up to about 123 metres, with the craggy, exposed palisades of Stags Leap rising dramatically above the region.

The wines are often defined by finely sculpted tannins with a polished, fine-grained texture, supported by a typically volcanic mineral edge alongside red-fruit notes and warm spice nuances.

• Cliff Lede Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars SLV Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Robert Mondavi Winery WH Vineyard, The Estates Cabernet Sauvignon (96)
• Chimney Rock Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (94)
• Lithology Steltzner Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (96)

Top Oakville 2023 Cabernets

Cabernet Sauvignons from Oakville characteristically deliver concentration and depth, layered with complex aromas, flavours, and textures.

The best examples combine muscular structure with a sense of poise and refinement, achieving a balance between power and perfumed elegance that has made the AVA synonymous with some of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wines.

• Amici Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (100)
• Harbison Estate Horseshoe Cabernet Sauvignon (100)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (100)
• Dalla Valle Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (99)
• TOR Wines Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (99)

Top Rutherford 2023 Cabernets

Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the benchlands and ancient riverbeds of Rutherford often expresses the hallmark 'Rutherford dust', a quality evident both aromatically and on the palate.

This signature character can appear as dusty earth, dried rose petal, or unsweetened cocoa powder, lending savoury nuance to wines that typically show generous fruit and structured tannins.

• Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon (99)
• Dana Estates Helms Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon (99)
• J.H. Wheeler Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon (97)
• St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery Rutheford Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (96)
• Whitehall Lane Winery Millennium MM Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (96)

Top Mount Veeder 2023 Cabernets

High on the western Mayacamas range, Mount Veeder’s steep slopes and rugged terrain produce some of Napa Valley’s most structured mountain Cabernets.

The wines typically display powerful, muscular tannins and a deep forest-berry profile, underscored by earthy woodland notes and a spectrum of blue- to black-fruited intensity.

A distinctive graphite-like minerality often runs through the best examples, giving the wines both gravity and lift.

• Pott Wine Incubo Cabernet Sauvignon (99)
• Lokoya Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Pilcrow Archer & Byrd Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Hess Collection 'The Lion' Cabernet Sauvignon (97)

Top St. Helena 2023 Cabernets

Situated near the narrow 'hourglass' point of Napa Valley, the St. Helena AVA tends to experience warmer daytime temperatures and relatively limited wind flow.

The resulting wines often show a ripe, dense fruit profile with generous texture, yet without angular tannins, offering a plush, approachable expression of Cabernet Sauvignon.

• B Cellars Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (100)
• Stewart Cellars NOMAD Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (97)
• Rombauer Stice Lane Cabernet Sauvignon (96)
• Patria A. Price Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (96)
• Whitehall Lane Winery Leonardini Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (95)

Top Howell Mountain 2023 Cabernets

Perched above the fog line, Howell Mountain encompasses an array of slopes, rolling hills, and diverse microclimates.

Its well-draining, rocky soils encourage small berries and concentrated fruit.

The wines are known for their formidable tannic structure, often presenting a broad, textured mid-palate supported by excellent fruit concentration and a distinctive mineral elegance.

• Arkenstone Estate Red (100)
• Salty Goats Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon (99)
• La Jota Vineyard Co Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Sylvan Lake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Moone Tsai Wines Hillside Blend Red Wine (97)

Top Calistoga 2023 Cabernets

At the northernmost end of Napa Valley, Calistoga sits at the foot of Mount St. Helena, nestled between the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges.

The AVA is typically warmer during the summer months than most other parts of the valley, allowing tannins to ripen fully.

The best wines offer ample mouthfeel and complexity while maintaining balance, delivering richness without excessive heaviness or over-concentration.

• Hourglass Bluelne Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (97)
• Donelan Cabernet Sauvignon (97)
• Venge Vineyards Igneous Cabernet Sauvignon (96)
• Baldacci Family Vineyards Stella Knight Vineyard (94)
• Davies Vineyards Oliven Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (94)

For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

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The wines for short-term pleasure

For the most part, the 2023 Cabernets are built for a long life.

However, they are also immensely joyful, easy to drink, and expressive in their youth, thanks to the long growing season, which produced refined tannins that are already well integrated at this early stage.

I combed through my notes to find those wines that speak most clearly of pure deliciousness—the kind that are very hard to put down.

This short list highlights some of my easy-drinking, enjoy-now favourites, though they should drink beautifully over the next three to seven years.

• Schrader Cellars Old Sparky To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
• Argot Sage Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (97)
• To Kalon Vineyard Company HWC Napa Valley (Oakville) (98)
• Tres Perlas Barber Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (98)
• Fait-Main Wines Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (97)
• Castello di Amorosa Manley Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Rutherford) (93)
• B Cellars Star Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Rutherford)
• Clos du Val Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Stags Leap District) (94)
• Desiree Wine Company Out of Sight Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (93)
• Coronet Wines Lady Liberty Vineyard, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (95)

The wines with mid-term appeal

We’re moving into wines you may be tempted to drink right away, but which will benefit from additional time in bottle.

So when that shipment arrives, do your best to hold off – or buy enough that you can pop a cork now and hold the rest for a few more years before diving in.

These wines possess immensely powerful, chewy tannins, and while they soften with a solid four to six hours of decanting, you really owe it to yourself to tuck them away until the tannins integrate further and the drinking experience becomes pure enjoyment.

• Morlet Family Vineyards Cœur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
• Nickel & Nickel Winery Element 28, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (99)
• Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (99)
• Pott Wine Incubo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (99)
• Rudd Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (99)
• Venge Vineyards DLCV Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (99)
• Bure Family Wines Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (98)
• Burgess Quartz Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (98)
• Dominus Napa Valley (98)
• Vine Hill Ranch VHR, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (98)

The wines for long-term reward

And now we arrive at the pièce de résistance – the moment de vérité. The wines that follow are the true heavyweights of the vintage: deep, structured, and destined for long lives in the cellar.

Even where there is surprising early charm, these wines possess the structural hallmarks of longevity: a firm tannic backbone, a vibrant spine of acidity, judicious use of oak, and layers of flavours and spice that unfold with complexity and precision.

Not all the usual Napa icons appear here, either—several newcomers have earned their place, signalling brands to watch and collect over the coming years.

And because the 2023 vintage produced such a wealth of cellar-worthy Cabernets, be sure to see the section on wines to buy for your grandchildren for additional long-haul candidates.

• Pahlmeyer Pièce de Résistance Napa Valley (100)
• AXR AxR1 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (100)
• Harbison Estate Horseshoe Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
• Keplinger Wines Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (100)
• CADE Winery Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Howell Mountain) (99)
• Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (99)
• Pilcrow Granite Lake Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Howell Mountain) (99)
• Estate 8 Iconic AVA Mt Veeder, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Mt Veeder) (99)
• Favia Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (99)
• Simon Family Estate Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (100)
• Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon (98)
• Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Rutherford) (98)
• Julien Fayard Wines Sleeping Lady Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon (Yountville) (97)
• Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (St Helena) (98)
• Gamble Estates Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Oakville) (99)

For all of Jonathan Cristaldi's scores from the vintage, click here.

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Timorasso is a native, white Piedmontese grape variety that had almost completely disappeared but has made a remarkable comeback.

References to the variety (sometimes under different names) suggest it has been grown in the region since the early 13th century, but only half a hectare of Timorasso remained by 1985.

Once destined for oblivion, the grape was saved when visionary pioneer Walter Massa recognised its potential.

Massa became the first – and for some time, the only – person to believe in the variety, especially its capacity for ageing.

But others began to see its potential too and by 2025, plantings of Timorasso had grown to 500 hectares.

What does Timorasso taste like?

The typical characteristics of this hard-to-cultivate variety, which also requires careful attention during vinification, include lively acidity, accompanied by a sapid, lingering finish.

Often quite deep in colour – veering towards gold – it can be both mineral and lemony in character or richer, with stone and honey notes.

If you see one be sure to ask what style you're going to get!

Where is it grown?

Timorasso is now the focus of wine production that has transformed the Colli Tortonesi, an unspoilt environment where vineyards, orchards, fields, woods and meadows coexist in a mosaic of biodiversity.

Colli Tortonesi in Piedmont is a place where new wineries keep appearing, and even producers from the Langhe are investing here.

Derthona (a future sub-zone of the Colli Tortonesi Timorasso DOC) continues to grow steadily, underlined by the ‘Derthona Giovani’, a vibrant group of young winemakers collaborating to drive forward these increasingly promising Timorasso wines.

Timorasso: Five to try

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White Burgundy is one of life’s great pleasures, so don’t be intimidated – it’s easy to dive right in.

Although the category offers incredible diversity in style, quality, and price, we provide a roadmap that gives you a shortcut for deciding which wine is perfect for you on every occasion.

The best way to begin is to ask yourself the questions below.

Who will you be with?

Family, friends, and work clients each require a different solution to finding the perfect white Burgundy.

Choosing a wine to share with your family should be easy, but often it isn't. Hopefully, they will not judge you, but one wants top quality for those who are close.

Ideally, your house white Burgundy will be an everyday wine, so find a producer working in a style that you like and anchor your wine fridge with one of their entry-level offerings.

I delight in finding a solid sub-£25 Mâcon-Villages and laying down a case for frequent drinking, such as the Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau Mâcon-Villages Clos Saint-Pancras.

You may wish to surprise your friends, so explore something new among the region's rising stars.

The wines with the most buzz will not be the least expensive, but they will still cost less than top names.

Guillaume Lafon, son of renowned winemaker Dominique Lafon, has just founded his own domaine and is producing tremendously exciting wines.

Clients need to be impressed with a classic wine that is reliable in every vintage, so choose a well-known name from a classic region.

Bosses, however, will be impressed by smart choices, so let the size of your expense account determine whether you are picking a regional Bourgogne, a village-level wine, or a ravishing premier cru.

What is your style?

At the risk of oversimplifying, it may help to think of three main styles of white Burgundy: crisp and refreshing, richly exuberant, and polished and elegant.

The good news is that you can find bargains among all three types. The classic example of ‘crisp and refreshing’ is Chablis.

The wines have aromas of citrus and green apple, and the better ones have a pronounced flinty, mineral note.

Although it’s fine to start with an inexpensive Petit Chablis, but for a surprisingly small increase in price, you will find a village-level Chablis like the 2024 Domaine Billaud-Simon that will give you the full range of minerally, lemony fruit.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are richly exuberant white Burgundies, like those from the southern districts of Burgundy (the Mâconnais).

This region offers some of the most reasonably priced wines, yet also delivers great quality, particularly in crus whose names appear alone on the label.

The single vineyard Saint-Véran Les Crèches from talented grower Domaine Saumaise-Michelin is a perfect place to start.

Wines from all over Burgundy could fit into our ‘polished and elegant’ category, but to simplify, focus on finding values from the rarified 'golden triangle' of white Burgundy villages: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.

These villages are renowned for the quality and complexity of their wines, but they can often be expensive; some, however, will fit into your Starter Pack.

One example is the Bourgogne Côte d'Or from Meursault producer Michel Bouzereau.

Although they are grown outside the area for village-level wines, they still show some of their noble character.

Where and when are you drinking?

A final consideration is time and place. White Burgundy is incredibly versatile, so don't be afraid to mix it up.

In a restaurant, the tried-and-true pairings could be Chablis with shellfish or lighter fish such as sole.

The wines of the Côte d’Or can accompany more substantial dishes such as roast chicken, pork, or duck, and the exuberantly fruity wines of the Mâconnais are well suited to spicier food such as Indian or Chinese.

To answer the perennial question ‘when to drink?’, one must leave it to personal preference, and many inexpensive white Burgundies drink well on release.

The best of the premier cru wines, however, need some time to digest the oak used in their ageing, and warrant up to a decade of cellaring, while the top grand cru whites can easily age for 50 years.

Once you know the ‘who, what, where, and when’ of Burgundy, you won’t need any help deciding ‘why’, since these wines are among the most enjoyable whites produced anywhere.

Your White Burgundy starter pack

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The first time I tried Gamay, I was 22 and on the cusp of some awakening that would eventually lead me to a career in wine.

Up until that point, my experience drinking wine – and especially red wine – was probably a familiar one to many: full-bodied expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon opened regardless of the season.

Dinners paired, however inappropriately, with bottles from Rioja and Bordeaux and the occasional Chianti, inspired by a trip I took with my family to Tuscany when I was a kid.

So to experience a wine that was delicate and bursting with fruit, whose tannins and acidity worked in perfect harmony, was to open an entire world I didn’t know existed.

Wine professionals and enthusiasts alike often talk about their ‘gateway bottles’ – the first wine they ever enjoyed which revealed with stark clarity the possibilities of what wine could be.

A Beaujolais 2020 from Domaine de la Prébende was my first experience drinking a lighter-bodied, bright and juicy red, and it set me down a path of looking for wines that ignited this same sense of wonder.

The juicy holy grail

Nothing has delivered quite like the elusive, though increasingly popular, Pineau d’Aunis, whose exciting renaissance has not only deepened my enjoyment of wine, but kindled a sense of curiosity for its craft and history.

Pineau d’Aunis, a red grape thought to be native to the Loire, was once very popular across this region, especially during the 13th century when it was purportedly a favourite of England’s King Henry III, who had the wines shipped across the Channel.

But like most European grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was heavily impacted by the phylloxera outbreak that swept through France and across Europe in the late 19th century.

Finicky and susceptible to some diseases, it was gradually replaced by the more celebrated (and easier to handle) Cabernet Franc.

Though never entirely lost, Pineau d’Aunis plantings dwindled significantly over the 20th century, reaching their lowest point in the 1970s before the start of its recent revival.

Pineau ascendent

Leading this renaissance were producers like Jean-Pierre Robinot (Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin), Thierry Puzelat (Clos du Tue-Boeuf) and Eric Nicolas (Domaine de Bellivière).

Nicolas has worked with massal cuttings from 100-year-old vines to repopulate Pineau d’Aunis across his vineyard, which he uses in one of the domaine’s signature cuvées, Hommage à Louis Derré, a personal favourite of mine.

Louis Dressner, one of the largest importers of natural wine in the US, has been working with these producers, and more, over the last 20 years, playing an influential role in the rise of Pineau d’Aunis in bars and on shelves across the country. (That being said, it’s one of few grapes on their website which doesn’t have its own designated sorting feature).

Jules Dressner, of the company’s second generation, credits this with the increasing demand for Loire wines generally.

‘There used to be a time when this was an underdog grape in an underdog region,’ he says, ‘but the Loire has legitimised itself as a very important place in France, and so you have more people paying more attention to the region generally and therefore the indigenous varieties it gives us.’

The problem with Pineau d’Aunis, he argues, is that it’s often overlooked and even somewhat polarising. ‘It's much more than a light-drinking red grape.

It's rustic, but charming and complex. The kind of grape that you can turn your brain either on or off too, that can really make you think – if you let it,’ he says.

A moveable feast

And it’s true, each bottle of Pineau d’Aunis I’ve tried has given me something new to chew on: bright and juicy expressions of red fruits like strawberries, raspberries and sour cherries, grounded in an earthy savouriness with notes of white pepper and brine, that balance out its brighter elements.

As the seasons change, I find myself once again turning to wines that are not only fresh and light, but that mark some greater awakening which spring always seems to set in motion.

The following wines capture just that.

Six wines to make you fall in love with Pineau d'Aunis:

Domaine de Bellivière, Hommage à Louis Derré, Coteaux du Loir

One of the domaine’s most elusive cuvées made from its signature variety, this comes from 1ha of 90-110-year-old Pineau d'Aunis grown on heavy clay and silex soils over limestone, across eight tiny parcels.

Sour plum, blackberry and redcurrant aromas are intricately woven with undertones of warm spice like anise and peppercorn and an earthy quality of wet moss and leaves.

Perfectly structured, its tannins are notable yet refined, covering a silky palate that gives the wine fabulous length and elegance.

Clos du Tue-Boeuf, Pineau d’Aunis, Vin de France

One of the earliest bottles of Pineau d’Aunis I tried, this is the kind of wine that lingers well beyond the last sip. In the glass it’s ruby-hued and translucent when held up to the light.

Clos du Tue-Boeuf was established by Thierry Puzelat, who has worked with Pineau d’Aunis for a long time.

This cuvée, however, was first released in 2015 with fruit sourced in small quantities from his neighbouring grower, Valérie Forgues, who organically tends and hand harvests 100-year-old vines.

Aged for six months in old barrels and bottled with zero added sulphur, this wine has a lip-smacking acidity reminiscent of blood orange or cranberry juice, finishing with notes of Castelvetrano olive and a peppery bite like fresh rocket.

Jean-Pierre Robinot, Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin Le Regard, Vin de France

Quintessential Loire freshness and unmistakably Robinot, this wine is zippy, bright and expressive, with a slight effervescence.

Whole-bunch fermentation for three weeks and 15 months of maturation in barrel gives the wine delicate tannins without sacrificing its brightness or high acidity.

Vibrant notes of cranberry and pomegranate on the palate work in harmony with salty and faintly grassy aromas on the nose.

It has a metallic, iron-rich finish, a touch of white pepper and an uncompromising savouriness which begs to be thoughtfully considered.

Domaine de la Roche Bleue, La Belle d'Aunis, Vin de France

Described by winemaker Sébastien Cornille as ‘a thinker, a ponderer, a brilliant wine,’ this cuvée reaches depths Pineau d’Aunis is seldom thought to achieve.

The grapes are harvested from vines that are over 50 years old, planted in the clay-rich soils of Marçon and Chahaignes.

After two to three weeks of semi-carbonic maceration in foudres, depending on the vintage, the wine is gently pressed, then aged for 12 months in barrel.

The result preserves the delicacy and purity of the fruit – think blackcurrant liqueur and raspberry preserve – while layering in warm spice notes of coriander seed and star anise.

Surprisingly robust, it pairs beautifully with a range of dishes like lamb and spring vegetables.

La Grapperie, Adonis Pineau d'Aunis, Vin de France

La Grapperie makes wine from just two varieties: Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis.

This cuvée, made purely of the latter, uses grapes from a blend of young and old vines planted across the Coteaux du Loir – one of the region’s overlooked terroirs.

But winemaker Renaud Guettier is helping to breathe new life into the area and creating new excitement around the grape.

Here, he balances the natural character of Pineau d’Aunis with the limestone-rich slopes he farms.

The wine shows a harmony of soft earth and spicy minerality, with notes of red raspberry, wild strawberry and cracked pepper.

Striking a balance between brightness and structure, it’s a wine that speaks for itself, but is just as at home shared over a table of meats and cheeses.

Domaine le Briseau, Patapon, Vin de France

Produced within the Coteaux du Loir appellation, this cuvée has been intentionally declassified as Vin de France by the winemaker, self-prescribed as 'unconforming'.

The medium-bodied palate defies expectations for a grape often assumed to be simply light and juicy.

The nose is heavily perfumed with aromas of strawberry compote, violets and red cherries, as well as subtle hints of black pepper and damp earth.

On the palate, it’s juicy with mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins, and flavours of tart red fruit, a touch of chocolate and a mineral-driven finish.

The clown on the label serves as both a warning and an invitation: this is a mischievous wine, youthfully spirited.

But hiding behind that veil is something much bolder, more serious, and more thoughtful.

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Andy Howard MW, Beatrice Bessi and Robert Mathias tasted 137 wines, with 16 Highly recommended and 80 Recommended

Right Bank Bordeaux: Panel tasting scores

137 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 16

Recommended 80

Commended 41

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release red grand vin from Lussac St-Emilion, Puisseguin St-Emilion, Montagne St-Emilion, St-Georges St-Emilion, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac, Côtes de Bourg, Blaye, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux or Côtes de Bordeaux (APs St-Emilion and Pomerol were not included)

A patchwork quilt of value wines

Although no wines were rated Outstanding (95 points and above), there was still much to enjoy in this tasting.

A wide range of appellations were tasted, generating 16 Highly recommended wines (90-94pts) from eight different appellationss.

APs ranged from those on the opposite side of the Gironde to the Haut-Médoc (Côtes de Bourg, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux); Fronsac and Lalande-de-Pomerol (west and north of Libourne); the St-Emilion ‘satellites’ of Lussac, Puisseguin, Montagne and St-Georges; plus the Castillon, Francs and Sainte Foy Côtes de Bordeaux appellations further east.

The ‘satellite’ APs performed strongly, accounting for 10 of the 16 Highly recommendeds.

Bordeaux continues to offer a unique package for wine drinkers, combining (at the less-exalted level) attractive pricing, capacity to both drink well in youth and age, and a fresh, medium-alcohol style in tune with current trends.

Many of these qualities were on show in these wines.

2023 finds favour

Robert Mathias MW saw plenty of positives: ‘There was a lot of approachability in the recent vintages, and charm in many of the wines. The satellite APs are a good hunting ground for early-drinking, easygoing reds.’

Beatrice Bessi felt there were ‘very pleasant discoveries in Blaye, Castillon, Lussac, Puisseguin and Montagne’.

Merlot (unsurprisingly) dominated the blends in these Right Bank wines and was generally handled well, with subtle, restrained oak (when used).

Château Coucy’s Origines (Montagne) also stood out as a single-varietal Cabernet Franc aged for 11-12 months in amphora.

Considering vintages, Bessi was most impressed by the 2023s, while Mathias noted that in 2022 there were some wines ‘where you saw younger vines and poorer terroirs resulting in some vines being blocked due to the drought’.

However, Mathias concluded: ‘The best wines stood out for their freshness, completeness and energy. While they didn’t reach the heights of more famous APs, they’re still to be commended.'

See all notes and scores from the Right Bank Bordeaux tasting

The judges

Right Bank Bordeaux panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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One hot summer day in early September 2021, I was helping Early Mountain Vineyards with the harvest.

We were processing Petit Manseng grapes and winemaker Ben Jordan wanted to show me something he and assistant winemaker Maya Hood White were working on.

He walked up to an old shipping container and opened the large heavy doors. Inside were mats and tables, with more Petit Manseng lined up on the mats.

I had read about this in my wine studies. In Italy, it is known as ‘appassimento’ where grapes are picked early to maintain their acidity, then dried ventilated rooms to concentrate the sugars.

I had never seen it done in Virginia, but Petit Manseng’s naturally high acidity made this an interesting experiment.

Innovations like these are common at Early Mountain. Today, they have an award-winning method known as ‘perpetual lees stirring’.

This was a creation of Maya Hood White, now the head winemaker at the winery.

The winery has one barrel, known as the ‘perpetual lees barrel’, which was started in 2017. The lees, spent yeast cells from fermentation, remain in the barrel every year.

Using the lees impacts more depth and savoury complexity to the younger wines. As of 2026, there are nine total vintages in the barrel. And the team has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

‘I want to be doing this for 100 years. We’re actually starting another perpetual programme to build on the volume’, said Jon Ruel, President of Early Mountain.

‘The cells are constantly breaking down and regenerating, so you don't know exactly how much of any one vintage is in there, but it gives the wine a unique personality,’ added Hood White.

While they were not the first winery to bring the grape to the state, they are a pivotal part of the grape’s position among white varieties.

Early success with Petit Manseng

Petit Manseng was first planted in Virginia by Dr. Tony Wolf of Virginia Tech University in 1987.

Dennis Horton of Horton Vineyards planted the grape just two years later in 1989 after working with wine consultant Alan Kinne. The grape thrived almost immediately.

Shannon Horton, the daughter of Dennis and current general manager of the winery, explained: ‘Alan said: “It has thick skins, loose clusters. We need that for humidity. It's like a natural rot repellent.” And Dad [Dennis] said: "Okay, let's put it in”.’

Horton eventually won the renowned Virginia Governor’s Cup in 2019 for its Petit Manseng, a rare win for a white wine.

Though Horton was technically the first winery to plant the grape, Shannon credits Virginia wine pioneer Michael Shaps for the inspiration behind their dry expression of the wine.

Shaps recalled: ‘Horton was doing the off-dry style, I took it to dry, and then Early Mountain really honed in on promoting that and featuring it.

'Early Mountain developed its Petit Manseng after making it here at my facility. It’s been fantastic to see the industry evolve over my 32 years here.’

Today, more than 179 acres (72 hectares) of Petit Manseng are planted across the state.

It is the second most planted white grape, and the third-highest planting of the grape worldwide.

The case for Petit Manseng as Virginia’s signature grape

Early Mountain took the baton for Petit Manseng from Horton and Shaps at its inception.

The winery has since become a symbol for why the grape could be a signature for the state.

Everyone starts with excitement for Petit Manseng as a near-perfect match for the climate here.

‘The looser clusters, thicker skins, its natural resistance to disease, along with the ability to maintain acidity in a region with warm nights is viticulturally compelling,’ noted Early Mountain's Ruel.

Horton added: ‘The other thing about the grape that makes it built for Virginia weather is that it can take rain and not change its chemistry. It will hold its sugars, it will hold its acid. It’s a very resilient variety for our climate.’

Since then, wineries have recognised the grape as a clear favourite. More than 60 wineries, nearly 20% of all wineries in the state, have Petit Manseng available.

In the most recent Governor’s Cup , the 34 bottles of Petit Manseng received medals.

The state remains focused on the customer as well. The team at Early Mountain discussed how customers are often looking for new interesting wines, and Petit Manseng is perfect for that.

Shaps also discussed the tasting room experience and how it is the primary selling mechanism for the state, no matter what grape we are focused on.

Newcomers in the state have also taken up the grape’s cause. Woodbrook Farm Vineyard planted its first vines in 2022 and was recognised in this year’s Governor’s Cup case for its 2024 Petit Manseng.

Novella Wines, a low-intervention label based in Monticello, kicked off its brand with a 100% Petit Manseng.

These wineries prove that Petit Manseng is no longer a successful experiment but a way to express Virginia’s voice in the industry.

Virginia Petit Manseng: 7 to try

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No one is sure what to call it, but everyone’s favourite grape in Central Europe can be appetisingly fresh and fruity, or richer, layered and complex – either way, the best wines are utterly delicious.

Today, producers across several countries are showing that it’s both incredibly versatile and well worth another taste – even if it does hide its light under a bewildering array of names.

It grows as Graševina in Croatia; Grašac or Rizling Italijanski in Serbia; Olaszrizling in Hungary; Riesling Italian (often just Riesling) in Romania; Riesling Italico in Italy (mainly in Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy); Welschriesling in Austria; Laški Rizling or Grašica in Slovenia; Rizling Vlašský in Slovakia and Ryzlink Vlašský in Czechia.

It takes number one spot for vineyard area in Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, but perhaps most surprisingly, it covers 3,000ha to 4,000ha in China, where it first arrived when an Austro-Hungarian consul was invited to be a winemaker in 1892 (its Chinese name 贵人香 means ‘noble fragrance’); there’s even some in Brazil.

No one is even sure where the grape originally comes from. One parent is a rare Italian grape called Coccalona Nera – the other remains unknown.

And some names either explicitly reference or imply an Italian connection – Olasz, Laski, Vlašský and Welsch all mean ‘Italian’ in their respective languages.*

So Italy may be the origin, although it wasn’t recorded there until the mid-1800s.

*Editor's note – Welsch/Welsh/Walloon/Vlach/Vlašský etc. are also cognate with the proto-Germanic 'Walhaz' meaning Roman/Romance-language speaker, later 'foreigner' or simply 'Italian'. Welschriesling's presence in the Illyrian border areas of the Roman Empire in contact with Germanic tribes may hint at a possible etymological origin.

A possible homeland

One twist in the unravelling of its origins comes from Serbia, where the grape (under the name Graschaz) appeared in an 1816 book called Soveršen Vinodelac (‘The Perfect Winemaker’) by Prokopije Bolić, the archimandrite, or head monk, of the Rakovac monastery on Fruška Gora mountain.

Even more important was the discovery of the world’s second-oldest grapevine herbarium in Sremski Karlovci grammar school in northern Serbia, and the only one with actual pressed grapes.

In 2017, researcher Dr Milica Rat uncovered some dusty, forgotten boxes with 75 samples of grapevine material, collected in around 1812-1824 on Fruška Gora – including a sample of Graschaz.

This gives Serbia current bragging rights as its most historic origin.

In many guises

The precise origin of the grape variety matters less than the fact that it has been widely adopted around the Danube basin.

It’s easy to grow and can be a generous yielder, which suited the previous, quantity-not-quality era, when it was often consumed daily from litre bottles and in spritzers (Hungarians in particular take spritzers seriously – always Olaszrizling).

But it’s now proving that it has much more to offer, culminating in a DWWA 2023 Best in Show award for Vinarija Vinčić’s Grašac 2020 from Serbia, an unoaked version from 50-year-old vines.

The names that mention ‘Riesling’ or ‘Rizling’ are confusing because the variety is unrelated to Rhine Riesling and doesn’t taste similar to it – typically with a softer, rounder texture, but also appetising freshness.

Young versions can be light and fruity, with bright acidity and notes of lemon, green apple, white flowers, sometimes green herbs, and a mineral, grapefruit pith finish.

Or, it can be profound and complex, with ripe apple, poached pear, lemon zest, pineapple, quince and sometimes honey and marzipan, especially from old vines and low yields.

At the same time, it can also suit sparkling wines (a handful in Central Europe and even in Brazil), as well as some stunning skin-contact wines and the occasional, delicious, botrytis sweet wine.

Like many great grapes, it’s also capable of reflecting terroir; a fact supported by a recent study that found different levels of certain aromatic compounds in grapes from different regions.

Sadly, it’s only slowly regaining consumer recognition, though a competition called GROW du Monde ('GR' from Graševina/Grašac, 'O' from Olaszrizling and 'W' from Welschriesling), founded by three friends from Croatia, Serbia and Hungary, aims to unify its identity and rebuild awareness.

Time for some GROW in your glass?

Gilby’s pick: Six white Welschriesling from across Europe

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The glistening waters of Dalmatia’s Adriatic coast attract millions of tourists every year.

Some come for the sea air, others to experience the region’s ancient history and, of course, some are drawn by the spectacular backdrop to Game of Thrones.

But perhaps the most enjoyable and relaxed way to explore Dalmatia is through its high-quality wines and unique grape varieties.

With over 5,500 hectares of vineyards, there is plenty to explore. The grape names may not be household names (yet) but varieties like Plavac Mali, Tribidag, Pošip, Maraština and Debit will take you on a journey from north to south – and even island hopping – across this wonderful region.

Carved from Stone

Just a few kilometres from the town of Primošten, around an hour’s drive west of Split along the coast, Bukovac is an extraordinary vineyard area covering just 18.4 hectares.

Vines are carved into the rocky terrain, painstakingly excavated and transformed entirely by hand.

The grape grown here is Babić, a red variety planted in a mosaic-like pattern across tiny square plots bordered by low stone walls.

This honeycomb or lace-like pattern creates a striking impression: a moon-like landscape criss-crossing a small slope that cascades towards the Adriatic Sea.

And the wines are well worth the visit. Red cherry fruits and Mediterranean herbs combine to produce structured and mineral reds.

Go fishing

Have you ever thought about fishing in a vineyard?

Away from the coast in the area around Vrgorac, the Gašpar wines are grown in a valley close to one of Dalmatia’s largest mountains, Biokovo.

The soils are very white, a result of the lake that used to be here until it was drained to allow for the construction of a tunnel in 1938.

Now planted with vines, the valley is flooded for more than three months a year, sometimes more.

The waters recede each year in time for the growing season, leaving behind reserves of wines that help the Plavka (Plavina) vines.

In the meantime, producers like Gašpar, whose vineyards are planted in this very unusual site, profit from the temporary lake by setting up nets and catching catfish!

Island hopping

No trip to Dalmatia is complete without some island hopping in the sun. But why not explore the vineyards of islands such as Brač, Hvar and Korčula?

While the islands share the salty influence of the sea and limestone soils, each has its own character defined by distinctive landscapes.

If you like hiking, you could climb the higher-altitude vineyards of Brač, grown on dramatic white karst and rock.

But if you’re looking for richer, bolder wine styles, perhaps Hvar is more your pace with its sunshine, heat and red terra rossa soils.

Korčula, meanwhile, will appeal to those looking for a greener escape, thanks to its cooler, sheltered coastal vineyards and the hilly terrain of its interior.

Why not make your next journey to Croatia a vinous escape?

Pack your walking shoes – perhaps even some wellies – and venture off the beaten track in Dalmatia.

The Dalmatia grape expedition – 10 wines to try

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Known collectively as Alto Piemonte, there are seven small areas in the foothills of the Italian Alps producing wines which are little known outside of the local area – Piedmont's ‘other’ Nebbiolo.

Once upon a time, Alto Piemonte was destination #1 for Nebbiolo, but the majority of the vines were grubbed up as its popularity waned in favour of Barolo and Barbaresco.

Comprising seven localities – Boca, Bramaterra, Faro, Gattinara, Ghemme, Lessona and Sizzano – today's Alto Piemonte wines are made on a scale that makes even the smallest wineries in the Langhe seem Bordeaux-like in comparison.

‘In Alto Piemonte, we lost a lot of vineyards in the last 50 years,’ says Mattia Antoniotti of the Antoniotti Odilio winery in Bramaterra.

How Alto Piemonte differs to the Langhe

Located on the northern border of the Piedmont region, the Nebbiolos of Alto Piemonte produce a significantly different style to the big hitters further south, tending towards redder fruits and less tannic structure, making for approachable – if occasionally ‘rustic’ – reds.

Conditions have warmed sufficiently in recent years, bringing the Nebbiolos from the marginal Alto Piemonte climate into the conversation alongside the best the region has to offer. As if to hammer home the point, two of the Langhe's top wineries have expanded into the area: Conterno (with Nervi Conterno), and Paitin (with Bianchi).

Below you'll find five recommendations, selected for value and drinkability.

Alto Piemonte: Five to try

Chardonnay is firmly established as the world’s most popular white wine, but it faced an existential crisis in the 2000s.

First, wine lovers started to revolt against the heavily oaked, buttery, high-alcohol Chardonnay that was coming out of Australia and California. The ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) backlash gathered pace, and many drinkers switched to Italian Pinot Grigio or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Then came the 2008 financial crisis, which ravaged the global economy. Wine consumption fell sharply, leaving Chardonnay producers facing an uncertain future.

That’s when Rick Bakas, a social media pioneer within the wine trade, created International Chardonnay Day. The idea was to boost sales and to push back against the ABC trend.

Why is International Chardonnay Day in May?

Bakas chose to host the annual celebration on the Thursday before Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of the American summer. It’s a public holiday in the US, so International Chardonnay Day coincides with a long weekend, which often features outdoor parties.

The event proved remarkably successful. It paved the way for #CabernetDay later that year, and the format has been widely copied ever since.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring Chardonnays

Chardonnay's spiritual home

Chardonnay is now back in fashion, and it’s easily the world’s bestselling white wine. A new generation of producers in Australia, California and South Africa has embraced restraint, creating leaner wines that display greater elegance and balance.

Yet Burgundy remains Chardonnay’s spiritual home. The grape takes its name from a tiny village in the Mâconnais region of southern Burgundy, where it originated.

Burgundy produces everything from the lean, steely whites of Chablis to the rich wines of the Côte de Beaune, including Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. These are widely regarded as the world’s finest white wines, but some New World producers give their Burgundian counterparts a run for their money.

Chardonnay is also one of the three grapes permitted in Champagne, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It’s the only grape used in Blanc de Blancs Champagne, producing some of the most elegant sparkling wines in the world.

Whether you prefer a bold, oaky white from California, a crisp glass of Chablis or a Blanc de Blancs Champagne, International Chardonnay Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate this iconic grape.

Must-try Chardonnays: 15 top international picks from DWWA 2025

Argentina

Bemberg Estate Wines, El Tomillo Estate La Linterna, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2023
Platinum, 97 points
Exhibiting striking Gualtallary character with luminous pear, apple and lime fruit which cascades bounteously over a flinty, wet stone mineral core. Alert and intense with a fine bead of succulent acidity and a very long, stylish finish. Alcohol 13.5%

Australia

Wirra Wirra, The 12th Man Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2024
Best in Show, 97 points
Adelaide Hills Chardonnay has made five appearances in our Best in Show selection, one more than Western Australia’s Margaret River has notched up; these are clearly landmark regions not just in national but also global terms for Chardonnay-lovers. The struck-match note so prized in Australia is apparent here – but subtly so; look out for a sweetly leafy charm, too, and a soft creaminess from finely judged barrel-fermentation. It hasn’t had long in bottle yet, so its aromatic harmony and seamlessness was another factor in seducing our panels. You could call it mouthfilling in terms of texture and flavour expression but relatively delicate and light on its feet, by contrast, in terms of weight and alcohol charge. These vineyards are indeed ‘up in the Hills’, remember, where ripeness is neither assured nor rapid. The wine’s grain and finesse reflect a full season on the vine – and its producer’s careful harvesting and handling techniques. Alc 12.5%

Brokenwood, Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay, Beechworth, Victoria 2023
Platinum, 97 points
Extraordinary layers of salted lime curd, peanut brittle and green apples brim under the nose and weave into the fresh, buttery texture. Pristine and focused with rippling herbs and flinty notes that glide towards the finish line. Alc 12.5%

Deep Woods Estate, Reserve Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia 2023
Platinum, 97 points
The epitome of style and finesse, tremoring with white blossom, lemon sherbet, red apple and gently toasted oak and chiselled by a flinty mineral backbone and zesty seam of bright acidity. Very long and precise. Alc 13%

France

Jean-Marc Brocard, Bougros, Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy 2023
Best in Show, 97 points
Our third outing for a Chablis Grand Cru in our Best in Show selection, but it’s the first for a vintage in the 2020s, and the first for a Bougros, too (our previous picks have come from Valmur and Les Clos). The Co-Chairs remarked on the relative generosity of style of this 2023 example, but that’s almost a truism for the Grands Crus today; what marked this wine out from its peers was the fact that the beloved ‘sour’ note to the fruit (praised by Hugh Johnson fifty years ago) is still clearly apparent here, as is the textural depth and interest that marks out all the best Chablis, whether from Premier or Grand Cru sites. A classic, then – but also a welcoming Grand Cru Chablis, one with a wide smile. It has as much deliciousness as it does finesse, and this is a vintage best enjoyed before too long rather than stowed away for your children. Alc 13%

Château De La Crée, Les Gravières, Santenay 1er Cru, Burgundy 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Heavenly butterscotch on toast amplified by a swell of delectable ripe stone fruit and graceful white flowers. Generous and structured with a supple texture and nourishing acidity which flows through to the long, savoury finish. Alc 13%

Domaine Prieur-Brunet, La Maladière, Santenay 1er Cru, Burgundy 2022
Platinum, 97 points
A luxurious array of plump stone fruit, juicy pear and a scattering of salt flakes diffuses over the plush vanilla oak core and radiates through the delightful lime peel acidity. Brimming with charisma and fervour. Alc 13%

Boyer Martenot, En L'ormeau, Meursault, Burgundy 2022
Gold 96, points
Distinguished layers of cedar, hazelnut and white plum flesh lavish the palate and melt into the ethereal freshness of acidity. Savoury and moreish on the finish. Alc 13%

Domaine Du Chardonnay, Paradis, Chablis, Burgundy 2021
Gold, 96 points
Glowing with ripe lemon fruit with an underscore of briny purity which sails across the vivid vein of acidity and onto the mouth-filling, creamy yoghurt texture. Alc 12.5%

Maison Champy, Pernand Vergelesses En Caradeux, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru, Burgundy 2022
Gold, 96 points
Gorgeous melon and peach, honey and toast aromas with a decadence of crushed stones and lemon peel to enliven. Rich and generous with a crunchy green apple acidity. Alc 13.5%

Anne De Joyeuse, Very Chardonnay, IGP Haute Vallée de l'Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon 2024
Gold, 95 points
Scrumptious notes of peach, pear and candied lemon bond with the vanilla pastry creaminess that unfolds over the palate. Long and splendid with a verbena finish. Alc 13%

Italy

Cantina Kurtatsch, Freienfeld Chardonnay, Alto Adige / Südtirol Riserva, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Spectacular nutmeg, vanilla and Crème Brûlée characters pervaded with flashes of zesty citrus peel and fresh cut grass. Honeyed and rich on the palate with an intense mineral backbone and lithe acidity. Oozing poise and charisma. Alc 14%

South Africa

De Grendel, Op Die Berg Chardonnay Ceres Plateau 2024
Gold, 96 points
Vibrant crushed rocks, flint and chalk pierce through fresh citrus, apple and apricot flavours, with a nervy acidity and appetising texture to lift the finish. Alc 13.5%

Thamnus Wines, Chardonnay, Overberg 2022
Gold, 96 points
A banquet of sumptuous fruit: mangoes, melons, peaches, nectarines and citrus ripple over the mouth-wateringly juicy texture, invigorated by a flinty, mineral grip. Seamless and effortless. Alc 13.5%

United States

Cupere, Faces, Sonoma Coast, California 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Stand-out charry oak, rich ripe yellow pear and apple fruit bedeck this gorgeously creamy, sleek Chardonnay which oozes panache and charm. Utterly delicious with its youthful bright acidity, finely-tuned texture and candied citrus finish which lasts and lasts. Alc 13.2%

Search all DWWA 2025 results

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Natalie Earl, Heather Dougherty and Wieteke Teppema tasted 65 wines, with 3 Outstanding and 31 Highly recommended

Picpoul de Pinet: Panel tasting scores

65 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 31

Recommended 17

Commended 14

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their white wines from the Picpoul de Pinet AP in Languedoc, of any style, including latest releases, older vintages and Patience cuvées

Patience a virtue?

This positive tasting offered some surprises and good scores, revealing a category on the move, with more diversity than you might expect from the UK’s favourite pub wine.

Picpoul de Pinet’s dependable (albeit rather homogenous) image has helped sales soar, enabling the wines to become a bottle shop and restaurant staple – especially in its largest export market, the UK, which accounted for more than 55% of its total exports of 9.14m bottles in 2025 (source: French customs, via CIVL).

Both Heather Dougherty and Wieteke Teppema were expecting consistency and a certain uniformity of style: fresh, citrussy and saline. But does this still represent Picpoul de Pinet’s calling card?

In 2018, the appellation introduced ‘Patience’: richer wines with more ageing potential.

Later picking leads to riper fruit, often from older vines; wines are aged for at least six months, often on the lees.

There were some impressive examples here, but others weren’t quite fresh enough to counter their exuberance.

No doubt this new style has opened a discussion around what Piquepoul Blanc – the appellation’s sole permitted variety – is capable of, giving producers license and confidence to be more creative.

So much so that Dougherty noted ‘a blurring of the lines, with extended lees ageing and intensity of flavour found in both Patience styles and regular bottlings’.

'Producers are taking vineyard health and healthy grapes seriously'

Most 2025s hadn’t yet been bottled, so there were 43 wines from the 2024 vintage, against 18 from 2025.

Seven of the 2025s scored below 86pts (the cutoff for Commended), and six had a pink tinge, possibly due to sunburnt grapes following two big heatwaves in August 2025.

Other 2025s were bright and zingy, however.

Despite vintage-specific issues, quality keeps improving and Teppema observed: ‘Most were certified Haute Valeur Environnementale or organic. Producers are taking vineyard health and healthy grapes seriously, helping to raise the overall quality of the wines.’

The three top-scoring wines offer different flavour and texture experiences.

Although a move away from a singular style across the appellation risks confusing consumers, most wines still show the trademark marine character, meaning consumers can still buy confidently at accessible price points.

See all notes and scores from the Picpoul de Pinet tasting

The judges

Picpoul de Pinet panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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Sonoma County is huge - more than 4,000km2, stretching from the Pacific coast to the mountains. It’s twice the size of its next-door neighbour Napa Valley, and larger than the state of Rhode Island.

You would think that such a wide geographical range would translate into diversity in its wines. And it does.

Yet the conversation about Chardonnay here keeps recycling the same two talking points: the buttery-oaky California stereotype and austere, overly restrained wines.

Ironically, given this duopoly of opinion, Chardonnay is considered by winemakers to be a ‘blank canvas’ – malleable enough to be shaped in the cellar, but capable of deeply expressing terroir.

A Chardonnay that tastes saline and sharp on the West Sonoma Coast turns richer and rounder 15km inland in Russian River.

Mountain sites add structure due to the elevation and tension from rocky soils, while wines from San Pablo Bay-cooled Los Carneros tend toward softer textures and freshness.

With more than 20 sub-appellations in the county, that’s not even close to the full picture.

Listening to the terroir

But expressing such a range hasn’t always been the focus. ‘There’s been a shift in the last 10 years,’ says Kristina Shideler, winemaker at Stonestreet Wines in Healdsburg.

The change isn’t just technical – less oak, lower alcohol, more restraint – it’s philosophical.

‘There is now a willingness among Sonoma County producers to let their sites dictate the style,’ says Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards.

This meaningful change has brought a sharper focus on single vineyards, the incredible diversity of the region’s soils and farming practices that are more attuned to the land.

‘We have more soil types than all of France, plus an extreme variety of microclimates,’ says Hirsch.

Has the message broken through? ‘I still hear people say, “I don’t like California Chardonnay, but I like yours”,’ Hirsch admits.

Even if some of the stigma lingers, Sonoma’s diversity has never been clearer. And the wines have never tasted better.

Shideler is confident: ‘Get over everything that you think about Sonoma Chardonnay. We’re in a new wave.’

Sonoma Chardonnay: 20 top picks to explore today

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If one vintage could make the case for drinking Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, 2024 would be it.

An exceptional season that delivered perfect fruit ripeness without sacrificing the region’s signature natural acidity, 2024 will already be in the cellars of those who know – and for those who don’t, the quality-to-price ratio alone should be temptation enough…

Though best be quick.

‘It was an incredible harvest from a quality point of view,’ says viticulture consultant Ollie Powrie, ‘but tempered by the fact that yields were so low.’

This was a legacy of disrupted flowering and, many suspect, a delayed vine response to the extreme conditions of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.

Matt Kirby, chief winemaker at Clearview Estate, draws a comparison that will please collectors.

‘2024 reminded me of 2021 – smaller crops, but great brightness and intensity,’ he says. Phil Brodie, senior winemaker at Te Mata Estate, concurs, placing 2024 alongside the excellent 2021, 2014 and 2007 vintages.

‘All rich wines with focusing acidity that gives tension, energy and the ability to age gracefully,’ he explains.

With two further excellent vintages following immediately on its heels, there has rarely been a better time for wine drinkers to pay attention.

Evolving quality

The 2024 successes are really the culmination of a longer story. Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay quickly shed its early opulent, golden, heavily oaked incarnations to establish itself as a region capable of consistently delivering fresh, texturally complex, ageworthy wines.

The shift reflects both evolving winemaking philosophies and deeper understanding of the region’s remarkably diverse terroir; the legacy of four major river systems that criss-cross its subregions.

Given its relatively compact size, Hawke’s Bay’s terroir and climatic variations are notable, elongating the Chardonnay harvest across a couple of months. The variety accounts for 1,034ha of the region’s 4,574ha of vineyards.

Subregional styles

Of the main subregions, the Gimblett Gravels’ free-draining, heat-retaining riverbed soils tend to produce weightier, structured styles with yellow-flesh stone fruit generosity.

The nearby Bridge Pa Triangle, with heavier red clay-loam and slightly cooler conditions tends to be more textural, restrained and mineral.

Closer to the coast, the limestone/clay soils around Havelock North and Te Awanga provide chalky grip and savoury complexity, while cooler inland sites such as Mangatahi promote white-flesh stone fruit, citrus and silky textures.

Further south and inland, the cool, limestone hills of Central Hawke's Bay are just starting to be explored.

Many wines draw fruit from across the region but there are substantial, and increasing, numbers of single subregion and single vineyard bottlings.

If there is a common regional thread, it's a dense core of ripe peachy fruit and defined, juicy natural acidity.

Owning the Chardonnay story

In many ways Hawke's Bay is something of an anomaly in the New Zealand wine landscape, producing relatively little Sauvignon Blanc and only small amounts of Pinot Noir.

The sunny, dry maritime climate suits an impressively wide array of varieties, and is one of the few New Zealand regions that reliably delivers impressive Syrah and Bordeaux reds.

But Chardonnay is increasingly what the region is hanging its hat on, now hosting a semi-annual symposium dedicated to the grape.

Viticulturist and AONZ co-owner Steve Smith MW observes that the variety has always been a significant part of the story for most Hawkes Bay producers, where other varieties have come and gone.

But he adds: ‘Hawke’s Bay has not owned its Chardonnay story until now. I think it has taken a while for producers to realise that being able to do lots of things well is not a value proposition and Chardonnay can be something that we can do really well.’

Tony Bish, who has made Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay for over 40 years, and now makes only Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay at his eponymous urban winery, points out a further advantage.

‘You can consistently make really good Chardonnay; even in difficult years such as 2023, the wines still looked great, whereas the trickier years can really punish the reds.’

In the winery

Winemaking is typically hands-off, largely centred around whole-bunch pressing, high solids and indigenous yeasts, fermented and matured in French oak.

Increasingly older and larger formats of oak are being used, while concrete, clay and tank also abound.

Malolactic fermentation is a common temper for the region’s bright acidity, though it’s generally used with restraint.

It’s not often you see ‘buttery’ in a tasting note anymore. Even the strong reductive characters that were briefly fashionable have settled into a happier place of struck match and flint.

Chris Scott, chief winemaker of Church Road, believes: ‘Chardonnay, more so than any other variety in Hawke’s Bay, makes itself as long as you look after it in the vineyard.’

Delivering great value

The top wines have a proven track record for cellaring, with a sweet spot around a decade or so, where the primary citrus and stonefruit gives way to toasty, savoury complexity.

They remain considerably underpriced for the quality, particularly when compared to their white Burgundy peers, and top Chardonnays from the US and Australia.

As Brodie notes somewhat ruefully: ‘The best wines are so undervalued – great as a wine drinker, but tough as a producer.’

Despite growing positive critical attention, Hawke’s Bay is yet to enjoy the breakout moment that, say, Central Otago Pinot Noir has enjoyed.

But the 2024 vintage may just be the year that changes things…

Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay: 12 brilliant bottles to try

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It’s 2016. I’m waiting for a friend at a restaurant and start scanning the wine list.

Something catches my eye: a 2007 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains. It had almost 10 years on it.

But Bourgogne Passetoutgrains is a simple wine, I had been taught, the sort that didn’t age – it would be tired, surely?

Well, it wasn’t. That delicious bottle, from Domaine Michel Lafarge – one of Volnay’s leading names, has been lingering in my mind ever since.

Disloyal Gameez

Pinot Noir is the grape we associate with Burgundy today, but Gamay was once widely planted too.

It was famously banned in the region by Philip the Bold in the 14th century. The Duke issued a decree in 1395 ordering the ‘evil and disloyal plant’ to be torn from the ground.

But Gamay didn’t entirely disappear. While Pinot Noir would dominate the region’s vineyards, pockets of Gamay survived long beyond the 14th century – with a little over 2,000ha spread around the region today.

The Burgundians tend to look down their noses at Gamay – a grape they argue doesn’t have the finesse of Pinot Noir.

Gamay is the journeyman, Pinot Noir the champion fighter. When the INAO created Burgundy’s appellation system in 1937, they permitted Gamay to be used under just two appellations: Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire (replaced in 2011 by Coteaux Bourguignons, which can be a varietal Gamay or a blend) and Bourgogne Passetoutgrains.

Passetoutgrains (sometimes hyphenated as Passe-tout-grains, and sometimes spelt with a singular ‘grain’) translates roughly as ‘pass all grapes’ – a bung-it-all-in wine, traditionally from vineyards where different varieties were co-planted and harvested together.

At the bottom of the quality pyramid, with vines generally sitting on less desirable, lower-lying, clay-rich land, these were modest wines of little repute.

At a time when much Burgundy sits beyond the average wine-lover’s budget, however, Passetoutgrains deserves a re-appraisal.

Old wines reborn

Today, Passetoutgrains must legally contain a minimum of 30% Pinot Noir and 15% Gamay, although most wines are a 50-50 blend.

Older vineyards tend to be traditional field blends, with the Gamay and Pinot Noir interplanted, but modern plantings often separate the two varieties.

‘I am very keen on Passetoutgrains,’ says Guillaume d’Angerville – the aristocratic head of Domaine Marquis d’Angerville.

His father stopped producing the wine, but Guillaume re-introduced it and recently purchased an additional parcel to expand his holdings in the appellation.

This property may be best known for its monopole premier cru Clos des Ducs, but a glint in his eye appears when I ask him about its entry-level offering.

It is, he tells me, ‘unassuming’, ‘a wine for thirst’ – and one that he feels is important for the region. ‘Gamay brings the joy, the liveliness, to the seriousness of Pinot Noir,’ he says.

For Clothilde Lafarge (of Domaine Lafarge), the wine has a special place in her family’s history as the vineyard planted by her great-grandfather Henri Lafarge in 1928 and one of the first wines he bottled (alongside Clos des Chênes).

A traditional field blend, the vines are now approaching 100 years old – something Clothilde feels is key to the quality of their L’Exception bottling.

This vine age, alongside 18 months in barrel, lends more complexity and structure than you’d expect for such a simple appellation.

Similarly, for Jean-Louis Trapet, of Domaine Trapet, Passetoutgrains is an important part of their heritage: ‘It remains a living testimony of what Burgundy once was,’ he says.

A wine of the future?

With climate change, however, Gamay is not just part of Burgundy’s past – it could be key to its future.

It ripens more slowly and is more stable in the face of extreme conditions.

Romain Taupenot (of Domaine Taupenot-Merme) notes how lowly appellations have benefitted from global warming, now consistently ripening in a way that simply wasn’t the case 20-25 years ago.

‘I’m a big, big lover of Gamay,’ says Benoît Stehly, who is at the helm of Domaine Georges Lignier.

He explains how well-adapted the grape is to Burgundy’s modern climate – creating wines of freshness and energy.

Most importantly, he adds, Passetoutgrains offers ‘a friendly bottle at a friendly price’.

Beyond Burgundy

Producers beyond Burgundy are even echoing the style. In Hokkaido, Japan, cult winemaker Takahiko Soga (Domaine Takahiko) makes a Passetoutgrains that blends Pinot Noir and Zweigelt, while in Oregon and California, Sashi Moorman has experimented with Gamay for years.

For the entry-level Pinot Noir at Evening Land, he blends in around 10% Gamay – inspired in part by the tradition in Piedmont of blending a little Barbera with Nebbiolo.

It adds, he says, ‘a little playfulness,’ making the wine more charming – perfect for a style designed for everyday consumption.

Low yields are key, however, to producing high quality, he argues – especially in the naturally more generous Gamay.

I’m not here to tell you that Passetoutgrains can rival Echézeaux, Musigny or Chambertin: these wines will not offer the complexity of the grands crus.

But Passetoutgrains doesn’t come with that price tag, either. These are affordable, juicy wines – irresistible and moreish.

More than that, they offer a great introduction to a producer’s style – before you plump for something more special.

Don’t dismiss their deliciousness either, for when they’re made by a top producer – they’ve got a capacity to evolve that you might not expect.

Passetoutgrains

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Pinot Grigio is a light-bodied, refreshing white wine that has become synonymous with the summer. It’s widely enjoyed as an aperitif at garden parties, and it pairs well with light, seasonal food on hot days.

This inspired Cavit – a Trentino-based group that produces America’s best-selling Italian wine brand – to create National Pinot Grigio Day in 2017. The annual celebration takes place just before Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of summer in the United States.

The festivities have now spread well beyond America’s borders, as Pinot Grigio fans around the world open a bottle and toast this popular grape.

Scroll down to discover 15 award-winning Pinot Grigio wines from around the world

Same grape, two personalities

You may be surprised to learn that Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape. The Italian grigio and the French gris both translate to “grey”– a nod to the grape’s distinctive, greyish-blue skin. It’s a natural mutation of Pinot Noir, one of the world’s most prestigious red wine varieties.

Pinot Grigio is Italy’s flagship white wine. Producers in Trentino, Veneto and Friuli make clean, crisp wines with high acidity, bright citrus notes and a clean finish.

By contrast, Pinot Gris tends to be richer and more aromatic, with a fuller body and notes of ripe stone fruit, honey and a hint of spice. Pinot Gris thrives in the Alsace region of France, but it’s also flourishing in Oregon and New Zealand.

From Burgundy to the world

The grape originated in Burgundy, France. It was originally known as Fromenteau when it appeared in the Middle Ages.

By the 14^th century, the grape had spread to Switzerland, before eventually reaching Alsace and northern Italy. It had a niche following, but Pinot Grigio exploded in popularity during the second half of the 20^th century.

Italian producers began making light, easy-drinking whites that struck a chord with wine lovers around the world. Pinot Grigio is now the second most popular white wine variety in the US, and it’s also among the most popular wines in the UK, Canada, Australia and other large markets.

The grape flourishes in cool climates around the world, with around 115,000 hectares under vine on a global basis. Outside of Italy and France, the leading producers include Germany (where it’s known as Ruländer), Switzerland, the US, Australia and New Zealand, but it’s also grown everywhere from Argentina to Slovakia.

Whether you prefer a light, refreshing Pinot Grigio or a textured, complex Pinot Gris, you can raise a glass to this famous grape on May 17.

International Pinot Grigio Day: 15 to try

Canada

Unsworth Vineyards, Unsworth Vineyard Pinot Gris, Vancouver Island, British Columbia 2023
Silver, 91 points
White stone fruit blooms on the nose, with pear skin, stony depth. Palate carries textural interest, bright orchard apple. Zesty citrus edge. Alcohol 12.7%

France

Cave De Ribeauvillé, Vieilles Vignes Pinot Gris, Alsace 2023
Silver, 91 points
Fragrant lemon zest aromatics lead to a palate of yellow apple, honey, spice and a salty finish. Alc 14%

Vieil Armand, Organic Pinot Gris, Grand Cru Ollwiller, Alsace 2023
Silver, 91 points
Savoury nose, with hints of wet stone, ripe pear and peach, textured, supple palate of bruised apple. Alc 14%

Italy

St. Michael-Eppan, Sanct Valentin Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige / Südtirol, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 2022
Silver, 94 points
Ripe, round, and juicy with rich orchard fruit flavours, balanced saline-earthy notes and a slightly oaky character. Alc 14%

Cantina Kurtatsch, Penon Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige / Südtirol, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 2023
Silver, 93 points
Exotic and charming with full, juicy notes of baked pear, lemon skin, roasted almond and an energetic, sapid finish. Alc 13%

Vigne Del Malina, Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2019
Silver, 93 points
Intense and mature with rich notes of orchard fruit, toffee, dried flowers and smoke with a pleasant texture and balanced acidity. Alc 13.5%

Cabert, Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2024
Silver, 92 points
Full yet crisp with ripe, juicy notes of green apple, lemon, pineapple, mineral hints and a classy, fruity finish. Alc 12.5%

Cantina Valle Isarco, Aristos Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige Valle Isarco, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 2023
Silver, 92 points
Soft and elegant with honeyed notes of ripe apple, pear, a broad, smooth texture and sweet finish. Alc 13.5%

Cozzarolo, Pinot Grigio, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2024
Silver, 92 points
Rich, supple, and full-bodied with notes of candied pear, beeswax, lemon, herbal-smoky notes. Sweet with an elegant, harmonious finish. Alc 13.5%

New Zealand

McArthur Ridge, Falls Dam Pinot Gris, Alexandra Basin, Central Otago 2024
Gold, 95 points
Freshly cut pear and apple, orchard blossom and candied ginger notes gleam over the mineral baseline with a racy acidity and saline grip to end. Alc 14%

The Landing Wines, Pinot Gris, Northland 2024
Silver, 94 points
Wet wool, apple and maritime notes on the nose give way to a refreshing, well-focussed palate. Well made wine. Alc 13%

Saint Clair Family Estate, Vicar's Choice Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2024
Silver, 92 points
White florals with golden characters throughout, with crisp acidity supporting the residual sugar and green orchard fruit lending vibrancy. Alc 9.5%

Slovenia

Herga, Sivi Pinot, Štajerska Slovenija, Podravje 2024
Silver, 92 points
Zippy, fresh aromatics lead on to a savoury palate of spice and rich textured fruit. Alc 13%

United States

Alexana, Hillsides Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2024
Silver, 90 points
Lightly aromatic, with orchard florals and crisp pear leading to a palate of juicy apple, cantaloupe melon and a clean acidity. Alc 13.1%

United Kingdom

Chartham Vineyard, Pinot Gris, Kent, England 2023
Silver, 92 points
Impressive crisp, nectarine, Mirabelle plum, white tea and quince with light oat milk character. Poised, with pleasing natural acidity and a gentle finish. Alc 12.5%

Search all DWWA 2025 results

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The Trentino-Alto Adige region is composed of two distinct geographical and administrative entities: the bilingual Alto Adige/Süd Tirol of the province of Bolzano/Bozen to the north and the Trentino, which takes its name from the provincial capital of Trento, to the south.

Of the two, Alto Adige has undoubtedly gained the most visibility in recent years.

Trentino on the other hand, is known for its classy Trento DOC sparkling metodo classico, but to a large extent the still wines of the province have remained under the radar.

Camera obscura

One reason for this might be that Trentino presents itself to the outside world as a wine region with a certain lack of chiaroscuro.

Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay together account for more than half of the province’s 10,232 ha of vineyards.

Cooperatives make 85% of the wine, 75% of the production is covered by the catch-all Trentino DOC and a significant percentage of the rest is bottled under the even more generic Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT. (Trento Chamber of Commerce, 2022)

The statistics, however, do not tell the whole story.

Within the global DOC there is a mosaic of terroirs and site-specific wines, beside the commercial varieties there are native grapes of great interest and outside the cooperative movement, there is a dynamic artisan winemaking scene.

When you step off the beaten track, there is a whole world to be discovered.

The province of Trento stretches along the central valley of the Adige for roughly 75km, from the border with Alto Adige near Salurno/Salurn, to Veneto in the south, at the village of Borghetto.

To the west it takes in the valley of the Sarca which leads to the northern shore of Lake Garda, and to the east rises to the high peaks of the Dolomites.

Nuts for Nosiola

The first important growing area, moving south from the border with Alto Adige, lies on the left of the Adige, between Salurno and Trento and includes the villages of Faedo, Pressano, Lavis and Sorni.

This is the habitat of one of the Trentino’s most intriguing native varieties, the white Nosiola.

Not much is known about its origins, but it has a historic presence and these days grows almost exclusively in Trentino.

Production is tiny – Nosiola accounts for less than one percent of the vineyard area of the province – but producers on these sunny, gently rolling, glacial-alluvial hills grow it with conviction, making light, dry, tangy wines with subtle hazelnut aromas.

It is the most traditional of Trentino whites, but the style is very contemporary.

Mountainous Müller-Thurgau

Striking east from the Adige, takes you into the much more extreme growing environment of the Val di Cembra.

Dizzyingly terraced slopes supported by over 700 km of dry stone walls creep up to 900 metres in the narrow closed valley where the grainy porphyric soils and the dramatic diurnal temperature excursions give the whites an authentic mountain wine feel.

Chardonnay and Riesling grow here, but the variety of the Val di Cembra is Müller-Thurgau.

On these terraces, the Riesling x Madeleine Royale crossing makes wines with a steely-dry intensity and subtle herbs and white blossom aromas that set them apart from the more familiar soft and scented profile of the variety.

It is a very different wine to the Nosiola of the Adige valley, but as in the case of the former, it is the variety which best shows off the terroir.

Valle di Cembra Superiore is an official sub-zone of the DOC, and the label is worth looking for.

Mysterious Marzemino

If points north and east of Trento are white wine country, south of the town the warmer, lower slopes of the Vallagarina are dominated by red varieties.

Italy’s very first Bordeaux blend was bottled here in the early 1960s, laying the foundations for a production which is a benchmark for the style.

Cabernet and Merlot, however are relative newcomers compared to Marzemino, which has been documented in the northeast since the 15th century.

Various theories of its provenance have been advanced, including migration from the Middle East across the Mediterranean to Dalmatia and thence to Venice.

But research that demonstrates genetic links with the Trentino’s own native Teroldego (quoted in D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy) suggests origins much closer to its current home.

Marzemino is a medium-bodied, ruby-violet coloured wine with wild berry-and-violets aromas and a dry finish with firm acidity.

Two specific sites are associated with the variety. The first is on the right of the valley at Isera, where soils of volcanic origin give the wines a light minerally quality

And the other on the left, on the calcareous and basalt soils of the Ziresi sub-zone, where the wines tend to have slightly firmer structure.

Both sites have Superiore status in the DOC.

From holy valley

The Valle del Sarca with its picture postcard lakes, runs roughly parallel to Adige, separated from it by a long mountain range with peaks up to 2,000 metres.

The valley is the elected second home of Nosiola, but here, around the communes of Calavino, Lasino, Padergnone and Cavedine, it makes not a dry white, but Trentino Vino Santo, one of Italy’s rarest and most extraordinary sweet wines.

Nosiola for Vino Santo is picked mid-to-late September, the bunches laid to dry on straw mats in open lofts for a period of not less than six months and pressed around Easter time, a tradition recalled in the name of the wine.

The natural environment of the valley is the determining factor in the unique character of the wine.

It is a story of contrasting forces. On one hand the humidity of the lakes encourages the development of botrytis.

On the other, the daily blast of wind from Lake Garda that rattles the shutters from midday to sunset throughout the spring creates the conditions for a period of drying far longer than for any other Italian passito.

So concentrated are the grapes at the end of this period, that it can take two to three days to squeeze the juice from them in hand-operated basket presses.

Yields are miserly. From 100kg of grapes a producer will typically obtain 15 litres of must, which ferments and matures in small barrels for 8-10 years.

Vino Santo is a wine of exceptional complexity on the nose and intense flavours on the palate, sweet but never cloying (fermentation blocks spontaneously at around 150-170 g/l of residual sugar) with a finesse which is rare among wines of the style.

Average production is around 25,000 half-bottles a year.

Terrific Teroldego

The one important wine which does not come under the Trentino DOC umbrella, but has a denomination all of its own is Teroldego Rotaliano.

The Campo Rotaliano is a wide alluvial plain with shallow gravelly soils on the floor of the valley of the Adige, Teroldego is the grape.

It is presumed to be indigenous to Trentino, however research (D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy ) shows that it is a sibling of the French variety Dureza, which in turn is a parent of Syrah, and this raises an intriguing question about the geographical origins of the Trentino variety.

Wherever the variety came from, Teroldego is cited in local chronicles since at least the 17th century and has always been held in high esteem.

It is a vigorous variety, traditionally grown on high-trained pergolas to give vent to its productive energy.

The wines are medium-bodied, deeply coloured but only moderately tannic with good acidity and aromas of red fruit and violets and often a hint of bitter almonds.

It needs careful handling in oak, but when it is good, it is very good indeed.

Teroldego ranks among the most interesting native grape red wines of the northeast, however one has to wonder about the quality ambitions of a denomination which allows yields of 119hl/ha, the highest of any DOC red wine in Italy.

Entry level wines can be very simple. The twin villages of Mezzocorona and Mezzolombardo are the most important sites.

Savvy young producers

The producers I have listed at the foot of the sections above are (with the exception of two small cooperatives) small-to-medium scale independent estates, which grow and bottle their own wine.

The agricultural census of 2010 found that there were 168 such grower-producers in Trentino.

Official figures for 2022 show that the number has shrunk to 119, but interestingly, the percentage of the total production made by growers has remained stable at 6%.

It is a niche, but it is very much alive, driven by the independent spirit, energy and innovation of a generation of very savvy young producers.

Many of these are represented in the following notes on some of my favourite artisan wines from recent trips to Trentino.

This included a visit in March this year to the excellent Vinifera show dedicated to artisan winemakers from northern Italy’s mountain regions.

The wines of Trentino

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Set up at the Kimpton Vintage Hotel in downtown Portland, I spent two days tasting the final bottled samples from nearly every lot on offer at the upcoming Willamette Valley Wine Auction (13-14 May, 2026).

I was there in my capacity as Decanter's Acting North America Regional Editor and Napa Valley Correspondent, assigning ratings and tasting notes to the auction lots.

And I realise this might be controversial. Auction lots are special blends, often culled from a single barrel or from an assemblage of the best barrels from a single vineyard site or top fruit sources.

They are bottled in 5-10 case lots, for the auction, intended to raise money for a great cause, one that usually supports the local community.

The lot is presented, paddles fly, a winning bid is announced, and these special wines disappear onto a high-end restaurant list, a fine wine retailer's shelves, or into a private cellar.

So, why rate them? Eventually, they resurface, but with nothing much about them beyond perhaps the price it sold for at auction.

I myself have been the recipient of many auction wines, and try as I may to find information on them, I usually can’t.

So, for posterity, a reference point, and to spark some conversation around rating auction wines, below are my scores and tasting notes for the 2024 vintage bottlings offered at the 2026 Willamette Valley Wine Auction.

Initial impressions of the 2024 vintage for Willamette Valley

The 2024 growing season in the Willamette Valley was, by most accounts, close to ideal.

Slow, steady ripening with bright sunny days and highs largely in the low-to-mid 20°C (70s°F), and night time temperatures dipping to the mid-10s°C (50s°F), allowed for long hang times and retention of bright, natural acidity with complex flavour development.

A brief mid-summer heat spike nudged sugars along, ripening tannin without taxing acidity.

The result is a classic Willamette profile of crunchy, ripe, vibrant fruit, modest alcohols largely in the 12.9%-13.9% range, with high natural acidity.

The Pinot Noirs are bold with firm tannic structures, the Chardonnays are striking, tension-driven, and layered, and the sparklers are bright and focused.

As one winemaker put it, this is, ‘a vintage that collectors and wine lovers will want to secure for their cellars’.

A decade of community spirit in Willamette Valley

The auction is entering its tenth year, and Executive Director Morgen McLaughlin describes it as ‘one of the Willamette Valley's most important long-term platforms, not just an annual event’.

It has allowed producers to showcase rare, small-production, library, and collaborative wines that, as McLaughlin continues, 'may not fit into a standard tasting or sales channel, giving them a way to express what makes their vineyards, winemaking, and AVA stories distinctive’.

'Just as importantly, the Auction has reinforced the collaborative spirit of the Valley.'

Over the past decade, more than $5 million has been raised to support the Willamette Valley Wineries Association's marketing, education, and brand-building programmes.

In 2025 alone, more than 80 trade bidders from 35 states and three countries participated.

This year's two-day format reflects the auction’s maturity: Day One (‘Whimsy’) welcomes collectors and consumers for an insider's look at the 2024 vintage; Day Two (‘Wonder’) is a trade-only deep dive with producers on hand.

What struck me across two days of tasting wasn't just the quality of the wines but the positive attitude of the producers behind them.

James Frey, winemaker, proprietor of Trisaetum, and prolific artist (see The James Frey Collection), described the annual auction as evidence of Willamete Valley’s, ‘strong collegial spirit’ and the ‘great group of people who still believe a rising tide lifts all boats’.

Acid-etched purity

Frey produced a sparkling wine for the auction, as did Rollin Soles of ROCO, who has been making bubbles in the valley for four decades.

I found the Willamette sparklings vivid and laser-focused, with ultra-frothy, airy mousses.

‘After 40 years, I still believe the Willamette is the finest spot in the New World for sparkling,’ Soles told me.

‘Growing above the 45th parallel means later harvests, naturally high acidity, and grapes that retain higher protein levels, which directly aids bubble retention.’

Frey added that the ultra-cool sites where Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier struggle to ripen for still wines create ideal conditions for sparkling wine.

As for the still wines: the Pinots are gorgeously pure-fruited, often nuanced by that dusty, red volcanic mineral character drawn from the region's soils, while in the whites it creates a complexity I personally couldn't get enough of.

I'm still thinking about Bethel Heights' Swan Song Chardonnay, among my highest-scoring lots, crafted from own-rooted old Wente clone vines that also produced High Wire – former North America Editor Clive Pursehouse's only 100-point wine during his entire Decanter tenure.

When I asked winemaker Ben Casteel what made those vines and site so special, his response was deeply personal: ‘That it took my father's entire career and the first 10 years of mine to produce something special is a tremendous testament to perseverance.’

At least one more vintage – a 2025 High Wire Chardonnay – is coming before, tragically, the vines succumb to phylloxera.

A note on the scores

Full auction lot scores and tasting notes are available below. They have been marked with a score range which is mentioned in the note.

The Willamette Valley Wine Auction takes place May 13-14, 2026.

To the producers and buyers: no matter my scores, each wine here is genuinely exceptional, and I hope that comes through in the tasting notes.

Top wines from this year's Willamette Valley Wine Auction

All 50+ of Jonathan's notes on the Willamette Valley Wine Auction wines can be found here.

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A trailblazing state

While still young by the standards of the world’s great winemaking areas, here in the Willamette Valley, ‘old vine’ carries a certain gravity.

These aren’t the gnarled centenarians of European wine estates, or the head-trained vines from the late 19th century that one may find in Sonoma, California, but rare, original plantings from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

They’re vines that witnessed the improbable birth of Oregon Pinot Noir and quietly shaped the reputation upon which the Willamette Valley now trades.

The trunks are thick, many of them dripping with moss, no matter the season. The bark peels back in long strips evocative of the surrounding forests of western red cedars.

These sites are a true regional treasure, planted on their own roots, they collectively represent a proverbial thumbing of the nose at the destructive aphid-like pest phylloxera.

Names such as Lett, Coury, Erath, Maresh, Adelsheim and Ponzi, among others, helped to lay down the early roots of Oregon Pinot Noir.

A quiet dialogue with the past plays out each season in clusters that seem to hold the valley’s origin story in every small, dark berry.

This is the story of some of the Willamette Valley’s original Pinot Noir vines – a selection that goes beyond the early epicentre in the Dundee Hills and reflects the regional diversity of the valley today.

The sites whose stories are told here are home to old vines that are still producing some of the region’s most important wines.

The original vines: 1965

The first two plantings in the Willamette Valley happened in the same year and, in fact, at one point, those plots were one vineyard.

The story of the Willamette Valley’s very first vineyards reads like a riddle, as The Eyrie Vineyards’ Jason Lett – son of the Willamette’s original pioneer, David Lett – explains: ‘The date of establishment is tricky, because he planted the vines in 1965 but didn’t move them to the present location until 1966.

'So we give 1965 as the foundation of the enterprise, and the vines at Eyrie are 1965-planted, but the Eyrie Vineyard itself, in Dundee, was established in 1966.’

The other name that gets mentioned alongside David Lett’s is Charles Coury.

If Lett was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley (and he was), Coury was second.

Lett planted vines at a nursery site near Corvallis, southwest of Salem, on 22 February 1965, according to entries in his personal journal. And then, in April that year, he planted vines for Coury at the same nursery.

Both men then moved their vines north. Lett planted in the hills just south of the town of Dundee, and Coury planted in Forest Grove, west of Portland, at what is now David Hill Vineyards & Winery.

The story of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir began in 1965.

At Eyrie, just shy of four acres (1.6ha) of the old plantings remain, including the iconic South Block planted a couple of years later, in 1968, as well as the first commercial Pinot Gris planting in North America.

And at David Hill, 14 acres (5.6ha) of old vines are still producing, from Pinot Noir to Alsace white varieties.

Chehalem Mountain Vineyard: 1969

Dick Erath is best known for the eponymous Erath winery in the Dundee Hills.

There, he partnered with the pioneering Knudsen family in the mid-1970s, but his first vineyard was planted further to the north.

High on a shoulder of the southern edges of the Chehalem Mountains, just across the treeline from Ribbon Ridge AVA (American Viticultural Area) in the northernmost reaches of what is today’s Willamette Valley appellation, Erath planted his first foray into Oregon Pinot Noir.

In 1969, this became the third vineyard planted in the region, when so much of this extensive wooded area still felt like a long shot for fine wine.

Perhaps Erath was already thinking about elevation, exposure and the kind of marginal growing conditions that might coax nuance from the Pinot Noir variety.

The Chehalem Mountain Vineyard was put down on the steep slopes of ancient volcanic soils before notions of appellation boundaries were even conceived of here.

This is a low-yielding site, where the old, gnarled vines today offer an array of clones, from Pommard and Wädenswil to Calera and Dijon, providing a diversity of expression within the vineyard itself.

00 Wines, renowned for its Chardonnay programme (see tasting notes), has taken a particular shine to this old site, and the producer is using the fruit of all of the remaining three acres (1.2ha) of the old-vine 1969 plantings for its single-vineyard Pinot Noir.

‘Working with this heritage fruit is a true honour,’ says 00 founder Chris Hermann. ‘We ferment this Pinot Noir, 100% in Italian terracotta amphorae from Tuscany, after the berries have been destemmed by hand. The fermentation is semi-carbonic.

‘This old-vine wine is aromatic, pretty, lifted and not as concentrated as one would expect from older vines, which makes this block very special. The bunches are very small, with onyx-coloured skins, yet the resulting wine is ethereal and pretty.’

Maresh Vineyard: 1970

Perched high in the Dundee Hills, the roots of the Maresh Vineyard go all the way back to 1970, when Jim (Sr) and Loie Maresh planted vines here, at up to about 230m above the valley.

The Maresh family farm had long been established for hazelnuts and prunes, and the decision to plant grapes marked a quiet pivot toward what was then an uncertain future for wine in the region.

‘My grandparents bought this farm in 1959 with no farming experience,’ third-generation grower and winemaker Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh in Dundee tells me.

‘It was cherries, prunes and hazelnuts that taught them how to farm. The story they liked to tell was that they were sitting on 200 tons of unsold prunes when Dick Erath came up the driveway.’

Erath told them their property was perfect for Pinot Noir – his earnestness and all those unsold prunes made the choice easy.

‘They jumped right in with a small plot of Pinot Noir at his suggestion in 1970. The fruit did well, and over time a block of fruit trees or hazelnuts would be pulled out, and more vines would be planted.’

Farming at that elevation brought its own challenges: cooler temperatures, exposure to wind and a growing season that demanded adaptability.

But those same conditions would prove critical in shaping the vineyard’s identity, producing fruit marked by balance and a kind of lifted, red-toned character that would become a hallmark of Dundee Hills Pinot Noir.

‘For me, it’s not an outlier for the Dundee Hills,’ says Jim Jr. ‘It’s high-tone, red and pretty. No big tannins, but elegance and refinement. Maresh fruit is really long in terms of holding its acidity in ripe, extended growing seasons. It’s at 750 feet (230m), so it’s high-elevation for the appellation. Maresh is, in some ways, the archetype of the Dundee Hills.’

The original farm was 140 acres (56ha), and today the Arterberry-Maresh estate totals 20 acres (8ha); Jim Jr farms about two acres of the remaining original plantings from the 1970s.

Ponzi Vineyard: 1970

The Ponzi family’s original estate vineyard, on the site of a former strawberry field, was planted in 1970 and sits among the Willamette Valley’s foundational sites, dating back to a time when conviction preceded clarity.

This initial plot, among the first five to be planted, was put down on the valley floor.

‘Though the Ponzis’ first planting proved to be viable in the production of all varieties planted, the family recognised quality could be pushed further,’ says Ponzi winemaker Max Bruening.

‘It wasn’t quite what they were seeking. To date, the Chardonnay (Clone 108 Wente/Davis) remains a staple of Ponzi’s sparkling blanc de blancs production, with a small percentage allocated to our still Chardonnay. Pinot Noir is sourced exclusively for our blanc de noir.’

The Ponzis, along with other members of the Willamette’s pioneering wine scene at the time, were a collaborative bunch.

‘In 1975, as part of the Oregon Winemakers Project, an effort spearheaded by Dick Ponzi, Dick Erath and Oregon State University, plantings were conducted to assess which clones could be viable for the area at that time,’ Bruening explains.

‘They were tasked with finding land, planting a vineyard, growing grapes, assessing the outcome, vinifying, blending, tracking, reporting and repeating.’

This early experimental site eventually became a part of Ponzi’s estate, the two-acre (0.8ha) Abetina Vineyard, which the family formally acquired in 1981.

The 1975 planting includes 12 different clones of own-rooted Pinot Noir and has helped inform the future of the Willamette Valley.

Hyland Vineyard: 1971

Originally planted in 1971 (and continuing through the late 1990s) on a south-facing bench in the foothills of the Coast Range, the Hyland Vineyard stands as one of the Willamette Valley’s earliest and, to this day, most versatile sites, known as much for its Riesling as for the distinctive clones of Pinot Noir.

Unique at the time, it was planted not by winemakers but growers, a collaborative effort by four families: Kreimeyer, Merkley, Welch and Smith.

Hyland began with an ambitious vision: to plant a large-scale, professionally farmed site that could supply fruit to the region’s fledgling wineries.

A total of 185 acres (74ha) were planted across the windswept knolls of what is now the McMinnville AVA.

The site itself sits exposed to the Van Duzer Corridor, northwest of Salem, where afternoon winds sweep in from the Pacific and cool the vines through the long days of late summer.

Early plantings included a mix of Pinot Noir selections that predated the modern clonal era, perhaps most notably the Coury clone, which has long been a bit mysterious.

Some say its origins lie in Alsace, others Germany, but who really knows?

A living archive

Half a century later, the vineyard reads like a living archive of Oregon’s first generation of viticulture.

Many of the original blocks remain, their thick trunks and modest yields a reminder of an era when nearly everything about farming Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley was a little bit experimental.

Evan Martin, the winemaker at Martin Woods, near McMinnville city, has delivered the top Pinot Noir from my past vintage reports more than once, and each time it was his Hyland Vineyard bottling.

‘The Hyland Pinot Noir, as I find it, prominently exhibits aromas of forest undergrowth and mossy earth – so coveted by lovers of traditional red Burgundy,’ says Martin.

‘Which is married to delicate florals and red fruit, with a silken palate that lingers seemingly forever.

‘As the vineyard has come of age, the warming trend of the last 30 years has shifted this originally very marginal cool climate to pitch-perfect growing conditions, leading to one of the truly unique ‘grand cru’ expressions of Pinot Noir in Oregon, a Chambolle-Musigny-esque personality that captives with the power of delicacy – defined by the subtle imprint that the wine makes on the sense memory.’

Oregon’s old-vine legacy in bottle today

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Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Jason Millar and Stefan Neumann MS tasted 77 wines, with 5 Outstanding and 22 Highly recommended

Unoaked Italian reds: Panel tasting scores

77 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 5

Highly recommended 22

Recommended 45

Commended 5

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit red wines of any vintage from anywhere in Italy, made from grape varieties indigenous to the region of production, either 100% varietal or in a blend containing a minimum 85% of indigenous varieties; no vinification or ageing in oak of any type was permitted

Eschewing the oak

Wooden barrels have been used in the wine industry since Roman times, with producers commonly making use of local woods such as acacia, pine or chestnut.

Over time, oak became the preferred material due to its tight grain and abundance across Europe.

As winemakers recognised its positive influence on tannins and flavours, oak gained dominance in today’s wine industry.

Ripe black fruit flavours mixed with smoky (oak-derived) vanilla equals enjoyable drinking experiences for most consumers.

In the production of reds, winemakers use oak barrels or chips to add flavour and complexity, and to help soften tannins, which begs the question: don’t all red wines have oak?

There are more unoaked red wines made than we might initially realise; often they’re simpler, fruitier wines intended to be drunk young – Beaujolais and young Rioja being notable examples.

Yet no other country has more of an association with unoaked red wines than Italy.

The decision to not use oak is based on the desire to preserve the pure expression of a grape variety, to highlight regional terroir, or to create a fresher, more fruit-driven style.

Vessels such as stainless steel, concrete vats and clay amphorae allow for minimal intervention, letting inherent flavours shine – ‘wines without lipstick’ is how Jason Millar described these wines; completely exposed, without any beautification.

‘Wines that bring an element of joy to the drinker’

For this tasting, 17 of Italy’s 20 regions were represented. Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily topped the list in terms of entries.

Sangiovese was the most popular variety, followed by Barbera – understandable, given that they’re two of Italy’s most planted varieties.

The main discussion among the judges was whether an unoaked wine could be more than simple and fruity. Could it be complex and have the ‘wow factor’?

The top achievers were simple but also concentrated and delicious expressions – ‘wines that bring an element of joy to the drinker’, according to Stefan Neumann MS.

Ultimately, our question was answered.

Without oak, these wines were capable of expressing purity and a true sense of place. And they certainly had that wow factor!

What to eat with unoaked Italian reds, by Fiona Beckett

So varied are these wines in terms of region and grape variety that it’s difficult to make a generalisation about wine matching, other than to focus on what kind of food unoaked Italian wines might successfully pair with in comparison with oaked wines.

By and large they’re younger, lower in alcohol and less expensive than their oaked counterparts – more for everyday or at least relaxed weekend drinking than fine dining.

In regions such as Tuscany, where red wine is predominantly an unoaked wine, it often takes the place of a white – the go-to with a homely chickpea and rosemary soup, for example, or a simple plate of pasta before moving on to a more serious wine with the meat.

Pizza is another obvious option, which isn’t to diminish these wines – it’s an underrated foil for a simple, well-made red.

With their typically pronounced acidity, unoaked reds are a natural match for salumi and, perhaps less obviously, for fish. There’s no reason why you can’t drink a light Sicilian red such as Frappato with pasta con le sarde (with sardines), for instance, or a Bardolino with some garlicky grilled prawns.

See all notes and scores from the unoaked Italian reds tasting

The judges

Unoaked Italian reds panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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Although not indigenous to Italy, Sauvignon Blanc can be considered one of the country’s most important white grape varieties.

The most celebrated examples are from the two northeastern regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Alto Adige, while other notable examples come from regions as far apart as Piedmont and Sicily.

Friuli

In the commune of Mariano in the Gorizia province of Friuli, the Gallo family crafts two remarkable Sauvignons, Piere and Vieris, sourced from two distinct vineyards.

Matteo Gallo, son of winemaker Gianfranco, who has managed the Vie di Romans estate for more than 40 years, calls the wines ‘our two most representative crus’.

Gallo characterises the Piere vineyard as having greater soil depth and a higher clay content, while Vieris features much shallower, reddish-coloured soil, rich in limestone and pebbly stones.

He notes that these differences are the result of the way the valley was formed and later shaped, following the overall retreat of the glaciers, a process completed about 10,000 years ago.

‘During this long period,’ he explains, ‘the Piere area was the first to emerge from the waters and it therefore displays a more evolved and deeper soil profile.’

Piere, produced from predominantly Italian-clone vines that have loose grape clusters, is vinified in stainless steel, while Vieris, which has more French clones than Italian, matures for nine months in French oak barriques.

They are, ‘the result of our understanding and interpretation of their unique terroir’, reasons Gallo.

Alto Adige/ Südtirol

At the Cantina Terlano cooperative in the village of Terlano in Alto Adige, cellar master Rudi Kofler notes that Sauvignon Blanc arrived in this commune from France around the turn of the 20th century, marking the origin of the variety in the Südtirol (the Germanic name for the multilingual region).

Cantina Terlano was the first local producer to bottle a single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc, in 1956. Today, the winery offers two celebrated Sauvignon Blancs, Winkl and Quarz, sourced from vineyards in the Terlano surroundings.

They both have a similar profile of volcanic-origin quartz porphyry with sandy-loamy soils very rich in skeletal material (especially for the plots used for the Quarz).

The ratio of vines in each is overwhelmingly Italian – between 70%-80%, with only 20%-30% French.

Kofler vinifies these wines in both stainless steel tanks and large barrels, with slight variations; for Winkl, 20% of the wine is aged in large, 7,500L German oak casks that are between 20 and 30 years old, while for Quarz, half of the wine is aged in 3,000L French oak casks of five to 10 years old.

‘Wines aged in wooden barrels tend to be creamier, more playful in texture and less reductive than those fermented exclusively in stainless steel,’ he says.

The winemaker describes Quarz as a ‘crystalline Sauvignon Blanc with layered texture and vibrant salinity’ – a more formidable wine than the Winkl, explaining that it benefits from a higher proportion of ageing in oak.

A focused profile

Another acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc producer in Alto Adige is the Cantina Kurtatsch co-op.

Although its oldest vines are French clones, head winemaker Erwin Carli prefers the local clones developed by the Laimburg agricultural research centre, which are also used by Cantina Terlano and some other wineries in the area.

Carli explains that these local clones have looser clusters, which results in lower susceptibility to infection by the botrytis fungus, as well as reduced canopy vigour and higher acidity in the resulting fruit than the French clones.

‘Under warming growing conditions, this typically translates into a fresher, more focused profile that helps to retain acidity in the wine,’ he says.

The hillside vineyards here at Penon-Kofl, in the commune of Cortaccia, south of Bolzano, are situated between 425m and 600m, on steep slopes reaching 85% gradient.

The soils are composed of sand and gravel, rich in Dolomitic limestone and quartz minerals.

Carli explains that this site experiences strong solar radiation but with fewer hours of direct sunlight per day – conditions the winemaker believes are ‘ideal for Sauvignon Blanc, promoting ripeness while preserving freshness and aromatic precision’.

For him, flagship Sauvignon Kofl – labelled as Penon-Kofl as of the 2024 vintage, following the implementation, from that vintage, of the 86 new Alto Adige UGA areas (unità geografica aggiuntiva, or ‘additional geographical unit’) – displays an earthy, stony character with its fruit and floral notes in the background.

It's a vertical wine, unlike more typical Sauvignon Blancs of the area, which he describes as more expressive, aromatic and bold.

Piedmont

In Neive, in the heart of the Barbaresco appellation, Pierguido Busso at his family’s Piero Busso winery has been producing the mono-varietal Arbé Sauvignon Blanc since the 2018 vintage.f

These grapes were previously incorporated in the winery’s Langhe Bianco blend. Arbé is dedicated to Busso’s two nieces, Arianna and Beatrice.

He says that his main inspiration comes from France, particularly from the Loire valley. The winemaking is gentle, with soft, whole-cluster pressing and great care taken to avoid extracting green or vegetal components.

The wine ages for 12 months on the fine lees, without batonnage.

‘The goal is to produce a Sauvignon with a clear, precise expression, far from common stereotypes,' he explains.

'I want this wine to reflect the Busso philosophy, first and foremost, rather than a generic or classic interpretation of Sauvignon – elegance, purity of fruit and a strong sense of place are essential.’

Tuscany

The Tuscan coast, specifically Bolgheri, has become an important territory for Sauvignon Blanc.

At Ornellaia, technical director Marco Balsimelli produces two Sauvignon-based wines: 100% varietal Ornellaia Bianco; and Poggio alle Gazze – Sauvignon Blanc blended with smaller percentages of Vermentino, Viognier and Semillon.

Balsimelli explains that ‘aromatically, Sauvignon Blanc from Bolgheri offers many different shades’.

Harvesting of the Sauvignon Blanc fruit destined for Poggio alle Gazze generally begins relatively early, around mid-August.

Balsimelli notes that the sandy coastal soils naturally produce wines that are firm, aromatic and lively.

For Ornellaia Bianco, meanwhile, he works with soils rich in limestone, clay and stones. The grapes are typically picked towards the end of September, when the fruit is slightly riper, which results in a wine with greater complexity and a more elegant aromatic profile.

Fuller on the palate than Poggio alle Gazze, and also more structured, according to Balsimelli, the wine ‘finishes with a striking freshness and salinity typical of these soils’.

Comparing Sauvignon Blanc from Bolgheri with northern Italian versions, Balsimelli points out that the latter examples are sharper, with plenty of tension.

‘Our wines tend to show riper aromas and a fuller, more textured and structured mouthfeel,’ he says.

‘One trait we share, however, is the freshness and minerality on the finish. It seems to me our style of white wines is closer to French wines than to those from northern Italy.’

Perhaps the most positive aspect of Italian Sauvignon Blanc is its ability to display its greatest qualities with age.

The finest examples take on different identities after several years, with some showing a Riesling-like character, while others offer more distinct earthy, herbal notes after a decade.

Regardless of the style, Italian Sauvignon Blanc is the backbone of some of the nation’s finest white wines, deserving of greater respect on the world stage.

Italian Sauvignon Blancs

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My first visit to southern Italy didn’t start well. I was flying from Rome to Palermo in Sicily, and the air conditioning cut out as we ascended. I fell asleep, or passed out, and woke up drenched in sweat.

The airport was undergoing renovations and as I waited in the makeshift baggage-reclaim hall, my eye was caught by some activity.

Some locals had peeled back the flimsy metal of the improvised building to create a direct exit to the real world. They were crouching down and disappearing through it to stand outside, smoking in the hot air as they waited for their cases.

I was in a strange land – one that I didn’t understand and still don’t.

Palermo alone would be too much to grasp, a city where people spend more on their sunglasses than their scooters, where every bar is full at 2am on a Tuesday morning, where old women gather to drink Campari and soda in the afternoon in a way that’s inconceivable in England.

The problem of comparison