‘We tasted 4,000 American wines this year. These are Decanter’s Top 50 US Wines of 2025’
For the second year Decanter's North American Editor Clive Pursehouse curates a list of top 50 US wines from the almost 4,000 wines tasted and reviewed by Decanter's cadre of US based writers in 2025, representing the great diversity of America's winemaking talent and its vastly different growing regions.
This is our second annual list of Decanter’s Top 50 US Wines. My hope is that our list of wines inspires conversation and sparks disagreement.
That it makes people take note of the regions beyond those you think of first when you think of the wines being produced in America’s wine country. There are some spectacular wines throughout the US.
I feel like we’re in the process of both getting started and figuring it out. I guess that’s life in a nutshell. I work with a very small team of freelance writers, and I’m the only full-time person at Decanter in the US, so, with limited resources, we are doing what we can to maximise our scope.
We’ve expanded and moved coverage around in some areas, done more in others, and, regrettably but necessarily, less in others. It is a challenging landscape for media, and while it hasn’t been a perfect year for our US team or me when it comes to expanding coverage, I think we’re moving in the right direction.
A year for white wines
Over the course of the year, Decanter gave about 30 100-point scores to current-release wines in 2025. Those numbers are split nearly evenly between Bordeaux, Napa and the Rhône Valley.
Only three of those wines were white wines. The iconic old vine Roussanne from Château de Beaucastel and two Chardonnays, one from Australia’s Margaret River and one from the Willamette Valley.
That meagre number includes my first-ever 100-point wine, the 2023 Bethel Heights Chardonnay, which you’ll read more about later, but this rudimentary analysis stands in stark contrast to what we’re seeing in white wine production and quality here in the US.
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There was no better year for white wine than 2025, and it is reflected in our countdown. A cool vintage in Washington (and Oregon’s) Columbia Valley created two 97-point white wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Roussanne, from a region that is often too hot to achieve the balance necessary for white wines to really shine.
Chardonnays from the Willamette Valley, Sonoma Coast and Santa Barbara continue to impress in 2025, with warming conditions often having them outpacing their Burgundian cousin, Pinot Noir.
There are 13 Chardonnays in this Top 50 list, including a stunning wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
For good measure, there’s also Carricante from Sonoma County, a Chenin Blanc from Mendocino and a Finger Lakes Riesling that we thought were exceptional.
Decanter Top 50 US Wines: 50-41
Tasting notes and scores are linked in this list
50: Barboursville Vineyards, Octagon, Monticello, Virginia, USA 2017
49: L’Aventure, Estate Reserve, Paso Robles, California 2022
48: Apollo’s Praise, Dry Riesling, Lahoma Vineyard, Finger Lakes, NY 2024
47: Joseph Phelps, Proem #5 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, 2022
46: Valdemar Estates, Las Canteras Syrah, The Rocks District, Columbia Valley, Oregon, 2023
45: Domaine de la Côte, La Côte, Sta Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, 2022
44: Résonance, Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2023
43: Rebrook Cellars, Montagna Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2022
42: Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California, 2023
41: Argot, Sage Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2022
Wines of place and wonderful places
Our first 10 wines show a fantastic range, welcoming Virginia, while Texas shows up a little further up the list, both for the first time.
We also have a repeat producer, Apollo’s Praise, representing the Finger Lakes. California is still the big dog, making more than 80% of the country’s wines. The Golden State appears 30 times, with most of our coverage in Napa and Sonoma, and that shows here.
There are a couple of wines from regions in the state that I cover, cooler climate appellations like Mendocino, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’ve seen more coverage from our Santa Barbara County correspondent, Vanessa Rason, resulting in more wines on this year’s list.
Oregon, both in the Willamette Valley and the Rocks District, which is technically part of the Columbia Valley (with Washington), is well represented, with 15 entries. A further validation of the state’s incredible terroir and talent.
Decanter Top 50 US Wines: 40-31
Tasting notes and scores are linked in this list
40: Reynvaan Family Vineyards, Stonessence The Rocks District, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon,2022
39: Thomas Fogarty, Damiana Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2023
38: Ernest Vineyards, Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay, West Sonoma Coast, California, USA 2022
37: William Chris, Enchanté, Texas Hill Country, Texas, 2023
36: Evesham Wood, Cuvée J Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
35: Devison Vintners, Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Oregon, 2022
34: Minus Tide, Chenin Blanc, Sterling Ranch, Mendocino County, California, 2024
33: Beaux Frères, Rogue Vines Chardonnay, Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
32: FUTO Estate, CFX, Napa Valley, California, 2022
31: Gran Moraine, Dropstone Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2022
The beauty and bravery of small producers
The reality is that this list is almost exclusively comprised of small producers. There are a few brands that are part of larger corporate entities, but this Top 50 features many small family businesses making some of America’s best wines.
In a challenging time for wine and for small businesses, there is plenty to be hopeful about here. Sure, some of these wines are hard to find, but their quality and recognition stem from being produced in small lots, with incredible attention to detail, immaculate farming, and undeniable winemaking talent.
From the likes of the talented Joe Ryan making the wines at Sonoma Coast’s Ernest Vineyards, to the long-time commitment to the Willamette Valley of the Casteel family at Bethel Heights, and the young bootstrapping upstarts at Minus Tide making imaginative and classic wines.
I’m more proud of that element of this list than anything else. I hope you will seek out these wines and the producers making them; they deserve your support.
Decanter Top 50 US Wines: 30-21
Tasting notes and scores are linked in this list
30: Jett, Skysill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2022
29: Paul Lato, Le Souvenir, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California, 2022
28: Hirsch Vineyards, Raschen Ridge Pinot Noir, West Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, 2022
27: Abbott Claim, X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2022
25: Kathryn Kennedy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2022
24: Purlieu, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California, 2022
23: Centennial Mountain, Carricante, Sonoma County, California, 2022
22: Crowley, Phoebe Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
21: Storm Wines, Duvarita Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, 2023
The rising tide of American wine
In what has to be described as a challenging time for the wine industry and America’s global reputation more broadly, American wine is more ready than ever for an international audience.
Long looked at as a land of bombastic and overripe wines, America’s current generation of talented winemakers has turned this narrative on its head. Chasing balance and freshness, this crop of American wines shows typicity and place through the restrained use of new oak, eschewing over-ripeness and higher alcohols in favour of acidity, minerality and balance.
It’s an exciting time for American wine. The wines defy the stereotypes of the Parker era; those days are in the past and the future is very bright.
Decanter Top 50 US Wines: 20-11
Tasting notes and scores are linked in this list
20: RAEN Winery, Fort Ross-Seaview Sea Field Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California, 2023
19: Drew Family Cellars, Radiolaria Chardonnay, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino County, California, 2023
18: Paradigm, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California, 2021
17: Littorai, Mays Canyon Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California, USA 2023
16: The Black Square, Cabernet Sauvignon, The Rocks District, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, 2022
15: Bryant Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2022
14: White Walnut Vineyard, Estate Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
13: Bedrock Wine Co, Areio e Vento e Amor, Contra Costa County, California, 2022
12: Di Costanzo, Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain, Sonoma County, California, 2022
11: Granville, Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
Number one
In a year of brilliant white wines, it was no surprise to me that the top wine on this list would be a Chardonnay and upon further consideration, a cool climate wine at that.
The High Wire Chardonnay tells a captivating story: that of a pioneering family, the Casteels, who purchased vineyards planted in 1978 upon their arrival in the Willamette Valley a year later.
A story of resilience, as this California heritage planting, Wente Clone, on its own roots, did not reliably ripen until fairly recently. It is a brilliant wine made by one of the country’s best winemakers, Ben Casteel.
You can read all about it here; it’s the first wine (and only so far) that I’ve ever given a perfect score to.
Decanter Top 50 US Wines: The Top 10
Tasting notes and scores are linked in this list
10: Pilcrow, Granite Lake Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain Napa Valley, California, 2022
8: Prophet & Poet, Ghost Cat Upper Barn Chardonnay, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, 2021
7: Gård, Roussanne, Grand Klasse, Royal Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2022
6: Cathiard Vineyard, St Helena, Napa Valley, California, 2022
5: Rhys Vineyards, Blanc de Blancs, Mt Pajaro Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2018
4: Martin Woods, Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir, McMinnville, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA 2023
3: Colgin Cellars, IX Estate Syrah, Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley, California, 2021
2: Occidental, Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California, 2022
1: Bethel Heights, The High Wire Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2023
Top 50 US Wines 2025: How the selections were made
The selections for Decanter’s Top 50 US wines were chosen from over 3,500 wines tasted and reviewed between December 2024 and November 2025. 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.
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Clive was Decanter's North America editor from September 2022 to March 2026. On relocating to the US West Coast over 20 years ago, Clive Pursehouse developed a deep appreciation for the wines of the Pacific Northwest, and has been writing about these Oregon and Washington State producers and their wines since 2007. Pursehouse was also the culture editor for Peloton Magazine, where he covered cycling, travel, wine and cuisine.