That is the second 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 mirror on the highest wines that I used to be lucky sufficient to style over the course of the yr. Right here, I current the most effective white wines I tasted in 2024.
2021 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $56. Very Heavy Bottle (796g; 28oz). 71% Sauvignon Gris, 29% Sauvignon Blanc. Tropical and citrus fruit and a noticeable creamy facet, however nuttier with some guava and hyacinth. Wealthy and intense mouthfeel with near-perfect stability from the leap. Creamy, wealthy, and multi-layered. Whoa. All three of the Elevage wines had been spectacular, however that is my favourite (however solely barely). Excellent. 96 Factors.
Stated Elevate Blancs (and a Sauvignon Gris for good measure).
2010 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Savennières, Loire Valley, France: Retail $125. Accountable Bottle (513g; 18.1oz). 100% Chenin Blanc. Whoa. Near amber in colour with intense notes of beeswax, lanolin, walnut, quince, and only a contact of lemon rind. Whoa. The palate is far the identical with intense acidity and impeccable stability, weight, and depth. This wine will not be for everyone, however for individuals who respect the type? Holy cow, that is an unbelievable instance. Extraordinary. 98 Factors.
2009 Nicolas Joly Savennières Roche aux Moines Clos de la Bergerie, Loire Valley, France: Cru Wine Bar. $130. I’m extra conversant in Joly’s iconic wine, Clos de la Couilée de Serrant however the first time with this one. Golden even barely orange within the glass with an inviting, intriguing nostril. Honeysuckle, beeswax, and lanolin are all current with perhaps some bruised apple hidden in there as nicely. The palate? Fairly near magical. Spherical, unctuous, and enveloping this actually a particular wine. Wealthy, tangy, and lingering, Joly was distinctive in some ways as had been his wines. That is no exception. Extraordinary. 97 Factors.
2012 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg, Wachau, Austria:Retail $55. Heavy Bottle (615g; 21.6oz). Underneath cork. Golden colour with wealthy honeyed notes of ripe pear and lemon rind, this definitely comes off as an “older” white earlier than even the primary sip. And that’s simply effective with me. The palate can also be wealthy, creamy, layered, and viscous–not like any Grüner I’ve had beforehand. It’s not as tart as different wines constructed from the variability, however it’s also way more complicated, inflicting me to pause, reassess, and redefine my thought of “Grüner Veltliner”. I think about for true devotees of the variability, this may verge on sacrilege, however for wine lovers and geeks like me, that is nothing wanting revelatory. Whoa^2. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2009 Maison Roche de Bellene Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières, Burgundy, France: Retail $240(?). 100% Chardonnay. Underneath cork. I purchased this again in 2017 from my favourite wine store in Beaune for 55€ (about $60) and I had forgotten about it till now. The cork was in effective form and whereas the colour has clearly moved on to “yellow”, the nostril was unbelievable with nice lemon curd and minerality dominant with touches of white pepper and spice. The palate is a bit refined initially however 100% basic Meursault: wealthy, even on the verge of unctuous, with some buttery, creamy notes (however nowhere close to an oak monster), a great deal of citrus, and the accompanying zinginess, with a end that lasts for minutes. Whoa and a Yowza. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2013 Trattore Farms Viognier, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $35. Heavy Bottle (642g; 1lb 6.6oz). This wine definitely didn’t disappoint; not solely has it not slipped one iota, however it might even be higher than it was once I opened the earlier bottle in 2021. Wow. Whoa. Yowza. And a Holy Cow for good measure. This wine is off-the-charts unbelievable. Wealthy, layered, complicated, fruity, and tart, I might sip at this wine for a number of days. A bit darkish within the glass, as one would anticipate, however in any other case? No indicators of age right here. I can safely say that I’ve not had a Viognier this good exterior of Condrieu (and even then…). Excellent. 96+ Factors.
As any informal reader of this weblog can attest, I like Tongue Dancer Wines. Annually, they dominate my Prime Wines lists (please make one other glowing wine, please!) and this yr isn’t any exception.
2017 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Bacigalupi Winery, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $50. Extraordinarily Heavy Bottle (880g; 31oz). Aged Tongue Dancer is a commodity in my home; we discover it laborious to carry onto bottles as they’re usually so unbelievable upon launch. I’ve had his wine a number of instances now and whoa. Wealthy, on the verge of unctuous, with unbelievable tree fruit (ripe pear) and aromas of lemon curd wafting out and in of detection. The palate is wealthy, for positive, but in addition balanced, nuanced, and morgasmic (technical time period). Whoa. That is actually superb. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2021 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Bacigalupi Winery, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $55. Heavy bottle (621g; 1lb 5.9oz). Underneath cork. That is what wine ought to be; wine is a lot greater than what’s within the glass. Certain, there’s the colour (mild straw), the nostril (lemon curd, a little bit of spice, a mineral observe), the palate (wealthy, unctuous flavors of lemon, oak, marzipan, and white pepper), and there’s the end (lengthy, luxurious, and beautiful). However. What I’ve come to understand, settle for, and even embrace, is that wine is concerning the individuals. Certain, many wine pundits will exclaim that wine ought to connote a way of place, a terroir, a connection to the soil. However wine doesn’t make itself, the “land” doesn’t harvest, mix, or bottle it. No, individuals do this. And I cannot consider two individuals on the planet that I’d relatively share a bottle of wine with greater than James and Kerry MacPhail. That is what makes wine so particular. And this wine is particular. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2022 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Magnolia Montrachet, Dry Creek Valley, CA : Retail $59. Heavy Bottle (626g; 22.0oz). Underneath cork. Gentle in colour, and a bit shy initially, with lemon curd and minerality coming via after a little bit of coaxing. Whoa. The palate is definitely demure, notably straight out of the bottle, however because it warmed (barely), the aromas intensified (with a slight trace of buttered popcorn), and a few ripe inexperienced apple emerged. The palate? Off the charts. Once more, “demure” with loads of fruit however held in test by the tartness and mineral facets. Improbable. However probably the most superb facet of this wine is the end; deep, wealthy, tart, and prolonged, this wine firmly will get a “holy cow” and one more whoa. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2019 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Winery, Russian River Valley, CA:Retail $49. Very Heavy Bottle (705g; 24.8oz). Underneath cork. Pretty mild within the glass, this wine has a relatively masterful contact: it’s expressive each of the nostril and the palate with luscious fruit, balancing acidity, and, nicely, tons of verve. However this now three years older wine appears to have developed extra depth and complexity and the end, which was already prolonged, has turn into seemingly countless. Whoa. Excellent. 96 Factors.
White Wine of the Yr:
2021 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Vine Hill, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $65. Heavy bottle (Tongue Dancer has enormously diminished their bottle weights. 626g; 1lb 6.1oz). Underneath cork. That is now the second classic of this wine and whereas I cherished the 2020 (97 factors), I’m fairly positive I like this 2021 much more. I’ve been saying for some time that James and Kerry’s Tongue Dancer Chardonnays are other-worldly however it’s true. And this Pratt Vine Hill? I place it firmly on the prime of the record (though the Bacigalupi or the Extremely or the …). What makes me so giddy about this wine particularly? Simply it’s the stability as every aspect is in close to good live performance with the others. The fruit (lemon curd), floral facet (acacia), refined oak notes, and a salty mineral facet characterize the nostril. On the palate, all the above is joined by a stunning, unifying tartness that carries the fruit to a prolonged end. In a world filled with superlatives, this wine actually does stand out. Extraordinary. 98 Factors.
Runners-up (95 Factors):
- 2022 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc, Napa Valley, CA: ($56).
- 2020 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc, Napa Valley, CA: ($56).
- 2022 Covenant Solomon Blanc, Sonoma County, CA: ($75).
- 2023 Bodega Garzón Albariño Single Winery, Las Violetas, Canelones, Melilla, Montevideo, Uruguay: ($25).
- 2022 Ketcham Property Viognier, Russian River Valley, CA: ($48).
- 2016 Tercero Roussanne, Zaca Mesa Winery, Santa Ynez Valley, CA: ($40).
- 2022 Vinoce Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, CA: ($45).
Honorable Point out (94 Factors):
- 2015 Brooks Riesling Brooks Property Winery, Eola – Amilty Hills, OR ($32).
- 2022 Covenant Chardonnay Lavan, Sonoma Mountain, CA: ($42).
- 2024 Familia Deicas Albariño Atlántico Sur, Uruguay: ($20)
- 2021 Duchman Household Vineyard Viognier Bingham Household Winery, Texas Excessive Plains, TX: ($28).
- 2023 Pisoni Household Vineyards Lucy Pico Blanco, Monterey County, CA: ($26).
- 2019 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, CA: ($45).
- 2021 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, CA: ($48).
- 2022 Trapiche Chardonnay Terroir Collection Finca Las Piedras, Valle de Uco, Argentina: ($52).
- 2022 Troon Winery Vermentino, Applegate Valley, OR: ($40).
- 2022 Troon Winery Grenache Blanc Prolonged Lees Getting older, Applegate Valley, OR: ($40).
- 2022 Vinoce Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, CA: ($45).
