Decanter’s Top 50 US Wines: Part two – 30-11

Top Wines of the Year lists are far from novel, with most major publications compiling a list of their various takes on a ‘Top 100’ wines tasted in a given year. They may elicit controversy and second-guessing; but you know what they say about opinions, after all.

In my second year in this role, as our US coverage has continued to expand, it felt important to find a way to emphasise our commitment to both the depth and breadth of US wine.

In 2024, we’ve featured vintage reports from both the Sonoma Coast and Sonoma County separately, Oregon’s Willamette Valley and the Columbia Valley that spans both Washington and Oregon.

Of course, we covered Napa, Paso Robles, New York State, and, for the first time, the Anderson Valley on California’s northernmost coast.

Scroll down for scores and reviews of the Decanter Top 50 US Wines: Part two

I made the final ranking decisions, and I’ve personally tasted most, but not all, of these wines, even if I haven’t scored them myself. I recognise that it’s not perfect, but I feel like it’s a great start for us, a very small team on this side of the pond.

My hope is that you may discover a new producer or three and enjoy exploring this list as much as I did putting it together.

Our grouping of the second 20 wines on our list includes several American Syrahs, a variety that people should absolutely get excited about.

From California’s Paso Robles to Santa Barbara County, The Rocks District on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, and an iconic Yakima Valley vineyard in Washington state. Syrah shows terroir in ways that many varieties do not, and American winemakers are making it sing.

Decanter Top 50 US Wines: Wines 30-21

Tasting notes and scores are below

30: Ernest Vineyards, Cleary Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2022

29: Ambar Estate, Lustral Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

28: Saxum, Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard Syrah, Willow Creek, Paso Robles, California 2020

27: Harlan Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California 2021

26: Fingers Crossed, Syrah, Santa Barbara County, California 2021

25: Gård, Grand Klasse Syrah, Royal Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington 2021

24: Eyrie Vineyards, South Block Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2019

23: Arnot-Roberts, Que Syrah, Sonoma Coast, California 2021

22: Hundred Suns, Own Rooted Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

21: Philip Togni, Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California 2021

Here are a few wines I’d like to highlight.

29: Ambar Estate, Lustral Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

A barrel selection from the top Chardonnay of the vintage crafted by winemaker Kate Payne Brown of Ambar Estate. The 2022 is only the second vintage from this Dundee Hills estate. It is provocatively aromatic, as elegance is imbued with an intense core of smoky grilled lemon, juicy ripe Meyer lemon pulp and salty oyster shells. The palate flashes thirst-slaking acidity. The seemingly endless finish is evocative of the marine air from the Pacific not far off on the other side of the Coast Range. Payne Brown has crafted one of the vintage’s top wines in the Lustral.

25: Gård, Grand Klasse Syrah, Royal Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington 2021

Matías Kúsulas was in his first vintage as head winemaker at Gård in the 2021 vintage, and his talent for coaxing balance and finesse from the hot wine growing regions in the desert of Eastern Washington is immediately apparent. Made in a Cornas style, very reductive, and 85% whole cluster, Kúsulas wants his Syrahs to be savoury. This fruit comes from Conner Lee, which has deep sandy soils, and Scarline, which has shallow soils. Sleek Black fruits have plenty of tension, and real elegance and umami are here in spades.

24: Eyrie Vineyards, South Block Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2019

The day after IPNC 2024, I joined a lucky few at the hallowed grounds of Eyrie Vineyards, where Jason Lett walked us through the iconic South Block of the estate’s old vines. The newly released 2019 South Block Reserve celebrates his father’s vision and Oregon’s Pinot Noir heritage. The Eyrie wines made noise in 1979 at a Paris Wine Olympics staged by the French restaurant guide Gault-Millau, where a 1975 Eyrie Pinot Noir finished in the top 10. The 2019 bottling is a stunning display from the most recent cool vintage in the Willamette Valley. The South Block was planted in 1968 and is comprised of 10 rows of David Lett’s original Pinot Noir planting. Several soils come together at this part of The Eyrie, and the elder Lett noticed it early on, bottling it as a single block selection back in 1975.

Decanter Top 50 US Wines: Wines 20-11

Tasting notes and scores are below

20: Peay Vineyards, Scallop Shelf Estate Pinot Noir, West Sonoma Coast, California 2021

19: Dominus Estate, Napa Valley, California 2021

18: Walter Scott, X Novo Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

17: Littorai, B. A. Thieriot Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2021

16: WT Vintners, Boushey Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington 2021

15: Martin Woods, The Rocks Syrah, The Rocks District, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon 2022

14: AXR, Harbison Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California 2021

13: Arterberry Maresh, Weber Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

12: Ridge, Montebello, Santa Cruz Mountains, California 2021

11: Cobb, Emmaline Ann Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2021

20: Peay Vineyards, Scallop Shelf Estate Pinot Noir, West Sonoma Coast, California 2021

A cuvée put together by winemaker Vanessa Wong is primarily a Pommard clone selection (60%), which lends to blood orange and pomegranate pulp. The wines from Peay’s site in the far West Sonoma Coast can be overtly oceanic with a core of saline minerality that glistens for years, a hallmark of the wine’s ageability. It’s the most aromatic, elegant and finesse-driven of the Peay wines – the palate is delicate, with freshness, depth and finesse all coming together.

16: WT Vintners, Boushey Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington 2021

Across the range, Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen flexes his ability to craft wines of elegance in a hot vintage and region. ‘I’m trying to make elegant wines in the desert,’ says winemaker Lindsay-Thorsen. He pulls it off, and I believe his winemaking style and that of a few of his contemporaries are the key to the future of Washington’s winemaking and viticulture. This Syrah comes from a 1998 planting at Boushey Vineyard in pure rock – gorgeous florals marked by dried lavender and smoky violets with mulberries and fresh mint notes. The palate marries signature Boushey, marking the wines with a feral finesse.

11: Cobb, Emmaline Ann Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2021

The Emmaline Ann Pinot Noir stood out from a large 2021 vintage tasting on a rainy January day on the Sonoma Coast at Abigail’s Vineyard with Ross Cobb. The wine’s sheer elegance made it stand out among a collection of sterling examples of subtlety and refinement. ‘Lots of folks talk about making wines in a Burgundian style, but From a vineyard planted by the Hunnicutt family, a little more than 1ha at up to 250m, the Emmaline Ann vineyard is surrounded by redwood forest. Made with 40% whole clusters and aged 22 months in barrel, this is an elegant aromatic symphony of gravelly minerality, pine bough, tart red fruits and fresh mint, revealing candied raspberries, black tea depth, bright berries and pomegranate molasses.

Click here for Part one: 50-31

Top 50 US Wines 2024: How the selections were made

The selections for Decanter’s Top 50 US wines were chosen from the over 3,000 wines tasted and reviewed between January and November of 2024. To be considered, they must be current or soon-to-be-released wines; library wines are not eligible.

They were selected to show a range of styles, places and exciting and emerging winemaking talent. This is not intended to be a list of the top-scoring wines of the year but wines that show the brilliance and diversity of America’s winemaking talents and regions.

Decanter Top 50 US Wines: Part two –Wines 30-11

Wines are listed in reverse order from 30 to 11

Related articles

Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: Full report and buyer’s guide to the vintage’s finest wines

Oregon vintage report: Tricky Willamette Valley 2022 sticks the landing

Paso Robles 2022 vintage: Best wines from a challenging year