The Top 10 Wines I Tasted in 2024
I love sharing great food and wine with friends. We are now firmly out of the Pandemic but the wine industry has been having struggles in 2024. Traffic is down at most wineries on the West Coast and we all need to do our best to support the wine community. I have enjoyed some sensational wines with friends over the past year, including many top champagnes, Rhones and Bordeauxs. Here are some of my favorite world wine choices that I tasted in 2024.
What were some of your favorite wines that you tasted this year? Here are mine:
10) 2014 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Rose Champagne
This was such a nuanced and complex bottling. For me this has to be one of the finest Cristal Rose wines made. It is big and burly with loads of aging potential — literally will sit for decades. A must-taste for any champagne lover.
9) 2022 Kobayashi ‘Sans Soufre’ Syrah
A knockout Syrah, this has such sensational flavor range from blood orange zest and iodine to dense dark fruits. The freshness and overall stability of the wine is remarkable despite it being a natural wine. This is clearly up there with the finest natural wines of the world including those from Frank Cornelissen.
8) 2005 Chateau Margaux
This was a 3L bottle that was enjoyed at a party in Miami. I had a glass of it and it was otherworldly stuff. The black florals and texture were just sensational. No doubt this was a perfect wine that was also very vibrant and fresh. I think this has easily two decades in front of it.
7) 2005 Chateau Climens Sauternes-
This is a perfect wine for me and was an amazing half-bottle. It was tasted v. The 2003 and this might not have been quite as dense but had better finesse. The flavor range was downright ethereal. There was just so much drinking pleasure and it was enjoyed over Christmas which made it even more special.
6) 2014 Cayuse Vineyards ‘God Only Knows’ Red Wine-
Formerly my #1 wine of the year, the 2014 ‘God Only Knows’ was a total stunner and every bit a perfect wine. This one is definitely not getting better so open and enjoy if you have a few. Talk about a cornucopia of flavors from seaweed and charcuterie to ultra-pure red fruits
5) 2000 Dom Perignon ‘P2’ Champagne
Enjoyed with friends the 2000 ‘P2’ is definitely not getting any better. But it was so marvelously musty and still has a gorgeous core of melon and citrus fruits left intact, with wafts of white truffle crudo. A dazzling wine, this is drinking like a mature Burgundy right now. Golden in the glass, no reason to cellar this beauty. Pop this thing and watch it evolve over an hour.
4) 2005 Chateau Angelus
I love Angelus and this was a stunning bottle of the 2005. So rich and pure, with vibrant acidity and a gorgeous melange of dark and red fruits, with that loamy soil character. The tannins are ultra-refined right now, so no reason to continue to cellar. Enjoyed over an hour, this became even more silky at the hour mark.
3) 2014 Quilceda Creek ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon
I love wines from this site and the 2014 ‘Galitzine’ is really rocking right now in its hedonistic core of black and blue fruits. The underlying vein of tension remains wonderfully intact here. This is just a total stunner to enjoy now — and it went very quickly!
2) 2012 Opus One Red Wine
I love the way that old Opus One ages. This one was impeccably balanced and shows stunning freshness and depth. It is just starting to get into the tertiary notes of cedar and garrigue with wild mushroom accents. Right now this beauty is drinking like a first growth Bordeaux!
1) 2010 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape
Who doesn’t love Rayas but you don’t always get a chance to enjoy a perfectly mature Rayas. This was the case in November as a friend opened his 2010. So pillowy and soft, with amazing verve and tension, I don’t think I have had a finer rendition of this wine. This is the absolute pillar of Chateauneuf for me. Pure and seductive with its pretty red florals and red fruit core, it was seamless throughout the drinking experience. An unforgettable wine!