That is the primary in a collection of articles once I look again on the yr that was 2024. As soon as once more, I tasted over 1,000 wines within the earlier twelve months, which boggles my thoughts a bit since that averages out to about three a day. As I ponder the state of my liver, I additionally prefer to replicate on the highest wines that I used to be lucky sufficient to style over the course of the yr. Right here, I current the very best home glowing wines I tasted in 2024.
These first 5 wines come from my Seventh Annual Blind Tasting of American Glowing Wine. I’ve performed this tasting yearly since transferring to Houston and it typically presents a number of surprises. This yr was no exception.
NV Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, Carneros, CA: Retail $40. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (916g; 32.3oz). 58% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay. Rosé? Mild salmon-orange with a stunning peachy/cherry vibe happening. Whoa. The palate explodes with taste, tons of fruit, tartness, and only a contact of yeastiness. Whoa. Excellent. 95 Factors.
2013 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée, Carneros, CA: Retail $96. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (947g; 33.4oz). 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay. Whoa. Fairly pale, barely even a straw with a stellar nostril of baked apple pie and a contact of à la mode. Yum. The palate? Whoa. Utterly harmonious and balanced with some tart apple, a contact of croissant and only a hell of plenty of verve. Whoa. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2016 Sanford Blanc de Noirs, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $55(?). Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (912g; 32.2oz). 100%(?) Pinot Noir (the data on this wine was scant on-line). Smoky and salty on the nostril with hints of lime. The palate is off the charts, nonetheless, with a load of yeasty goodness and simply sufficient fruit to make this a tremendous wine. Excellent. 95 Factors.
Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Brut Rose M.V. 5, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $105. 64% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 12% Brut Reserve. Rosé. Fairly pale, however clearly a rosé. Ripe strawberry and a contact of yeastiness on the nostril. Very good on the palate, even distinctive with that tangy wild strawberry dominating. Whoa. Yeah, that is Excellent. 95 Factors.
NV Stoller Brut Glowing Wine – Property, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (906g; 32oz). 75% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir, 3% Pinot Meunier. Property Disgorged 2023. Pale however good with a unclean, flinty, apple-y nostril. Yowza. Beautiful. Balnced, fruity, layered and introspective, that is simply top-of-the-line wines within the tasting. The end lasts for days. Holy cow. Excellent. 96 Factors.
The second group of 5 wines additionally comes from a singular tasting, this one in Manhattan, which I dubbed “The Most interesting Tasting of American Glowing Wines Ever“. For sure, maybe, the tasting was phenomenal and listed below are 5 of the highest six wines from that tasting:
2006 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Blanc de Blancs, Carneros, CA: Retail $175? 100% Chardonnay. Yellow in colour with a contact of inexperienced on the rim. Fairly shy on the nostril with simply hints of tree fruit (pear, apple) and a smoky, toast side that basically works. The palate is fruity but refined with loads of tartness and depth with a lingering end. Beautiful. This wine is near twenty years outdated however would possibly want much more time. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2007 Roederer Property l’Ermitage, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $125 (?). 52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir – 4% aged reserve wine, classic 2004 and 2005. Actually yeasty and wonderful on the nostril with crimson apple once more and a few slight oxidation taking place. Beautiful. Actually improbable, wealthy and full of life on the palate with layered baked crimson apple, crumbly croissant and a mineral, oxidative be aware that’s simply improbable. Whoa. Extraordinary. 97 Factors.
1997 Roederer Property l’Ermitage, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $150? 55% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir. One other fabulous nostril with loads of toast. Whoa. Golden in colour and tons of baked golden scrumptious apple. The palate is once more simply off the charts with improbable flavors of apple compote and baked bread with a end that appears to final for days. Extraordinary. 97 Factors.
2015 Schramsberg Vineyards J. Schram Blancs, North Coast, CA: Retail $150. 84% Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Noir. Beautiful crimson apple and yeast on the nostril with only a slight trace of colour. Once more, fairly tart and younger with each crimson and golden scrumptious apple paired with a freshly baked croissant. Very lengthy end that lingers and lingers. Excellent. 95 Factors.
1997 Schramsberg Vineyards J Schram Late Disgorged, North Coast, CA: Retail $300? 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. Very nutty with some slight oxidation the nostril with predominantly baked apple; fairly Burgundian the truth is. The palate? Whoa. It is a layered and sophisticated wine, with appreciable depth. Surprisingly, there may be nonetheless loads of fruit on the palate, albeit dried and baked. However whoa is it it improbable. Wholly cow. Extraordinary. 98 Factors.
My Glowing Wine of the Yr:
As I’ve talked about numerous instances on this area, I’ve been lucky to style some wonderful wines and meet some fairly unbelievable individuals. As for the latter, Remi Cohen, the C.E.O. of Domaine Carneros is on the high of the listing. It simply so occurs that one of many wines she delivered to that New York Metropolis tasting can be my High Glowing Wine of 2024. Whereas I choose to keep away from hyperbole, the 1995 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve would possibly simply be the best wine I’ve ever tasted.
1995 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve, Blanc de Blancs, Carneros, CA: Retail $250? 99% Chardonnay, 1% Pinot Blanc. The final wine of the tasting and as with most of the others, this was initially fairly shy on the nostril however with persistence, it confirmed a great deal of toast and a contact of oxidation. Whoa. I might simply odor this for days. The palate is each full and layered with a concord that could be a hallmark of Le Rêve, for my part. And this has it in spades. Some of the full wines I’ve ever tasted. Extraordinary. 99 Factors.
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